Latest news with #AnimeshKujur
News18
3 days ago
- Sport
- News18
23 Reliance Foundation Athletes Set To Shine At World University Games
23 athletes backed by Reliance Foundation will compete at the World University Games in Germany until July 27th. A contingent of 23 athletes supported by the Reliance Foundation is set to compete at the World University Games across six cities in Germany, with events running until July 27th. Representing athletics, archery, and judo, these young talents aim to improve international rankings, achieve personal bests, and bring home laurels. The athletics team forms the backbone of the foundation's campaign, with 18 athletes competing in sprints, jumps, throws, hurdles, relay, long jump, decathlon, and other events, beginning July 21st. James Hillier, Director of Athletics at Reliance Foundation, emphasised the importance of the World University Games, stating, 'The World University Games is a very important competition for us. It is one of the few opportunities that athletes get to compete in a multi-sport environment. Athletes from different disciplines get to interact with each other and get the best out of their counterparts, which is a big benefit for them." Discussing the expectations for RF athletes, Hillier noted, 'The starting point is for all our athletes to finish ahead of their current ranking. We expect that because we pride ourselves on preparing our athletes better than anybody else – so it is not about who is the best athlete but who is the best-prepared athlete." Animesh Kujur will aim to elevate his performance in the 200m after his recent outings, including his participation in the Meeting Herculis EBS (Monaco Diamond League) in the U23 200m event, as part of his European tour. Similarly, the all-Reliance Foundation relay team comprising Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidhar, Gurindervir Singh, DM Jayaram, and Lalu Prasad Bhoi will blend camaraderie and capability to reaffirm Reliance Foundation's mission of preparing a world-class relay team. Moumita Mondal achieved a new personal best of 13.24s in the 100m hurdles earlier this month, making her the fourth best in India ever. She will also compete against her RF training partner Ancy Sojan in the long jump, who boasts a personal best of 6.71m. They will look to bring the best out of each other at the World University Games. Quiet Firepower in Archery & Judo: As part of the Reliance Foundation Scholarship Program, the Foundation supports promising athletes in archery and judo who will compete in these tournaments. In Judo? Himanshi Tokas (Below 63kg) – A gold medallist at the Jr. Asian Cup 2025 in Taipei, Himanshi aims to continue her winning streak on the university stage. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Tendency in India to measure progress in medals. But you can't just turn a switch
Earlier this month, 22-year-old Animesh Kujur became India's fastest man. A key force behind his success is Martin Owens , the coach who has helped shape Kujur's journey. Speaking to Shruti Sonal during a hectic Swiss tour, Owens discusses the future of desi sprinters, prep for the Olympics bids, and more You've watched Kujur go from promising talent to record-breaker. How did your coach-athlete relationship begin? I first met him at an event in Chhattisgarh in 2022. He'd just won the 200m race with a timing of 21.18 seconds. There are two sides to this story. My story is that he begged me to take him into the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High Performance Centre where I am head coach. His version is that I begged him to join it. One of us does not have a very good memory. When he joined, I noticed that he was a big physical specimen. When he moved, he was fast. But he couldn't squat properly, his mobility was poor. However, he had a good work ethic, and he just got better and better. The following year, he broke the 21-second mark and became the second-fastest 200m sprinter in India. Since then, he has dominated Indian sprinting. You've spoken about how his body wasn't letting him run really fast. What changed? by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Health: the best shoes to walk and stand all day Ultra-Comfortable Shoes Undo We had to really work on his starts. Thankfully, I had a team around me full of physios and sports scientists, and we all had our own theories on what was wrong with his starts and how he could work on it. It was probably a combination of everything: some of it stemming from his confidence issues, the rest from his learned behaviour. We just worked on it and his top-end speed got better. Then we realised that when he hit the timing gates at certain parts in the race, he could hold his own against a world-class field. Hence, we began providing him more global exposure. We've been at the Swiss Olympic centre in Magglingen and they have been really generous with their ideas, equipment and access. We've seen the results of that in the 10.18 he clocked recently in the 100m race at the Dromia International Sprint and Relays meet in Greece. But I don't think that's a fair reflection of how fast he can run. Do you think he's anywhere close to breaking the 10-second mark? No, 0.18 isn't close but we're getting there. Breaking records depends on a number of factors. You need to be in shape, you need a good track, good weather conditions and the right competitors. But you cannot expect to break the record every time you run out on the track. His journey is just