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Hindustan Times
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
The big shift in Indian athletics
New Delhi: In a landmark domestic feat, four of India's fastest sprinters recently shattered the men's 4x100m national record, which had stood unbroken for 15 years. Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Amlan Borgohain, and Manikanta Hoblidhar clocked a blistering 38.69 seconds at the India Open Relays, sending ripples through the Indian athletics circuit. All four represented the Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RSF) in Chandigarh, and the new national record now stands in the name of RSF. The feat, though, wasn't just about raw speed; it also symbolised a shift in Indian athletics. For the first time, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has opened domestic competitions to private sports organisations, allowing entities like RSF and JSW Sports to field their own teams. RSF is the non-profit arm of Reliance Industries, and JSW Sports is backed by the steel giants. They train their athletes at respective elite state-of-the-art high-performance centres. Domestic meets this season have seen participation from state associations, public sector units, corporate-backed foundations, and even Sports Authority of India's NCOE centres (Indian Relays meet) — making for a diverse and competitive structure. The new model could significantly reshape the landscape of Indian athletics. The AFI leadership believes it will not only elevate the level of competition but also compel states to upgrade their facilities and increase support for their athletes. 'We wanted to try something different this Olympic cycle,' says AFI spokesperson and former president Adille Sumariwalla. 'Athletes can now train wherever they choose and compete in domestic events. This should also motivate states to step up. Tamil Nadu, for instance, already has a foreign coach. Other states might follow suit.' This change comes in the wake of India's underwhelming performance at the Paris Olympics, where only Neeraj Chopra managed to shine, winning a second consecutive Olympic medal. The rest of the contingent largely disappointed. In the changing scenario, RSF athletes have broken three national records — 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay. Gurindervir Singh clocked 10.20s to set a new 100m record, Animesh Kujur smashed the 200m mark with 20.40s, and the quartet of Gurindervir, Animesh, Amlan, and Manikanta combined for the relay record. These achievements come after years of planning at RSF's high-performance centres in Odisha, and now in Mumbai, focussed on sprinters. James Hillier, RSF's athletics director, has played a key role. Hillier has been preparing elite athletes at RSF since 2019 and has worked closely with Indian athletics. 'A lot of planning and effort has gone into this. It's exciting times for Indian sprinting. Back in 2019, a 10.5s sprint could win you the 100m. Now, 10.45s may not get you to the final. That's significant progress in five to six years,' Hillier told HT. The ripple effect is being felt across the circuit. 'Even athletes whom we don't coach have started pushing the boundaries. There's a belief that 'yes, we can run 10.2s.' That mindset didn't exist before.' At the Federation Cup, Pranav Pramod Gurav of Railways won the 100m in 10.27s, with Animesh (10.32s) and Manikanta (10.35s) close behind. The momentum carried into the UAE Grand Prix, where the men's 4x100m team clocked 38.76s to set a new meet record. Animesh continued his stellar run, timing 20.45s in the 200m. It's an encouraging build-up to the Asian Championships in South Korea later this month, where Indian sprinters are eyeing a podium finish. Given their form, all four sprinters from RSF are part of India's relay team, and Hillier has been appointed to lead the squad. 'I'm really excited about the opportunity,' Hillier. 'Opening up domestic competitions was a smart move by AFI. At Reliance, our mission is to prepare athletes to win medals for the country.' Hillier has also been credited with backing talents like Jyothi Yarraji, who has risen to prominence and clinched a silver medal in the 100m hurdles at the Asian Games. 'There's no shortage of talent in India, but it hasn't always been developed properly. A huge part is mental. Many athletes grow up believing they're not good enough. We've challenged that mindset and changed it through our training programme.' RSF's elite training centre in Mumbai, led by Hillier, combines state-of-the-art equipment with a holistic development philosophy. 'It's an integrated approach focused on continuous improvement,' he says. However, Hillier, with his experience of working in India, feels grassroots need to be developed. Though his focus is elite performance, Hillier emphasises that a strong foundation is vital. 'I'm not a grassroots coach. I work at the high-performance level. In the longer run for Indian athletics, the base needs to be much stronger.' 'You need specialist coaches in each area. I find the best coaches here want to work with elite athletes. Also, coaches should not be holding on to athletes, I know there are rewards and awards that come with it but that's dangerous. 'Everyone is chasing short-term results. At ages 12 or 13, the focus should be on fundamentals, like teaching proper technique, discipline, mental preparation, and competition readiness —- not just winning medals. If you teach these things correctly, it would not require fixing such problems at the elite level.'
