Animesh Kujur clocks 10.14s, records fastest 100m by an Indian on foreign soil
India's sprint sensation Animesh Kujur continued his rapid rise by clocking a lifetime best of 10.14 seconds to finish second in the men's 100m final at the PUMA Fast Arms Legs 2026 meet, setting the fastest 100m ever run by an Indian outside the country.
India's 200m national record holder Animesh Kujur produced another landmark performance on Saturday, clocking a personal best of 10.14 seconds to finish second in the men's 100m final at the PUMA Fast Arms Fast Legs 2026 meet in Enwag-Stadion, Wetzlar, Germany.
The 10.14-second effort is the fastest 100m ever recorded by an Indian on foreign soil and the second-fastest time by an Indian overall, behind only Gurindervir Singh's national-leading 10.09 seconds.
Animesh had signaled his form earlier in the day by winning his heat in 10.19 seconds before improving further in the final. The latest run shaved one hundredth of a second off his previous best of 10.15 seconds and continued a season in which he has consistently lowered his timings.
Already the national record holder in the men's 200m, Animesh has established himself among India's fastest-ever sprinters in the shorter distance as well. He now owns three of the five fastest 100m timings by an Indian.
INDIA'S ALL-TIME FASTEST MEN'S 100M TIMINGS
- Gurindervir Singh - 10.09s
- Animesh Kujur - 10.14s
- Animesh Kujur - 10.15s
- Gurindervir Singh - 10.17s
- Animesh Kujur - 10.18s
Earlier in June, the Odisha sprinter qualified for the men's 200m at the continental showpiece after clocking 20.74 seconds in the final at the Inter-State National Athletics Championships, comfortably bettering the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) qualification standard of 20.88 seconds.
While the qualifying mark was achieved without difficulty, Animesh admitted afterwards that the time did not reflect the standards he had set for himself. His personal best in the event remains the national record of 20.32 seconds.
"Honestly, I was not here for timing. The idea was to secure the qualification mark for the Asian Games. Since I have got it now, I will further focus on improving before the Asian Games," Animesh told reporters after the race.
The Inter-State Championships came shortly after the Asian Relay Championships, where Animesh helped India win bronze in the mixed 4x100m relay. His coach, Martin Owens, said the priority had been qualification rather than chasing a fast time after a demanding travel schedule.
"I wanted him to do well and achieve the qualification mark. We are very tired from the long trip of the Asian Relay Championships. He didn't have much time to recover," Owens said.
Although Animesh has repeatedly described the 200m as his preferred event, his biggest breakthroughs over the past year have come in the 100m.
After setting the national 200m record of 20.32 seconds in May 2025, he has dipped below the 20.50-second mark only once. By contrast, he twice lowered the Indian 100m record before Gurindervir Singh reclaimed it with a national-best 10.09 seconds.
Animesh believes the difference lies in the level of competition.
"I have said this multiple times that 200m is my pet event and I enjoy doing it more than anything else. However, I don't get much competition in India. Like in 100m, Guri, Manikanta and Pranav are there. I don't have anyone to push me in the 200m. That is why all my good performances have come in the 100m," he said.
India's 200m national record holder Animesh Kujur produced another landmark performance on Saturday, clocking a personal best of 10.14 seconds to finish second in the men's 100m final at the PUMA Fast Arms Fast Legs 2026 meet in Enwag-Stadion, Wetzlar, Germany.
The 10.14-second effort is the fastest 100m ever recorded by an Indian on foreign soil and the second-fastest time by an Indian overall, behind only Gurindervir Singh's national-leading 10.09 seconds.
Animesh had signaled his form earlier in the day by winning his heat in 10.19 seconds before improving further in the final. The latest run shaved one hundredth of a second off his previous best of 10.15 seconds and continued a season in which he has consistently lowered his timings.
Already the national record holder in the men's 200m, Animesh has established himself among India's fastest-ever sprinters in the shorter distance as well. He now owns three of the five fastest 100m timings by an Indian.
INDIA'S ALL-TIME FASTEST MEN'S 100M TIMINGS
- Gurindervir Singh - 10.09s
- Animesh Kujur - 10.14s
- Animesh Kujur - 10.15s
- Gurindervir Singh - 10.17s
- Animesh Kujur - 10.18s
Earlier in June, the Odisha sprinter qualified for the men's 200m at the continental showpiece after clocking 20.74 seconds in the final at the Inter-State National Athletics Championships, comfortably bettering the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) qualification standard of 20.88 seconds.
While the qualifying mark was achieved without difficulty, Animesh admitted afterwards that the time did not reflect the standards he had set for himself. His personal best in the event remains the national record of 20.32 seconds.
"Honestly, I was not here for timing. The idea was to secure the qualification mark for the Asian Games. Since I have got it now, I will further focus on improving before the Asian Games," Animesh told reporters after the race.
The Inter-State Championships came shortly after the Asian Relay Championships, where Animesh helped India win bronze in the mixed 4x100m relay. His coach, Martin Owens, said the priority had been qualification rather than chasing a fast time after a demanding travel schedule.
"I wanted him to do well and achieve the qualification mark. We are very tired from the long trip of the Asian Relay Championships. He didn't have much time to recover," Owens said.
Although Animesh has repeatedly described the 200m as his preferred event, his biggest breakthroughs over the past year have come in the 100m.
After setting the national 200m record of 20.32 seconds in May 2025, he has dipped below the 20.50-second mark only once. By contrast, he twice lowered the Indian 100m record before Gurindervir Singh reclaimed it with a national-best 10.09 seconds.
Animesh believes the difference lies in the level of competition.
"I have said this multiple times that 200m is my pet event and I enjoy doing it more than anything else. However, I don't get much competition in India. Like in 100m, Guri, Manikanta and Pranav are there. I don't have anyone to push me in the 200m. That is why all my good performances have come in the 100m," he said.
