New Delhi: As far as hyperboles go, coach James Hillier calling the rivalry between sprinters Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur “all-out war on tracks” may have few contestants. Scratch a little deeper though and you’ll get the drift. It’s not Usain Bolt versus Justin Gatlin or Ben Johnson vs Carl Lewis, but for a nation parched for relevance on the athletics track, Gurindervir and Animesh challenging each other over 100m will do.
They will be in action in 100m and 200m respectively at the Commonwealth Games, marking a first Indian participation in the two elite events at CWG. Athletics at Glasgow will run from Monday to August 1.
Gurindervir and Animesh qualified after a memorable two days at the Federation Cup in Ranchi in May where the 100m national record changed hands thrice between them. That wasn’t a surprise considering that the top-five Indian 100m timings has a 3-2 split between Gurindervir and Animesh. The top-five 200m timings features Animesh thrice, including the top two.
While Indian athletics over the past few years has unearthed a decent group in javelin throw and horizontal jumps, this is perhaps the first real surge in sprints. Gurindervir and Animesh are consistently pushed by Amlan Borgohain, Manikanta Hoblidhar and Pranav Gurav. All five train at the Reliance Foundation with Martin Owens training Animesh and Hillier guiding the others.
“The first thing you notice about these guys is mutual respect. They get along very well. They push each other and bring different skills, strengths and personalities,” says Hillier. Amlan, the seniormost in the group, agrees.
{{/usCountry}}“The first thing you notice about these guys is mutual respect. They get along very well. They push each other and bring different skills, strengths and personalities,” says Hillier. Amlan, the seniormost in the group, agrees.
{{/usCountry}}“We’re like brothers. We have our heated moments too because all of us are very competitive and the testosterone is forever raging, but that’s all in good spirits,” says Amlan, who held the 200m national record (20.52secs) for three years before Animesh bettered it in 2025 clocking 20.32secs.
The 28-year-old, currently recovering following a bout of dengue, gets pep talk from his younger teammates. “They are all very sweet. They keep telling me, ‘Bhaiyaa you’ll come back stronger.’ We spend the better part of the year together, so we are like family,” he says. When Amlan lost his mother last year, the group rallied around him to help deal with the loss.
“It was a very difficult time in my life, but just being with these boys comforted me. I regularly go to Manikanta to share my thoughts and insecurities, and vice-versa,” he says.
Amlan and Manikanta were on the same page for the last two months, backing France to win the FIFA World Cup. “We shared the sorrow of France crashing out in the semis,” laughs Manikanta, dubbed the “funniest man” in the group. Amlan is now helping Manikanta get a hang of the FIFA video game.
“Mani bhaiya has a really good sense of humour. He is one of those guys who can take a joke on him,” says Animesh from Spala, Poland where he and Gurindervir trained ahead of the CWG. “I regularly go to him for advice because he is a very patient guy. He is also a very experienced sprinter, and sometimes little nuggets of information from him can make a huge difference,” he says.
“All of us are very different sprinters,” explains Manikanta. “Guri is the fastest off the blocks among us, Amlan, when fully fit, has a great finish while Animesh is great at maintaining top speed. The coaches understand that and we all have our personalised plans to get better.”
All this bonhomie has little bearing on the tracks. In the Federation Cup semi-final in Ranchi, shortly after breaking Animesh’s 100m national mark (10.18secs) by clocking 10.17secs, Gurindervir stood trackside to cheer for his rival as he settled into the blocks. The 23-year-old obliged, bettering the record (10.15secs). That set the stage for an exciting final which Gurindervir won with another NR (10.09secs).
“There is, of course, very stiff competition among us. Sprints are decided by very thin margins, so we really push hard in training. When we run or train together, sometimes the coaches have to step in thinking we might injure ourselves,” says Amlan.
“When Animesh went past my NR, I was delighted for him but it also fired me up. I am sure it’s the same with him when Guri overtook him in 100m.”
Gurindervir is more emphatic. “Me and Animesh room together on tours, but on track we are our biggest foes. I want to beat him at all costs and it’s the same for him. It is great to be part of a group where you’re consistently coaxed to get better. This is what I was missing when I was training by myself in Punjab,” he says.
“I was very happy when he broke my record. I told myself, ‘ab mazza ayega’ (It will be fun now) and was determined to deliver in the final the next day,” Gurindervir, 25, says.
“I am enjoying the rivalry with him,” Animesh says. “Both of us want to be the fastest man in the country. Both of us want to run sub-10s. But there can only be one hero, one fastest man,” he adds, showmanship intact.