starting, really. There's only been two years of serious training. For now, we're aiming for the Bronze Continental Tour that's held in our home stadium in Bhubaneswar in Aug. And then we've got the World Tokyo Championships in Sept. Qualifying for that is our main target. You were previously a running coach in England. How different are the cultures around sport in the two countries, and what was the biggest challenge after coming to India? The first challenge was the traffic and noise (laughs). I love Indian food, but it made me put on quite a few pounds, and I am still struggling with that. In terms of the sporting culture, people do athletics in the UK as a hobby, and as a sport. In India, it's a totally different thing. Most people tend to do it because they want a job. There are very few who want to do it because they want to be better at the sport and do the best they can. That's understandable. If you can get a better job by running faster, jumping further, jumping higher, throwing further, then I'm all for it. But it has led to a culture that is wrapped around support. In the UK, you're pretty dependent on your parents driving you around and taking you to meet somebody, paying for your entry to the competition, along with your hotel and in India, somebody else has to pick up that tab. That might be private players like Reliance, the govt, or another institution. You've called Odisha India's best-kept sporting secret. Is that where the next big stars will come from? Odisha has been the standout state for providing sporting support, but as the push goes for the 2036 Olympics, more states are getting involved. They're putting in the infrastructure, and looking for corporate partners. It's a bit like 2012 in the UK, where there was a big push to get everybody involved in sport and bring those medals for the London Olympics. I hope there's a similar push in India with an eye on 2036. And you've got to start now. Those 11 years will go by very, very quickly. We just saw packed stadiums at the Neeraj Chopra Classic. Is that an encouraging sign for Indian athletics? I think when it's possible to do the same without a superstar like Neeraj there, then I will be happy. What we should be working towards in India is a growth in audiences not driven by superstars, but by a passion for the sport. But it is encouraging, of course. There's a desperate need for heroes like Neeraj. Without him, athletics wouldn't exist at the standard it is in India. His Olympics gold changed Indian athletics forever. Apart from Kujur, Mohammed Afsal and Gulveer Singh have been making waves. What will it take to find a sprint star like Neeraj? Patience, and, unfortunately, there's not much of that going around in India. There's a tendency here to measure this progress in medals. There has got to be understanding that it's a long process. You don't just turn a switch and get a whole load of world-class athletes. There are no shortcuts. It's hard work, good planning, commitment and pushing in the right direction. It's a slow burn and there are unrealistic expectations placed on emerging athletes. India has talent but they need better opportunities to express themselves at a young age through grassroots competitions.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Swiss meet: Animesh Kujur finishes ninth overall in 200m
Animesh Kujur (Image TOI Photo) Kolkata : After making his debut at Diamond League in Monaco in 200m in the U23 category last week, Animesh Kujur had his eyes on qualifying for World Championships to be held in Tokyo in September. However, he couldn't give his best at Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern at Stadion Allmend in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Tuesday night. Running in Heat A, the 21-year-old finished sixth with a timing of 20.79 seconds. It was quite a below-par show considering he ran 20.55 seconds in Monaco and has a PB of 20.32 seconds. As a result, overall he finished ninth in the standings. Manikanta Hoblidhar also competed in another heat and finished second. His time though was just 21.36 seconds as a result of which he was 16th overall. Earlier in the day, Kujur, along with four other Indians, competed in the 100m and all of them ran in the Heat C. Kujur did well to cross the finish line in second place clocking 10.28 seconds — his third-best personal time — that also helped him finish eighth overall. As for the four other Indians, Gurindervir Singh, who has a PB of 10.20 seconds and briefly held the 100m NR, came fourth in the heats with a timing of 10.54 seconds. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Đây có thể là thời điểm tốt nhất để giao dịch vàng trong 5 năm qua IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Hoblidhar, also a former 100m NR holder, followed suit with a time of 10.61 seconds. Odisha's DM Jayram and Lalu Prasad Bhoi were the next to cross the line. Jayram ran a PB of 10.65 seconds while Lalu was just 0.02 seconds slower. Among the other Indians competing in the tournament, Moumita Mondal came seventh in long jump with a best effort of 6.34m. Shaili Singh, who has PB of 6.76m, also competed but failed to impress as she finished a lowly 10th with a jump of 6.13m. Poll What do you think Animesh Kujur needs to improve to qualify for the World Championships? Better training regimen More competitive experience Moumita also took part in the 100m hurdles and finished 13th overall with a timing of 13.48 seconds. She however did cross the finish line in first place in her heats. In men's javelin throw Sahil Silwal came seventh with a best effort of 77.75m. Meanwhile, in the women's section Karishma Sanil, who won gold in the UAE Athletics Women's Gala at Dubai Police Club Stadium earlier this year, was 12th with a best throw of 53.93m — which was also her last throw of the night. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
India Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
Meet Animesh Kujur: India's fastest man, breaking one barrier at a time
"I will qualify for the World Athletics Championships, stop worrying!" Animesh Kujur poked his coach Martin Owens, while speaking in a select round table from the Monaco Diamond he does, Kujur, 22, will make history as India's first-ever men's representative in the showpiece 100 and 200m sprint at the World Athletics Championships. Born in rural Chhattisgarh (Ghuitangar village), Kujur is rewriting the history of Indian track and field. He is already the fastest man in India, having run the 100m sprint in 10.18 seconds, breaking the sub-10.20 barrier previously held by Gurindervir just 22, standing at 6ft 2in tall, Kujur is making big strides. In July, he got a taste of his first Diamond League event, where he went shoulder to shoulder against Australian prodigy Gout Gout, who is already turning heads in the athletics of World Stage at Monaco In the Monaco Diamond League, Kujur competed in the U-23 200m event, becoming India's first ever participant in the sprint competition. Rather than be overwhelmed by the grand stage, he propelled himself in the hunt for the podium against some of the biggest up-and-coming talents in the by the attention and undeterred by the competition, Kujur ran hard (20.55), but missed the podium by only one-tenth of a second, behind South Africa's Jack Naeem (20.42 seconds).This timing is significant. India has rarely been seen in world-class sprinting events like the 100m or 200m, but Kujur is changing that perception. Hailing from the eastern border of Chhattisgarh, he is ticking off records and bringing India into the conversation. INDIA TODAY PHOTO While a direct qualification to the World Championships (10.00 in 100m, 20.16 in 200m) seems unlikely, Kujur is poised to qualify through the ranking system. Still, he remains determined to secure a direct qualification, a testament to the fire within him."Animesh's not motivated by medals or records, those come as side effects. He wants to improve for himself. And that's why coming to the Grand Prix was special, to see what top athletes do differently, lifestyle choices, sacrifices. It's not just running and lifting weights, it's missing out on things like ice cream, weddings, etc," Kujur's coach Owens, who accompanied him for the interview, chimed in from the believes that coming to the Diamond League, getting to be around Olympic Champions like Noah Lyles (100m) and Letsile Tebogo (200m) was a step in the right direction for the young athlete.' ' - ' .Animesh Kujur gearing up for Diamond League 2025, Monaco.#RFSports #Letsplay #AnimeshKujur RelianceFoundationSports (@RFYouthSports) July 11, 2025"I saw Lyles and Tebogo, took photos with them, and observed their warm-up routines. I learned so much to apply to my own training. The crowd was packed, the adrenaline was high: I just wanted to run," Kujur said Kujur admitted he was not satisfied with his Monaco performance. His 20.55 was slower than his personal best of 20.32 said that, in athletics, times can be deceptive. The race was run into a strong headwind (-1.9m/s), which slowed down all competitors. Plus, Monaco was Kujur's third race in Europe this season, and fatigue took its toll."We've already done three competitions in Europe and have three more ahead. We need to get back to basics," Owens said, noting Kujur's fitness lagged behind fresher Beginning of Animesh KujurBefore he was rubbing shoulders with Olympic champions, Kujur was far from the world of professional athletics. In fact, during the Covid-19 lockdown, he wasn't even sprinting seriously. A footballer in his early days, he would occasionally run with army personnel near his village of Ghuitangar - a place with no track, no coaching, and no real blueprint for producing elite athletes. It was the last place anyone expected a generational sprinting talent to as they say, all great odysseys begin with a single step. For Kujur, it was a simple suggestion: "Why don't you run in a local race?"Once he ran his first race, something clicked. The adrenaline rush changed his outlook story gets a little hazy here. "He was a big lad really, and begged me to take him into the Reliance Foundation HPC (High Performance Centre)," Owens chimed in with a joke."There's a funny story. He says I begged him to join, but I say he begged me. So one of us has a better memory," Owens said, just about managing to get his words out, through a bellyful of Owens, Kujur quickly proved his talent by winning the U-23 200m at his first age-group championship. His massive frame led some to suspect age fraud, but his raw speed was undeniable."He was raw, very raw, so we thought we could do something with him. Once he joined HPC, we realised he couldn't move. He had no range of movement. So we did a lot of mobility work and loosened him up," Owens did he persist with Animesh, despite a late start to his sprinting journey? Owens says it was Animesh's humility that stood out. And that, it still other quality of his is him as a young man, he's incredibly polite, incredibly careful, and incredibly