Animesh Kujur: From suffering heatstrokes to breaking records and is India's 'Usain Bolt'
NEW DELHI: "Baap re baap (Oh my gosh!)" --
Animesh Kujur
could barely cope with the humidity as the 2025 athletics season was still picking up pace in Chennai.
Along with a host of competitors, April's Indian Open Athletics Meet brought punishing heat and stifling humidity. For the 21-year-old from Odisha, it was too hot to handle.
"I actually got heatstroke both before and after the events. I had to run four races in a single day and just couldn't stay hydrated," Animesh, Asia's current top-ranked 200m sprinter, tells
TimesofIndia.com
in a free-wheeling chat.
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'We didn't plan hydration properly. I train in somewhat similar conditions in Odisha, but I didn't think it'd be that extreme.'
Battling heat
Just five days later,
Animesh
was due to race at the Senior Federation Cup in Kochi. As the extreme Kerala heat made national headlines, training was out of the question; recovery was all he could manage.
"I wasn't sure if I'd be able to perform well there either," he recalls.
Still nursing fatigue, he qualified for the final and clocked 20.60 seconds in the semis. 'I could feel I was running at 95% of my potential.'
With stalwarts like Manikanta Hoblidhar (former 100m national record holder) and Amlan Borgohain (former 100m and 200m national record holder) in the mix, the final needed more than potential.
'I stuck to my plan and pushed hard in the last 100 metres. After crossing the finish line, I didn't celebrate. I was just staring at the clock, waiting to see if I'd gone under 20.50.'
Then it flashed: 20.40 seconds. A new national record.
Animesh Kujur
'It felt unreal,' Animesh recollects. What followed was a familiar celebration, arms pointed to the sky in a lightning bolt, a tribute to his idol.
'When I got into athletics in 2021, the only name I knew was Usain Bolt; tall, skinny, a bit like me, even the same skin tone,' he laughs. 'Over the last two years, I've started leading the 100m and 200m fields in India. Bolt has been such a big inspiration that I always try to recreate his signature pose.'
Breaking records
Breaking records is now Animesh's habit. Later in April, he teamed up with Gurindervir Singh, Manikanta, and Amlan at the National Relay Carnival in Chandigarh.
The quartet clocked 38.69 seconds to set a new national record in the men's 4x100m relay, after just one training session together.
Animesh, who trains in Bhubaneswar, had to join the others in Mumbai just before the meet. 'James Hillier sir (the athletics director at Reliance Foundation) helped us a lot with baton exchanges, the steps, the rhythm, everything,' says Animesh.
'My coach,
Martin Owens
, manages everything: how I eat, sleep, behave, and where I go. Just two years ago, my life was completely different. Now it's fully professional. I can feel the difference,' he admits.
Football's loss, athletics' gain
Athletics, however, wasn't initially in his scheme of things, as Animesh started out playing football in school.
'During Covid, I couldn't just sit at home,' he says. He began jogging with army aspirants. Someone suggested he try a state meet in November 2020. Unaware it was a national qualifier, he went and surprised everyone.
In January 2021, he ran his first nationals without formal training, finishing fifth in both the 100m and 200m. Coming from a family of police officers and defence personnel, Animesh was once urged to quit sports due to the future uncertainty around the field and the fear of fatal injuries: 'My mother was worried about the injuries and lack of stability in sports. She asked me to quit. But my uncle and father backed me.'
He remembers: 'In 2022, around 12:30 am, I was sitting outside with my dad and uncle. My mom was completely against athletics. But my uncle stood by me and told my dad, 'Let him try, yaar. I'm with him — let's see how it goes.' That support meant everything.'
Three years on, Animesh has become one of the brightest stars in Indian athletics. As his parents now beam with pride, their son is busy taking selfies with his followers.
Just last week, he clinched gold in the 200m at the UAE Athletics Grand Prix, clocking 20.45 seconds, a new meet record, and the fastest time by an Indian in an international race.
Virat Kohli was always a VIBE during India's practice sessions
Later this month, he will line up in Gumi, South Korea, aiming for glory at the
Asian Athletics Championships
and a ticket to the World Championships.
'I want to hit 20.20 seconds. I've already clocked 20.32 -- unofficially, but it gave me confidence,' he says. 'The qualifying mark for Worlds is 20.16, but a gold medal in Gumi will get me in anyway. I'm ranked No.1 in Asia right now, so the goal is to stay consistent.'
It is going to be a long road ahead for Animesh, but the sprinter definitely knows the importance of patience and perseverance, and that he is just off the blocks.
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