Gurindervir Singh blazes to 60m national record at Indoor Athletics Championships

BHUBANESWAR: Gurindervir Singh produced a sensational sprint to shatter the men’s 60m national record at the National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026 at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

Punjab’s 26-year-old sprinter clocked 6.60 seconds in the final to clinch gold, eclipsing the previous national record of 6.67s set by Elakkiyadasan Kanadasan in 2018. The timing, however, remains subject to ratification by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), according to Olympics.com.

In a high-quality race, Lalu Prasad Bhoi also dipped under the old record, finishing second in 6.65s, while Nuzrat secured bronze in 6.71s. The race witnessed drama with three false starts, the final one leading to the disqualification of national 100m and 200m record holder Animesh Kujur.

Gurindervir, who had earlier set the national 100m record of 10.20s in 2025, continues his rise as one of India’s fastest men, underlining his dominance in short-distance sprinting.

#WATCH | Bhubaneswar, Odisha | Gold Medal winner in the men’s 60m final at the inaugural National Indoor Athletics Championships, Gurindervir Singh says, “My coach gave me very good training. I am very happy with my performance…I opened the season with a national record…”… pic.twitter.com/ecBHgp9pzm

— ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2026

Maharashtra’s 22-year-old Harita Bhandra was the winner of the women’s 60m dash. Harita’s winning time was 7.32 seconds.

Another standout performance came in the women’s 400m, where Saloni Nagar Kumari clocked 53.73 seconds to break a long-standing indoor record of 53.89s set by Pinki Pramanik in 2005.

In field events, Swadhin Kumar Majhi clinched the men’s high jump gold with a clearance of 2.18m, edging past Asian Championships silver medallist Sarvesh Anil Kushare (2.15m). Dhairyshil Dhanaji Gayakwad finished third on countback.

Meanwhile, Reegan G impressed on his indoor debut, clearing 5.30m in the men’s pole vault to register the best mark by an Indian in an indoor competition. He later attempted 5.41m in pursuit of the national record but fell short.

The second day of the championships featured competitions across sprint, middle-distance and field events, with several athletes delivering strong performances and emerging talents making their mark on the national stage.

National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026: Day 2 winners
* Women’s 60m: 1. Harita Bhadra (7.32s); 2. Unnathi Bollanda (7.46s); 3. Trisha Nair (7.62s)
* Men’s 60m: 1. Gurindervir Singh (6.60s); 2. Lalu Prasad Bhoi (6.65s); 3. Nuzrat (6.71s)
* Women’s triple jump: 1. Mallala Anusha (13.20m); 2. Nimisha Dayma (12.93m); 3. Bhairabi Roy (12.81m)
* Men’s triple jump: 1. Vimal Mukesh Thamizh (15.41m); 2. Robinson S (14.67m); 3. Naresh Rohidas (13.92m)
* Men’s high jump: 1. Swadhin Kumar Majhi (2.18m); 2. Sarvesh Anil Kushare (2.15m); 3. Dhairyshil Dhanaji Ga (2.15m)
* Women’s high jump: 1. Payal Jamod (1.71m); 2. Kevinaa Ashwine Anna (1.71m); 3. Pramilla Rajgar (1.68m)
* Women’s 400m: 1. Saloni Nagar Kumari (53.73s); 2. Sukhi Baskey (55.67s); 3. Unnathi Bollanda (56.45s)
* Men’s 400m: 1. Mohammed Sinan (48.27s); 2. Muhammed Badusha V (49.83s); 3. Aryan Ekka (49.86s)
* Women’s 1500m: 1. Priyanka C (4:34.31)
* Men’s 1500m: 1. Vinod Singh (3:46.13); 2. Jagdish (3:50.11); 3. Sunil Yadav (3:50.56)
* Men’s pole vault: 1. Reegan G (5.30m); 2. Rambeer Singh (4.85m); 3. Bineesh Jacob (4.55m). (ANI)