At just 22, Animesh Kunjur has sprinted his way into Indian athletics history. Over the weekend, at the at the Dromia International Sprint and Relays Meeting in Vari, Greece, the young sprinter from Chhattisgarh clocked 10.18 seconds in the 100m — a time that not only smashed the previous national record but also earned him a new title: India’s fastest man.
“Honestly, I didn’t realise I had broken the record at first,” he tells us, still riding the high of the achievement. “I knew I had run a strong race and thought I was somewhere around 10.2. When my coach confirmed it was 10.18, I was shocked. The first thing I did? I pinned it to my Instagram profile,” he laughs.
Animesh isn’t new to rewriting record books. Just last month, he set the national 200m record with a stunning 20.32-second finish at the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea, clinching a bronze medal despite battling a fever and chest infection. He’s also part of the record-holding 4x100m relay team, making him a triple national record holder.
{{/usCountry}}Animesh isn’t new to rewriting record books. Just last month, he set the national 200m record with a stunning 20.32-second finish at the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea, clinching a bronze medal despite battling a fever and chest infection. He’s also part of the record-holding 4x100m relay team, making him a triple national record holder.
{{/usCountry}}“It feels surreal (to be a triple national record holder). It was only during the pandemic, that I realised my passion for athletics, and all I have ever wanted to do since then is do well, and make everyone around me proud of me,” he says.
With his calm demeanour and clear focus, it’s no surprise that Animesh is setting his sights higher. “The World Championships are next. I want to test myself against the best — not just to participate, but to truly compete,” he says.
Does the India’s fastest man tag add pressure? “A little, maybe” he admits, but more than that, Animesh is humbled by the tag. “It’s also a privilege. To see so many people refer to me as India's fastest man is honestly a dream come true and a validation of all the hardwork I have put in so far. It’s motivation. Every time I step onto the track, it spurs me on to do even better," he ends.