National record holder Gurindervir’s next target is running the 100m in under 10 seconds, considered one of the greatest feats in track and field.  | Photo Credit: BISWARANJAN ROUT

Gurindervir Singh barely slept the night he accomplished one of Indian athletics’ greatest feats—running a 10.09-second 100m race.

The 25-year-old admits sheepishly that he was up scrolling videos of his race that had gone viral on social media. Gurindervir says he’s given himself a couple of days to soak in the moment, but his eyes are firmly set on his goal of becoming an athlete who can perform wherever it matters.

Even as he revels in having made his place in history, Gurindervir spoke to Sportstar about what motivated him to continue to sprint when his resources didn’t match his ambitions, his path to a sub-10-second 100m race and how he identifies with the  baaz (falcon).

ALSO READ | ‘I wanted to prove Indian genes tagde hain,’ says Gurindervir

Yesterday night must have been pretty crazy. Now that some time has passed since you set a national record and ran 10.09 seconds, what does that feel like?

It’s a strange feeling. I’m feeling good. But at the same time, I wish I were on the ground and doing some more training. I was actually thinking I’ll wear shoes and come down to the ground and at least do some warm ups, but then I was told that I should get some rest for a day. Generally I don’t want to rest.

One thing I probably should do is watch so many videos. Since I got back to the hotel yesterday, I’ve been scrolling through videos of myself on Instagram. It’s a bad habit to scroll through videos, but I can’t help watching myself. It’s strange to go that viral. It’s one thing for athletics media to follow you, and it’s another thing that regular media is posting videos and watching me. I’m getting used to it now.

Have you thought about how you are going to handle this attention?

I actually spoke to my coach (James Hillier) about it. He told me I have to learn how to tackle these things and manage it in a way that doesn’t affect me. I’ve told myself I’ll let myself experience all this for a couple of days and then stop. Then I’ll get back to what I’m supposed to do.

I think compared to the last time I set a national record, there’s a difference in how I’m reacting. I think I’m a more mature athlete. I also think there’s a difference between running a 10.20s (his first national record set last year) and running a 10.09s. I think I’m now an athlete who will be able to stand for himself on a big stage. The old Gurindervir would struggle and run slowly when he got to a big stage. I would get satisfied with one big result and never put two races together. I don’t think I’m that guy now. I’m not satisfied with one good result. I’m not going to be satisfied until I complete my task.

You had mentioned this in your note that you had held up after your race where you ran a 10.09s.

Yesterday I had this note in which I had written that the task is not complete. That task is about pushing myself past my limits. It’s about performing at the right time. When it’s time to perform, I don’t want to go back empty-handed. There have been so many international competitions where I’ve returned without a medal. I don’t like it when that happens. I don’t even like eating when I return home. I don’t like returning empty-handed. My task is never to return without something to show for what I’ve done.

ALSO READ | Records tumble, ceiling rises for Indian track-and-field at Federation Cup 2026

It’s going to get harder now because there is so much expectation on you, isn’t it?

I don’t think so. It’s not something that worries me. I’m not even particularly worried about domestic competition. Now, it is about going to the international level.  Sher ki tarah jaunga kuch karke aunga. (I want to go like a lion and do something special.)

People first started taking notice of you when you ran a 10.27-second 100m at the 2021 Federation Cup in Patiala. Apart from the timing, how do you see your growth as a runner since then?

I’ve grown not just physically but also mentally. I’ve understood what it means to train and how to do it. I have a lot of knowledge. I know how to train and how to manage my recovery from training. I know how to eat. What is helping now is that I think I’m in a position where I have the resources to meet my ambition. Earlier, not only did I not know how to manage any of this, but I didn’t even know where to learn to do any of these things. I would type on Google things like ‘what’s the best food for sprinters?’, or ‘what exercise is good for sprinters?’, or ‘how do I do core training?’

I’d have to look up things like ‘what muscle is used in sprints? How do I strengthen this?’

The difference is that now I don’t have to do this. I have people who tell me what to do. By this, I mean my coach, James Hillier, or my strength and conditioning coaches. I can just focus on my training. My stress levels have reduced. My energy in training and my recovery has got better.

You grew up in a very small village (Patial) near an equally small town (Bhogpur) in Punjab. What were things like when you started?

