From village tracks to 10.09s: Jalandhar’s Gurindervir Singh becomes India’s fastest man

Gurindervir Singh ran his way into history this week, clocking 10.09 seconds in the men’s 100 metres to become India’s fastest sprinter.

The 25-year-old from a village near Jalandhar broke the national record twice within 24 hours at the National Athletics Meet. He first crossed the line at 10.15s in the semifinals, then lowered it to 10.09s in the final. The previous record was 10.20s.

Singh trained on uneven village tracks in Punjab, often without spikes or a synthetic surface. His early career was disrupted by repeated illness that kept him off the circuit for months in 2022. After recovering, he rebuilt his speed through 2023 and 2024, working with local coaches before joining the national camp.

Athletics Federation of India officials ratified the timing and said the performance puts him in contention for the 2026 Asian Games and the 2028 Olympics.

Singh said his target now is to go under 10 seconds. “The village ground is where it started. The lane does not matter if the will is there,” he told reporters after the final.