Deccan Herald
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Deccan Herald
India's sprint ‘revolution'
Gurindervir Singh's new 100m time of 10.20s in March at the Indian Grand Prix was followed-up by Animesh Kujur's 20.40s in 200m in April at the Federation Cup. The two men then teamed-up with Manikanta Hoblidar and Amlan Borgohain last week at the National Open Relay Carnival to shatter the 15-year-old 4x100m relay record by clocking 38.69s.
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First Post
30-04-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Indian Open Relay Competition: Gurindervir, Animesh, Manikanta and Amlan smash 15-year national record in men's 4x100m
The quartet of Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidhar and Amlan Borgohain blazed the field to erase the previous mark of 38.89 seconds which was set during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. read more Manikanta Hoblidar, Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur and Amlan Borgohain react after smashing the men's 4x100m national record at the Indian Open Relay Competition in Chandigarh. Image credit: Athletics Federation of India The quartet of Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidhar and Amlan Borgohain on Wednesday broke the 15-year national record in men's 4x100m relay, clocking 38.69 seconds during the Indian Open Relay Competition in Chandigarh. They blazed the field to erase the previous mark of 38.89 seconds which was set during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. On that occasion, the team consisted of Rahamatulla Molla, Suresh Sathya, Shameer Mon and A. Qureshi had set a new national record. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 🏃💥 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓! Gurindervir, Animesh, Manikanta & Amlan set a new 4x100m relay Indian record at 38.69s during the National Open Relay Carnival in Chandigarh. They broke the 13-year-old 38.89s record from Delhi 2010. 📹: RFYS — Olympic Khel (@OlympicKhel) April 30, 2025 At Chandigarh's Sector 7 Sports Complex here, Tamil Nadu (39.83 seconds) and Army (41.40 seconds) came second and third respectively. Men's Relay 4x100m relay: Reliance: 38.69 seconds (New National Record) (Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidhar, Amlan Borgohain); Tamil Nadu: 39.83 seconds (Tamil Arasu S, Manav R, Ragul Kumar G, Sam Vasanth S); Army: 41.40 seconds (Ankur, Akshu Sindhu, Vetrivelan A, V Gurjar) 4x400m relay: NCC (National Coaching Camp): 3:04.31 (Jay Kumar, Vishal TK, Manu TS, D Choudhary), NCC 2 (Santhosh T, Rince, Mohit Kumar, Tushar Manna) 3:04.92; Tamil Nadu: 3:10.67 Mitresh G, Akash Raj, Rahul Balaji S, Suraj A). U20 4x100m relay: Reliance: 40.60 seconds (Mahendra Santa, Astik Pradhan, Abhay Singh, Pratik Maharana); Tamil Nadu 41.63 seconds (Santhosh P. Yagavaraj A, Varun Manohar, Tharun SM); Rajasthan 42.22 seconds (D Singh Shekhawat, R Kumar Bajiya, Sourabh Tak, Gourav Yadav). U20 4x400m relay: Tamil Nadu: 3:12.12 (Vignesh V, Jerome Sanjay, Nakul Prahbu, Sharan M); NCOE Patiala 3:12.38 (Amit Kumar, Munna Kumar, Surya Kant, Gajendra Singh); Punjab 3:13.40 (Tarandeep Singh, Jashanpreet Singh, Harjot Singh, Harmandeep Singh). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Women's Relay 4x100m relay: NCOE Trivandrum: 44.12 seconds, (Srabani Nanda, Abinaya Rajarajan, Sneha SS, Nithya Gandhe); Tamil Nadu: 46.07 seconds (Nithya Ramraj, G Ravi Kumar, Angel Silvia M, Kiruthika A); Haryana: 49.68 seconds (Anshu, Priyanka, Shalenshi, Shubham). 