caring for other people. And he is driven by the best he can be," Owens One Barrier at a TimeThat drive to be the best he can be shows in his to Owens, the race that put Animesh in the limelight (2025 National Games), where he clocked a 10.28, was an awful run."He was in phenomenal shape at National Games. After a slow start, he just ran through the field and smashed the national record," Owens then, Kujur shaved off 0.10 seconds at the Dromia Meet in Greece, becoming the fastest Indian qualify for the World Championships, Animesh needs a 10-second flat run in the 100m and 20.16 in the close is he? INDIA TODAY PHOTO With the right person, in the right conditions, at the right time? Owens believes that any one of the top five Indian sprinters can reach that mark at the moment, especially be the happiest man in India when anyone breaks 10 seconds, so people stop asking me 'when is it going to happen?' Have patience and trust in the process. It will happen with the right person, the right race, right conditions, might be Animesh or someone else. Then the Indian press can go mad!" Owens adds to that. He not only adds, but stresses it."In the National Games, I was in shape to run below 10-flat, but because of my start, I couldn't. Coach said it will take time; just keep faith. We will make you run below 10 in 100 and 20-below in 200. Just trust the process," he the BarThe performance data from the Monaco Diamond League shows that Animesh was on par with the generational Gout Gout between the 40-130m mark. In the other sections, Gout Gout was a little bit faster, maybe just by a tenth here and is confident targeted training will make Kujur faster across every segment in the 200m race."We want every section faster. Even the sections where Animesh matched Gout Gout, we want him faster. We'll work on weaknesses and raise strengths," Owens that was perhaps the whole point of the exposure in the Monaco Diamond: to see where Animesh stood among the rising talents in the world. INDIA TODAY PHOTO Animesh has a busy season ahead. On July 15, he finished second at a silver standard meet in Luzern, clocking 10.28 seconds in the 100m sprint, well ahead of India's next best, Gurindervir Singh (10.54). Next, he will train in Bochum, Germany, before returning to India for more meets, all leading up to the World fact that neither the sprinter nor the coach were happy with Monaco, and are taking on one competition after another, speaks volumes about India's rising aspirations in unheard of, India now boasts several sprinters targeting the elusive sub-10 second mark, with Kujur leading the he pushes through a packed season, one wonders what shift that one gold medal in Tokyo made to the aspirations of Indian athletics. Now, sprinters like Kujur are daring to dream bigger, running not just against time, but toward a future where Indian names are no longer absent from sprinting's grandest when that sub-10 barrier finally falls, it won't just be a record broken. It'll put India on the map of world track and field events. And whether it's Kujur who crosses that line first, or someone following in his slipstream, it will be a moment born from belief, built on sacrifice, and carried by the rhythm of a country learning to sprint.- EndsYou May Also Like
Time of India
7 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Animesh finishes second in 100m heats at Swiss meet
Animesh Kujur continued his brilliant run in the ongoing season by coming second in Heat C of 100m during the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern at Stadion Allmend in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Tuesday night. Coming into the race fresh from competing at the Monaco Diamond League last week, Kujur ran 10.28 seconds — his third-best personal time. While Sachin Dennis of Jamaica came first with a timing of 10.21 seconds, four more Indian athletes also took part in the race and pushed each other to the limit. Gurindervir Singh, who has a PB of 10.20 seconds and briefly held the 100m NR, came fourth with a timing of 10.54 seconds. Manikanta Hoblidhar, also a former 100m NR holder, followed suit with a time of 10.61 seconds. Odisha's DM Jayram and Lalu Prasad Bhoi were the next to cross the line. Jayram ran a PB of 10.65 seconds while Lalu crossed the line just 0.02 seconds later. However, Animesh was the most impressive of the Indian runners as he looks make good use of competing with the faster runners in the European circuit. While he is hoping to qualify for the World Championships in 200m, he is also aiming to break the 10-second mark in 100m. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cách giao dịch ETH/USD mà không cần nắm giữ Ether IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo He currently holds the 100m NR with a time of 10.18 seconds that he achieved during the Dromia International Sprint and Relays Meeting at Konstantinos Baglatzis Municipal Stadium in Vari, Greece, earlier this month. His coach Owen Martins, who trains him at Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Centre (HPC) in Bhubaneswar, however is well aware that it's going to take some time. "It's a slow process. It's still 2 metres and it's a long way off. Athens wasn't a fast track. So there's a few tenths of a second there. Also, in an earlier race, the wind was 1.7 m/s as opposed to 0. 5 m/s when he ran. So you can get down to 10.12 seconds just by changing the wind. But it's a gradual process and again, that's not really what we're trying to aim for," said Martins.
