Latest news with #Animesh
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
With national record in 200m, Animesh's bronze is gold standard
In a competition where India won 24 medals, including eight gold medals, it's easy for a solitary bronze to be overlooked. Yet, in terms of sporting significance, the one won by Animesh Kujur in the men's 200m at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi shines just as bright as gold. The 21-year-old streaked past his own National Record, set just last month, stopping the clock at 20.32 seconds. He became only the second Indian ever to win a medal in this event at the Asian Championships in over half a century. 'Till now I was just winning medals at the national level. This is my first medal in my first international championships. This is just the start of my international career,' Animesh says on video call, a big smile plastered across his face. ALSO READ | Asian Athletics Championships 2025, Final Medals Tally: India finishes second behind China Just a couple of days earlier, late on Thursday, there was a very different call. On the other end of the line was Martin Owens, chief coach at the Reliance Odisha High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar. 'Animesh was going to run his first heat on Friday morning. He told me he was really nervous about running the next day,' recalls Martin. A Big Challenge It wasn't hard to see why. The 21-year-old was competing in his first international event for India. Although he had only been included in the Indian team after breaking the 200m national record with a time of 20.40s last month, the Asian Championships marked a significant step up in class. In 25 editions over 52 years, just one other Indian (Dharambir Singh in 2015, who subsequently failed a doping test) had won a medal in this event. Moreover, Animesh wasn't in peak physical condition. He'd caught a cold on the journey to South Korea. 'He was congested and running a fever. He'd been having a couple of turbulent days, mostly drinking hot liquids and sleeping,' says Martin. It wasn't the ideal build-up to an event. Martin talked him down. 'I just told him to go for a walk and drink a cup of tea. That calmed him down,' Martin says. 'That first day was hard, but since then he's been fantastic.' What stood out for Martin was how intelligently Animesh planned his races. In international championships, sprints involve multiple rounds – heats, semis, and finals – meant to whittle down participants. Animesh, already under the weather, had to manage his energy. Another runner might have had the experience to do this. Animesh, however, is a relatively late starter in track and field, having only taken up the sport at 16. Limited Experience Until then, Animesh, the son of a police officer from Chhattisgarh, had been a football player at his Sainik School in Ambikapur. 'It was only after I passed out of school in 2020 and didn't have a team anymore that I looked to find another sport,' he recalls. That sport turned out to be track and field. He entered the state junior competition almost on a whim. 'I didn't know anything about athletics at that time. I didn't even know who the top athletes were. I just knew who Usain Bolt was. I took part in both the 100m and the shot put because they let me compete in both,' he says. What stood out for Martin was how intelligently Animesh planned his races. In international championships, sprints involve multiple rounds – heats, semis, and finals – meant to whittle down participants. Animesh, already under the weather, had to manage his energy. | Photo Credit: Asian Athletics With a naturally powerful build – a heavily muscled 6'2' – Animesh was good enough to make it through to the state team and compete in the junior national championships the following year. Two years later, he won gold at the juniors and was signed by Martin, a UK-based sprints coach brought to India by the Reliance Foundation, to train at the Odisha High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar. In the two years since he began training with Martin, Animesh has gone from strength to strength. 'When he started with us, he couldn't even do a goblet squat properly, but he's very competitive and he's improved massively as a runner,' says Martin. His late start, however, meant Animesh lacked the race experience other athletes had. But that didn't show in Gumi. In the heats, he ran 20.98s to finish behind Shota Iizuka of Japan. In the semis, he clocked 20.81s, finishing second to Japan's Towa Uzawa, who ran 20.67s. 'I knew I didn't have to win the heats. I had to save my energy for the final, and that's what I did,' Animesh will say later. While Animesh downplays it, Martin emphasises how crucial the strategy was. 'He ran the championships really well. It's his first ever major international championship. He's never even competed at an age-group championship. It was a big, big test for him. He was intelligent through the rounds, running the heats and semis just to qualify, and he got faster each round. That's exactly what we were looking for.' Steady Progress In the final too, Animesh showed improvement in race technique. As a relatively tall runner, he takes time to reach his peak frequency. In Gumi, though, he got off the blocks quickly. 'He started really well. He's done a lot of work on his starts at camp and while he's been away, and that's obviously paid off,' says Martin. While he shaved 0.08 seconds off his national record, Martin believes there's room for more improvement. 'We just need to work a bit more on his speed on the bend. Being in lane 7, he didn't quite grasp what was going on inside him. He could have started working a bit earlier.' Though Animesh ran a great final straight, Atafi finished just ahead with 20.31s – a Saudi National Record. Ahead of both was Japan's Uzawa, who clocked a personal best 20.12s, a new championship record. | Photo Credit: RF Youth Sports Based on Animesh's start, Martin was expecting him to win silver, but Saudi Arabian sprinter Abdulaziz Atafi pushed ahead earlier on the bend. Though Animesh ran a great final straight, Atafi finished just ahead with 20.31s – a Saudi National Record. Ahead of both was Japan's Uzawa, who clocked a personal best 20.12s, a new championship record. Rather than seeing their opponents' speed as a setback, Martin says it's crucial for Animesh's growth. 