4x400m relay: NCC: 3:32.64 (Sneha K, Rupal Chaudhary, Jisna Mathew, Subha Venkatesan); Tamil Nadu: 3:40.85 (Dhesikha V, N Mariea, Akshya Baskar, Vithya Ramraj); Uttar Pradesh: 3:56.70 (Kajal, Sushma Yadav, Manu Singh, Roopa). U20 4x100m relay: Haryana: 51.83 seconds (Neha, Lakshita Maan, Saniya, Aayushi), Rajasthan 53.89 seconds (Kritika Rathore, Sonu Rawat, Poonam, Ankar Choudhary), Tamil Nadu 55.15 seconds (Suba Dharsini S, Varsha SS, Valliyamma M, B Baskar). U20: 4x400m relay: Tamil Nadu 3:47.25 (S Chandra Kumar, Punitha Durairajan, Harshitha R, Mari M), IOCl: 3:47.93 (Nofisa Khatun, Mahi Nandal, Gunashya V, Roshani Yadav); Delhi: 3:52.04 (Riya Bisht, Harshika, Harshita Goswami, Astha Mallick). Mixed relay 4x100m: Tamil Nadu: 43.44 seconds (Angel Silvia M, Vysali Ganesan, Tamil Arasu S, Gitson I); Odisha 43.61 seconds (Bonita Lakra, Manisha Merel, Abhinash Sahu, D Jayaram); Punjab: 44.36 seconds (Harleen Kaur, Sarabjeet Kaur, Harmanpreet Singh, Kulvir Ram). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 4x400m: NCC: 3:19.24 (Jay Kumar, Sneha K, Vishal TK, Rupal); Tamil Nadu: 3:24.46 (Rahul Balaji S, Dhesikha V, Suraj A, Vithya Ramraj); Reliance: 3:36.85 (Saswat Kumar, Ramandeep Kaur, Bhima Sardar, Sukhi Baskey). U20 4x100m: Punjab: 45.29 seconds (Jaslin Saini, Lovejot Kaur, Varun Sharma, J Dhillon); Chandigarh: 48.28 seconds (Punya Handa, Anshika Sharma, Puneet, Gurbachan Singh); Rajasthan 49.65 seconds (Harsika, Neetu Choudhary, Nitesh Ghaswa, Dharmaraj). U20 4x400m: Punjab: 3:32.21 (Tarandeep Singh, Saroj Rani, Harmandeep Singh, Supreet Kaur); Tamil Nadu 3:34.33 (Pragadeesh SK, S Senthil Kumar, Uwin Ananthan, S Chandrakumar).
The Hindu
30-04-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Gurindervir, Animesh, Manikanta and Amlan set new National record in 4x100m
The four fastest men in Indian athletics together set a new 4x100m National record in challenging conditions, clocking 38.69 seconds to finish on top at the second Indian Open Relay competition at the Sector 7 Stadium here on Wednesday. The quartet of Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidhar and Amlan Borgohain bettered the previous NR of 38.89 seconds set at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The group from Reliance had clocked 38.93 seconds, just 400th of a second off the NR, in the heats earlier in the day, but clearly had enough in their tanks to push harder in the hot and humid weather. Interestingly, they will only be part of the Indian relay side at the Asian Championships in May, although the AFI has not sent any individual entries in the 100m. Two of the other three members of the relay side for the Asian meet – Ragul Kumar and Tamilarasu – helped Tamil Nadu finish second (39.83 seconds) along with Manav and Sam Vasanth. In the 4x400m, the two teams from NCC, with four each from the Asian Championships squad, finished 1-2 as the AFI looks to revamp the team for the future with fresh faces. Jay Kumar, Manu T.S., Vishal T.K. and Dharamveer Chaudhary completed the race in 3:04.31 while Santhosh T., Mohit Kumar, Rince Joseph and Tushar Manna were second in 3:04.92. The results: Men: 4x100m: 1. Reliance 38.69s (Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidhar, Amlan Borgohain), 2. Tamil Nadu 39.83s (Tamilarasu S., Manav R., Ragul Kumar G., Sam Vasanth S.), 3. Army 41.40s (Ankur, Akshu Sindhu, Vetrivelan A., V. Gurjar). 4x400m: 1. NCC1 3:04.31 (Jay Kumar, Manu T.S., Vishal T.K., D. Chaudhary), 2. NCC2 3:04.92 (Santhosh T., Mohit Kumar, Rince, Tushar Manna), 3. Tamil Nadu 3:10.67 (Mitresh G., Rahul Balaji S., Akash Raj, Suraj A.). 4x100m u-20: 1. Reliance 40.60s (Mahendra Santa, Abhay Singh, Astik Pradhan, Pratik Maharana), 2. Tamil Nadu 41.63s (Santhosh P., Varun Manohar, Yagavaraj A., Tharun S.M.), 3. Rajasthan 42.22s (D. Singh Shekhawat, Sourabh Tak, R. Kumar Bajiya, Gourav Yadav). 