Federation Cup 2026 athletics: Animesh regains 100m national record after Gurindervir Singh's brief reign
Ranchi, May 23
Animesh Kujur broke the 100 m national record in men's competition at the National Senior Athletics Federation Competition 2026 in Ranchi on Friday.
Competing in the semifinals of the 100 m men's competition, it was 25-year-old Gurindervir Singh who first broke Animesh's national record of 10.18s, which was set last year, with timings of 10.17 s in the first semis heat. But in the next semis heat, the 22-year-old Animesh took back his record with timings of 10.15 s.
He also breached the 10.16 s mark set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for qualification to the Commonwealth Games, as per Olympics.com.
The men's 100m final will feature a direct showdown between Animesh and Gurindervir on Saturday. The Federation Cup is one of India's premier athletics competitions, and will be a lone selection trial for the Commonwealth Games 2026, scheduled from July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow, Scotland.
With each country only supposed to send a total of 32 track-and-field athletes for CWG 2026, the AFI had laid down strict qualification standards for events. In 100 m, the athletes need to do better than the national record to qualify.
The opening day also featured the finals of 10000m, hammer throw and women's long jump.
Asian Games silver medallist Ancy Sojan finished at the top of the women's long jump field with a personal best of 6.75m, with Shaili Singh (6.58m) and Bhavani Yadav (6.39m) at second and third respectively.
Shifting focus to women's discus throw, Seema breached the entry standard of 56.85 m for CWG 2026, achieving a distance of 57.29 m to finish at the first spot, followed by Nidhi Rani (55.05m) and Krishna Jayasankar (55.00m).
-Federation Cup athletics 2026: Day 1 winners
Men's 10000m (CWG qualification - 27:39.03): 1. Deepak Bhatt (29:42.93s); 2. Shailesh Khushwaha (29:57.56s); 3. Prashant Chaudhary (30:36.97s)
Women's 10000m (CWG qualification - 31:14.14): 1. Ravina Gayakwad (35:30.98s); 2. Soniya (36:16.22s); Aarti Pawara (36:24.79s)
Men's hammer throw (CWG qualification - 73.09m): 1. Ashish Jakhar (68.52m); 2. Damneet Singh (67.62m); Ajay Kumar (64.93m)
Women's long jump (CWG qualification - 6.84m): 1. Ancy Sojan (6.75m); 2. Shaili Singh (6.58m); 3. Bhavani Yadav (6.39m)
Women's discus (CWG qualification - 56.85m): 1. Seema (57.29m); 2. Nidhi Rani (55.05m); 3. Krishna Jayasankar (55.00m)
Men's 3000m steeplechase (CWG qualification - 8:30.26s): 1. Balkishan (8:56.01s); 2. Sharuk Khan (8:56.63s); 3. Sunil Jinabhai (8:58.3s)
Women's 3000m steeplechase (CWG qualification - 9:27.41s): 1. Ankita (9:48.16s); 2. Prachi Devkar (10:16.29s); 3. Anju (10:28.23s).
— ANI
Reader Comments
Great to see Ancy Sojan back in form with a personal best! But I'm a bit worried about the CWG qualification standards—so many events, athletes are far from the marks. The 10,000m winners are minutes off. We need better grassroots training, yaar. Talent is there, but infrastructure needs a boost.
Seema in discus throw—wah! Over 57m and CWG standard cleared. 👏 But why is the men's hammer throw winner almost 5m short of qualification? Ashish Jakhar can do better, I'm sure. Federation Cup should be more than just a selection trial; it should inspire younger athletes in smaller towns.
Animesh breaking his own record in back-to-back heats is pure gold. 🏅 But let's be real—10.15s is good, but for CWG, we need sub-10s to compete globally. Still, this rivalry between him and Gurindervir is healthy for Indian athletics. Hope the final tomorrow is a cracker! 🏃♂️
So happy for Shaili Singh finishing second in long jump—she's come a long way since her U-20 days. Ancy's 6.75m is brilliant, but why is the CWG standard set so high at 6.84m? AFI should have realistic benchmarks. Also, women's steeplechase times are quite slow; Ankita needs more exposure. 📉
One thing I appreciate is the transparency with CWG qualification
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.