Gurindervir Singh Shatters 100m National Record, Qualifies for Commonwealth and Asian Games

When Gurindervir Singh clocked 10.09 seconds to shatter the 100m national record in Ranchi on Saturday, his family home in Patial village, which is about 30 km from Jalandhar, burst into celebration.

"I have no words to express our happiness," said his father, Kamaljit Singh, a former volleyball player who launched his son into athletics. Gurindervir's first call home carried a single question for his mother, Rupinder Kaur, "Mummy, did you see the race?" She told him how proud they were. "He pushed incredibly hard and stayed locked in. We made sure he recovered after his gruelling sessions," she said.

Kamaljit, who recently retired from Punjab Police as an assistant sub-inspector of police (ASI) from Hoshiarpur, had missed the call, swamped by congratulatory messages. When they finally connected, it was Gurindervir who asked, "How are you feeling?" "I told him he delivered exactly what he promised," Kamaljit said. Years ago, the sprinter had told his father to stop coaching him and just watch. He had written this goal down, committed it to paper. "Now I'm certain he will hunt down gold for India," Kamaljit said. Villagers poured in to congratulate the family, including grandmother Charan Kaur. Kamaljit said Gurindervir started training himself when he was studying at Gur Nanak Mission School, Dalla, Bhogpur. He said he was later trained by coach Sarabjit Singh Happy, who worked very hard on him.

The family later went to Gurdwara Tahli Sahib to offer prayers of thanksgiving. With this sensational sprint, the Punjab athlete became the first Indian ever to breach the 10.10-second barrier. His timing in the May 23 final, the second best in Asia for this season, reclaimed the national record from Animesh Kujur and sealed his qualification for both the July Commonwealth Games in Scotland and Japan Asian Games to be held later in the year. Japanese sprinter Fukuto Komuro holds the fastest 100m time in Asia for 2025, clocking 10.08seconds.

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday praised Gurindervir's achievement, calling it a proud moment for Punjab and the country. "Our brave young son has set a new national record by clocking just 10.09 seconds. Gurindervir has become the first Indian athlete to clock less than 10.10 seconds in the 100-metre race," the CM posted on X. The CM said the "son of Punjab" had brought glory to the state at both the national and international levels. "The entire Punjab takes pride in Gurindervir's historic achievement," he added.

In Amritsar, Akal Takht officiating jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj hailed Gurindervir's feat as an inspiration for Sikh youth worldwide. In a statement Sunday, he said the community swells with pride over the achievement of the ‘Sabat Soorat' Sikh athlete, urging young people to draw fire from Gurindervir's success and push for excellence in every walk of life. He stressed Punjab's Sikh youth are seizing recognition on national and international stages, and called on them to stay rooted in education, sports, honest work and selfless service, and to stay completely clear of drugs.