'If he had run the same race in India, he would probably have won by 7 or 8 metres. But Animesh needs to race faster guys like this. As he races faster people, he gets faster. He'll cope with their speeds better.' While they will keep pushing, Martin admits he's impressed with Animesh's progress. 'When he first started with us, his best times were in the 21.1-second range. At the start of this year, he was running 20.50 in his best races. The goal I'd set was for him to run 20.50 consistently, but he's already improved that to 20.32. I'll have to update my expectations as a coach.' Raising the Bar Martin's original target had been for Animesh to compete at the World University Games in Bochum, Germany. There, a 20.50-second run would have placed him on the podium. Now, with an Asian medal, Martin believes Animesh could qualify for the senior World Championships. 'He will possibly qualify through the points system. If he does, it would be a massive achievement for a young 21-year-old who's just really learning his trade. It's a very long shot, but he might even run the qualifying standard (20.12). Should he get anywhere near that, that's a world-class time. Hopefully he gets close to it. But I think he's going to lower the national record a couple more times.' ALSO READ | Asian Athletics Championships 2025: Full list of Indian medal winners As what once seemed unthinkable now feels possible, Martin says Animesh will set his sights higher. 'This result will give him a lot of confidence. He'll be better at the next Asian Championships. He'll be stronger. He knows he can run well at championships. He knows he can handle multiple races. But he also knows there are faster guys out there, and he'll want to beat them. That's important. He's a competitor. He'll come back stronger,' says Martin. Animesh agrees. 'At first when I finished the race, I was feeling happy. But when I got on the podium I didn't feel as happy. Bronze is not bad, but to win gold and have the national anthem playing is a very different feeling. But this just tells me I have to work more. I'll take this as motivation for next time.'
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘Outstanding' Animesh Kujur dazzles with 200m national record at Asian Athletics Championships
Breaking records is becoming habitual for Animesh Kujur. On Saturday at the Asian Athletics Championships, the 21-year-old lowered the national record in the 200 metres for the second time in just over a month. At the Federation Cup in Kochi, in April, he clocked 20.40 seconds to break Amlan Borgohain's mark of 20.52. In Gumi, South Korea, the stakes were high when Animesh lined up in a field that included Japan's Towa Uzawa, the defending champion. At the Fed Cup, he was expected to win, but performance in Gumi would tell if he was cut out for the big stage. Blazing start isn't the lanky sprinter's strength but he tamed the bend and finished strongly to become India's first medal winner in the 200 metres at the Asian Championships in a decade. Animesh didn't allow a false start by China's Shi Junao to distract him. A bronze clinched with a time of 20.32 seconds and a new national record. Defending champion Uzawa won the gold (20.12S) and Saudi Arabia's Abdulaziz Abdul Atafi saw off a later surge from Animesh to take the silver (20.31S). 'I knew there was a 20.05 sprinter and a 20.14 second sprinter, so I would get a good push. Every time before a race I start thinking that my start won't be good. But this time I kept the negativity aside. When the curve ended I felt like I was ahead,' Animesh said. However, when he stood on the podium, Animesh was a bit dejected. Only the national anthem of the winner's country is played. 'Standing on the podium and hearing the Indian national anthem play is a different feeling. This medal is a motivation as it was my first at an international level for me,' Animesh said. Adille Sumariwalla, a vice president of World Athletics and former 100 metre national champion rated Animesh as 'amongst the best sprinters he has seen in India. 'I think he is an outstanding athlete. If he can improve his start a little more he will be impossible to beat,' Sumariwalla said. After winning gold at the Federation Cup, Animesh had set his target. 'I want to become the first athlete (from India) to run below 20 seconds,' Animesh had said. Martin Owens, head coach of the Odisha-Reliance Foundation High Performance Centre, said he was 'stressed' till Animesh won the medal. Owens didn't travel to Gumi, so caught the action on YouTube. The coach was also worried because Animesh was under the weather. 'He has had a fever for two days, had a bit of congestion, could not breathe properly, he was a bit snorty. He was in bed for two days and only got up to race. He was probably worse yesterday (during the heats) than today,' Owens said. Owens coaches Animesh at the high performance centre in Bhubaneswar. He believes there is a sureshot way for Animesh to get faster: Compete regularly with faster sprinters. 'We knew he had to go abroad to race. And this (Asian Championships) gave us the first opportunity to race against people who are very fast. This is an outstanding achievement for someone who ran his first major international championships. Remember, he hasn't done age-group championships. He's taken two-tenths off the national record in the last month, which is a big step forward,' Owens said. Animesh, however, is still work-in-progress, the coach said. He needs to start better, improve his speed when on the bend and then can take full advantage of his strong finish. Though Animesh has been putting in the hours to gain a faster start, Owens said he didn't want it to come at the expense of his strengths. 'We worked on his start but we didn't want to sacrifice his top-end speed and his speed-endurance. You can't neglect anything. But he is very strong in that part (home straight) of the race, we don't want to ruin that by fixing something else. We want a strong race all around.' Next stop for Animesh is a competition in Taiwan before stopovers for races in Geneva, Athens and Monte Carlo. Owens predicts that Animesh will break the national record again this season. 'I think he will break the record again this summer. Given the right race and the right conditions he can blow that (record) out of the water. I am hopeful of some very fast times this season.'