4x400m u-20: 1. Tamil Nadu 3:12.13 (Vignesh V., Jerome Sanjay N.J., Nakul Prabhu, Sharan M.), 2. NCOE Pat 3:12.38 (Amit Kumar, Munna Kumar, Suryakanta Kar, Gajendra Singh), 3. Punjab 3:13.40 (Tarandeep Singh, Jashanpreet Singh, Harjot Singh, Harmandeep Singh). Women: 4x100m: 1. NCOE Tvm 44.12s (Srabani Nanda, Sneha S.S., Abhinaya Rajarajan, Nithya Gandhe), 2. Tamil Nadu 46.07s (Nithya Ramraj, Angel Silvia M., G. Ravikumar, Kiruthika), 3. Haryana 49.68s (Anshu, Shalenshi, Priyanka, Shubham). 4x400m: 1. NCC 3:32.64 (Sneha K., Rupal, Jisna Mathew, Subha Venkatesan), 2. Tamil Nadu 3:40.85 (Dhesika V., N. Mariea, Akshya Baskar, R. Vithya Ramraj), 3. Uttar Pradesh 3:56.70 (Kajal, Sushma Yadav, Manu Singh, Roopa). 4x100m u-20: 1. Haryana 51.83s (Neha, Saniya, Lakshita Maan, Aayushi), 2. Rajasthan 53.89s Kritika Rathore, M.S. Poonam, Sonu Rawat, Ankar Choudhary), Tamil Nadu 55.15s (Subadharsini, Valliyamma M., Varsha S.S., B. Baskar). 4x400m u-20: 1. Tamil Nadu 3:47.25 (S. Chandrakumar, Punitha Durairajan, Harshita R., Mari M), 2. IOCL 3:47.93 (Nofisa Khatun, Mahi Nandal, Gunashya V., Roshani Yadav), 3. Delhi 3:52.04 (Riya Bisht, Harshika, Harshita Goswami, Astha Mallick). Mixed: 4x100m: 1. Tamil Nadu 43.44s (Angel Silvia M., Vysali Ganesan, Tamilarasu S., Gitson I.), 2. Odisha 43.61s (Bonita Lakra, Manisha Merel, Abhinash Sahu, D. Jayaram), 3. Punjab 44.36s (Harleen Kaur, Sarbjeet Kaur, Harmanpreet Singh, Kulvir Ram). 4x400m: 1. NCC 3:19.24 (Jay Kumar, Sneha K., Vishal T.K., Rupal), 2. Tamil Nadu 3:24.46 (Ragul Kumar G., Desikha V., Suraj A., R. Vithya Ramraj), 3. Reliance 3:36.85 (Saswat Kumar Sahoo, Ramandeep Kaur, Bhima Sardar, Sukhi Baskey). 4x100m u-20: 1. Punjab 45.29s (Jaslin Saini, Lovejot Kaur, Varun Sharma, J. Dhillon), 2. Chandigarh 48.28s (Punya Handa, Anshika Sharma, Puneet, Gurbachan Singh), 3. Rajasthan 49.65s (Harsika, Neetu Choudhary, Nitesh Ghaswa, Dharmaraj Jakhad). 4x400m u-20: 1. Punjab 3:32.21 (Tarandeep Singh, Saroj Rani, Harmandeep Singh, Supreet Kaur), 2. Tamil Nadu 3:34.33 (Pragadheesh S.K., S. Senthil Kumar, Uwin Ananthan, S. Chandrakumar).
New Indian Express
23-04-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
IN PICS: Action from Federation Cup Athletics Championships in Kochi
Despite the scorching summer heat and sporadic showers, the Maharaja's College Stadium in Kochi was abuzz with activity as athletes from all over the country gathered for day 2 of the 28th Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships. This is only the second time that Kerala is hosting the event, the first being in 2021 at Kozhikode. Organised by the Kerala State Athletics Association under the aegis of the Athletics Federation of India, the four-day event, which began on Monday, will see over 470 athletes compete in as many as 38 track and field events. Among the fray are Olympians and national record holders, including Jyoti Yarraji (quarter-mile hurdles), Gurindervir Singh (fastest man in India), Kishore Kumar Jena (javelin), Praveen Chitravel (triple-jump champion), among others. A contingent of 27 athletes is representing Kerala at this year's event. Though none of them finished on the podium on Day 1, Malayalis were indeed among the winners. Quartermilers Sneha K and Manu T S, and Mohammad Lazan (110m hurdles), who represented JSW, won bronze medals in their respective events. No matter the result, the enthusiasm these youth had for sports was evident. And as the sun dipped on Tuesday, it was clear that the remainder of the event would be as scintillating as the days before, if not more. The event is considered the selection trials for the Asian championships, to be held in South Korea next month.
