‘Fair winds, fast feet’: Indian Navy hails officer Gurindervir Singh as he becomes India’s fastest man

THe amerind naval forces famous ace of its have, Gurindervir Singh, after the sprinter scripted history at the 29th National Federation Cup Athletics Championships in Ranchi by becoming the first Indian to clock 10.09 seconds in the men’s 100m.“THE FASTEST MAN IN INDIA WEARS WHITES,” the Indian Navy said in a post on X as Gurindervir clocked a sensational 10.09 seconds to set a new national record and qualify for the 2026 Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. Gurindervir Singh is an Indian Navy officer.The spokesperson of the Indian Navy tweeted, “THE FASTEST MAN IN INDIA WEARS WHITES Gurindervir Singh, Petty Officer of the Indian Navy scripts history by setting a NEW NATIONAL RECORD in the 100m sprint with a sensational timing of 10.09 seconds at the ongoing 29th National Federation Cup Athletics Championships at Ranchi.”“With this remarkable performance, he has also qualified for the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games 2026. Indian Navy salutes the spirit, speed and dedication of our champion sprinter. Fair winds. Fast feet.” Also Read | 10.09 seconds of pure history: Gurindervir Singh becomes fastest Indian ever on the trackGurindervir Singh's recordFor the first time ever, an Indian has run the 100m in under 10.1 seconds.When Gurindervir Singh stormed past the finish line on Saturday at the Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium, the clock stopped at a breathtaking 10.09 seconds.Speaking to ANI, Gurindervir Singh said he was delighted with his performance and hopes to continue delivering strong results in the future. He added that mental toughness played a crucial role in his race, helping him stay focused and perform well."It is a very good feeling. Hopefully, I will train well and bring good results in the future. In the last minute, the game is more about being mentally strong than being physically strong. I was able to keep myself mentally strong yesterday, and that is why I was able to run well," he said.Also Read | ‘100m is not for Indians?' Gurindervir Singh destroys stereotype after historic 10.09s sprintGurindervir breaks Animesh's recordsAnimesh Kujur, representing Odisha, had arrived at the National Senior Federation Competition as the overwhelming favourite in the men’s 100m after setting the national record of 10.18 seconds last year.But on the opening day of the meet on Friday, Gurindervir stunned the field by lowering the mark to 10.17 seconds in the first semifinal heat.Barely five minutes later, Animesh responded dramatically in the second semifinal, reclaiming the national record with a sensational 10.15-second run.A day later, Gurindervir, representing Reliance Foundation, had the last laugh as he clocked 10.09 seconds. Animesh finished second, finishing 0.11 seconds behind him. Pranav Gurav, also of Reliance Foundation, was third with a time of 10.29 seconds.In the process, he went past the 2026 Commonwealth Games qualifying time of 44.96 seconds set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). Also, his 44.98 seconds topped the Asian top list, going ahead of Ammar Ismail Ibrahim who clocked 45.16 seconds in April.Another Tamil Nadu athlete, Rajesh Ramesh clocked 45.31 seconds to finish second while Jay Kumar of Uttar Pradesh was third with 45.47 seconds.