India's national 200m record holder, Animesh Kujur, delivered another outstanding performance on Saturday by 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 held at Enwag-Stadion in Wetzlar, Germany.
His time of 10.14 seconds is the fastest ever recorded by an Indian in the men's 100m on foreign soil and the second-fastest performance by an Indian overall, behind only Gurindervir Singh's national-leading mark of 10.09 seconds.
Animesh had already showcased his form earlier in the day by winning his heat in 10.19 seconds before improving further in the final. His latest performance bettered his previous personal best of 10.15 seconds by one-hundredth of a second, continuing an impressive season marked by steady improvements.
Already the national record holder in the men's 200m, Animesh has firmly established himself among India's fastest-ever 100m sprinters. He now owns three of the five fastest 100m timings recorded by an Indian.
India's Fastest Men's 100m Performances
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 secured qualification for the men's 200m at the upcoming continental championships after clocking 20.74 seconds in the final of the Inter-State National Athletics Championships. His timing comfortably surpassed the Athletics Federation of India's (AFI) qualifying standard of 20.88 seconds.
Despite achieving the qualification mark with ease, Animesh admitted after the race that he was not entirely satisfied with the timing, as it fell short of the standards he expects from 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 followed soon after the Asian Relay Championships, where Animesh played a key role in helping India win the bronze medal in the mixed 4x100m relay.
His coach, Martin Owens, explained that the team's priority had been securing qualification rather than chasing faster times, especially after the demanding travel schedule following the relay championships.
"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 consistently maintained that the 200m is his preferred event, many of his biggest breakthroughs over the past year have come in the shorter sprint.
Since setting the national 200m record of 20.32 seconds in May 2025, he has gone below the 20.50-second mark only once. In contrast, he lowered the Indian 100m record twice before Gurindervir Singh reclaimed it by setting the current national best of 10.09 seconds.
Animesh believes the difference stems from the level of competition available in each event.
"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.
