“For me, the medal is the most important thing at the Asian Games.”Gurindervir Singh said that two weeks ago. Today, he gets his first chance to back it up.The Indian sprinter will begin his Asian Games 2026 campaign in the men’s 100m today alongside compatriot Animesh Kujur, who has raced Gurindervir repeatedly this season.Gurindervir arrives at the Games after a season in which the results have not always matched the expectations created by his national record.In Glasgow at the Commonwealth Games in July, he ran 10.39 seconds in his 100m heat. He finished second in the race but did not advance to the semifinals, ending the competition 28th overall.There was another 10.39s in Bhubaneswar on August 22 at the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet in Bhubneshwar, where Gurindervir finished seventh in the final. Animesh was fifth with 10.32s.By the time the two Indians met again in Delhi on September 10, Gurindervir had moved to 10.32s; however, it was still not enough to beat Animesh, who won with a timing of 10.21s.Naturally, Gurindervir was not satisfied.“I am not satisfied with the timing, but yes, I found some parts of the race to be strong. I was very strong in the last 80 or 60 metres. The start was a little weak for me. Maybe I couldn’t take the start well. My block exit wasn’t good,” he had told TimesofIndia.com after the race.The final part of the race had also been an area his coach wanted him to work on, particularly the last 20 metres.“Yes, I will always have to work on it. Till the time I play, there will always be a chance for improvement. As the coach said, I have to work on the last 20 metres. So, I have 2-2.5 weeks before the Asian Games. I have training sessions. So, as the race comes closer, it will automatically get better,” Gurindervir had said.
From 10.39s in Glasgow to 10.32s in Delhi: Gurindervir’s Asian Games build-up
Those two weeks have now passed, and the 25-year-old said his preparation after the Commonwealth Games had involved work away from the race itself.“I have improved a lot after the Commonwealth Games in terms of physique, weight training, track and endurance. I have tried to improve everything, and it has been done.”He had also been clear about where the Asian Games sat in his plans.“The main race is the Asian Games. The final target is the Asian Games,” he said.The other number attached to Gurindervir’s campaign is 10.09s – the national record he set in May at the National Senior Athletics Championships in Ranchi.
‘Let it happen at the Asian Games’: Gurindervir on the sub-10 barrier
The season best is also his personal best, and the next barrier or goal, rather, is obvious. Gurindervir has spoken about breaking 10 seconds, but when asked about its possibility, he hoped it might happen at Aichi-Nagoya.“If it happens, let it happen at the Asian Games.”“Because the timing is coming in training. They [support team] graph it. They show the timing that it can happen. So, I will have to try again and again. I will have to run the race. When I run, the time will improve. And then I will run below 10.”But he also left room for the race itself to decide whether that happens. “When we get good races, and the conditions are good, I will run well. My body will feel fully reactive. So, it can happen that day.”The Asian Games will provide a different test from the domestic races that have occupied much of his season. Gurindervir is not convinced the leading sprinters in Asia are beyond his reach.
The medal is the most important thing’: Gurindervir faces Asia’s best
The field includes Japan’s Yuki Koike, who has a 9.98s PB and Shuhei Tada (10.01s), while Thailand’s Puripol Boonson has ran 9.94s. China’s Xie Zhenye, the former Asian champion, owns a 9.97s PB and Iran’s Hassan Taftian has run 10.03s. Gurindervir’s 10.09 national record puts him in that group, with Animesh’s at 10.14s.“They have run well, and we are also running well,” he said.“[It will depend on] whose day it is, who is feeling good, whose body is running. Anything can happen. We cannot predict 100 metres.”
He added: “It’s not like they are extraordinarily strong and we are far behind them. There is a slight difference of one or two micro-points. So, we don’t even know who is ahead and who is behind.”Animesh’s presence in the same event has been a constant through the season for Gurindervir, but he does not see their competition as a distraction.“It is a healthy thing. I think it is happening in Athletics; more people have started looking at athletics with interest. It is good for us too. He gets the motivation, I get the motivation. We train better, and there is a focus on training. We are consistent. So, it is a good thing.”The 10.09 national record is already his. The sub-10 mark is still there. But when he was asked what he wanted from the Asian Games, he was not focused on the timing.“For me, the medal is the most important thing at the Asian Games. Timing is important. If we run well, we will get the medal. But I have worked very hard for the medal for the whole year, and I am still working on it. I will do my best to win the medal and finish on the podium.”