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Animesh Kujur breaks national record to win bronze in men's 200m at Asian Athletics Championships
Animesh Kujur broke the men's 200m national record with a 20.32s run to win bronze at the Asian Athletics Championships on Saturday in Gumi, South Korea. Earlier this year, he set the national record at 20.40s during the Federation Cup. With this medal, Animesh matched Dharambir Singh's 2015 feat as India's second-ever 200m medalist at the Asian Championships. In Gumi, Towa Uzawa of Japan won gold with a meet record timing of 20.12. Saudi Arabia's Abdulaziz Atafi bagged bronze with a personal best time of 20.31. This was India's 19th medal in the ongoing competition. The country stands second behind China, with eight gold, seven silver, and four bronze medals.
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Animesh Kujur: From suffering heatstrokes to breaking records and is India's 'Usain Bolt'
Usain Bolt and Animesh Kujur (Agency Photos) 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 in a free-wheeling chat. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo '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. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
Hindustan Times
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
15-year-old men's national 4x100m relay mark bettered
New Delhi: India currently boast of an excellent bunch of male sprinters. Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidhar and Amlan Borgohain have run sub-10.30 secs in the 100m. On Wednesday, the quartet representing Reliance shattered a 15-year-old national record in the 4x100m relay, clocking 38.69s to win the India Open relay competition at Chandigarh. The previous national mark of 38.89s came while winning bronze at the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games. The quartet has been in excellent form this season and came together to set a fresh bench mark at Chandigarh's Sector 7 Sports Complex. Gurindervir, who set the 100m national record (10.20s) this year, ran the first leg and Animesh, the 200m national record holder with a 100m best of 10.27s, the second. Manikanta (100m best 10.22s) extended the lead with a brilliant bend run. Amlan, known for his powerful dash down the straight crossed the finish unchallenged. The Tamil Nadu quartet was second (39.83s) and Army third (41.40s). For perspective, the Asian record set by Japan in 2019 is 37.43secs. At the 2023 Asian Championships, Thailand won gold at 38.55s, ahead of China (38.87 secs) and South Korea (38.99secs), which should raise Indian hopes of a podium finish at the coming continental meet. 'We just believed in each other and our speed,' said Amlan. Animesh, who last week set the 200m national mark (20.40s), said they can have another go at the relay record this season. 'I am very happy that we were able to break the national record. If we can give this result after just had a few sessions together (practicing baton exchange), just wait for us to clock better timings in coming days,' said Animesh. There was anticipation of a new record after the four clocked 38.93s in the morning heats. They will be part of India's 4x100m relay team at the Asian Championships in South Korea in May. Federation Cup winner Pranav Gurav is also part of the relay squad. In the 4x400m relay, the two teams fielded from among the national campers (National Coaching Camps) finished 1-2. AFI has named a new and inexperienced squad for the Asian Championships as they look to revamp the team. Jay Kumar, Manu TS, Vishal TK and Dharamveer Chaudhary won with a timing of 3:04.31. T Santosh, Mohit Kumar, Rince Joseph and Tushar Manna were second in 3:04.92s. In women's 4x400m relay, Sneha K, Rupal Chaudhary, Jisna Mathew and Subha Venkatesan won clocking 3:32.64s. All four national campers are in the Asian Championships squad. Tamil Nadu's Dhesikha V, N Mariea, Akshya Baskar and Vithya Ramraj were second (3:40.85s). In the 4x100m women's relay, the National Centre of Excellence team featuring Srabani Nanda, Abinaya Rajarajan, Sneha S and Nithya Gandhe won clocking 44.12s. Nithya Ramraj, Giridharani Ravikumar, Angel Silvia and M, Kiruthika were second (46.07s).