When I started, we didn’t have any resources. I didn’t have any physios, dieticians or psychologists. I didn’t even have track equipment. I remember that there was a time I didn’t even have running blocks in the stadium in Jalandhar city, where I trained. I remember I’d post videos of my training, and an NRI felt bad for me and sent me money to buy a pair of starting blocks. I didn’t even have a proper track. I remember the ground I trained on had its track laid out in 1998 and it hadn’t been relaid for several years when I had started training. I’d sometimes go to a different city to train.

There must have been easier sports to pick up. Why did you continue to pursue athletics?

I did all of this because I had this obsession. I was obsessed with getting better. I wanted to know how I could improve. If I didn’t have the resources, where could I find out who had them? I used to discuss with my coach about which workout to do. I used to see what other athletes were doing in other countries. I was obsessed with getting better. I had a hunger that I couldn’t fill.

Where did this obsession come from?

I think that obsession existed from my childhood, and it came simply because I was told I couldn’t do it. I’m extremely obstinate by nature. I remember when I started athletics, I was told very early that it was a waste of time to become a sprinter. I was told, ‘You can’t become an Indian sprinter, you can’t do 100m, you can’t have a career in 100m, you can’t be successful.’

That used to play on loop in my mind every day. And I would hear this every day. Even when I won a medal at the U-14 or U-16 level, I was always reminded that I’d done well, but when was I going to run an event that had a future like the 400m? That daily negativity became stuck in my mind. Everything I did was to prove those voices wrong. That will to prove those voices wrong became the force that was driving me. It wouldn’t let me sleep.

You’ve spoken of the fact that you have the resources that allow you to train freely now. But coach James Hillier also says you had to change a lot from the time you came to the Reliance Foundation. You had to drop down from 14 per cent to 7 per cent body fat. How hard was that?

When you understand what your body needs to do, it’s not a problem. In the off-season, I would go 16 hours a day on a fast. I’d do it on rest days to reduce my weight. But it wasn’t difficult. I was thinking of the bigger prize.

You had a very unusual day in the competition, where you broke the national record in the semifinals and then saw that record broken right after by Animesh [Kujur]. How did you stay calm and focused for your final after that happened?

After that semifinal race, where I had held and then lost the national record, coach Hillier, of course, told me to switch off social media. That part of phone use isn’t good, but I’ve also used my phone to learn a lot of things that I was putting into use. I was doing a lot of visualisation. I closed my eyes and visualised what it was going to be like in the final. I was going to get so deeply involved in that moment that even my heartbeat would rise. When that would happen, I used breathing exercises to control it. I knew I had to manage my stress somehow. If I took this stress onto the track, it would affect my performance. So, I did what I needed to do to keep my stress low.

I also have a very specific playlist on my Spotify that I listen to when I know I have to do something really extraordinary. It’s called ‘Game on’. The one that I play first is this song called ‘ Sher Lalkare Marda’ (A lion sounds a war cry), which is based on the Battle of Chamkaur. The story is that there was an army of 10 lakh soldiers that surrounded Guru Gobind Singh and 35 of his men in the fort of Chamkaur. The story is about fighting against unbelievable odds. When I run, I often feel a connection to this. I think about how I’ve always had to fight and prove myself. Before the race starts, I always say a prayer. I always say ‘ Chardi kala. Sab ka bhala’. It’s a Sikh prayer. I’m praying for everyone to have a good race but it also calms me down.

ALSO READ | Five minutes, India’s shortest-lived National Record: Animesh regains men’s 100m record from Gurindervir

I’ve noticed the wallpaper on your phone is that of a falcon. What’s the story behind that?

The wallpaper on my phone is of the  baaz (falcon). It is, of course, part of my culture. Guru Gobind Singh and Guru Hargobind Singh both kept a  baaz. It’s always been something that inspires me. The  baaz is a bird that always finds something to hunt when it flies. It spots its target from a distance and then single-mindedly chases it down. It’s also a bird that can never be caged.

I often see myself in that  baaz. I can’t ever be caged. You can’t tell me I can’t do something. And like the baaz, my mentality is different. There’s a saying that when a baaz flies low, there are crows that follow it and try to peck at it. But the baaz doesn’t bother. Instead, it flies so high that nothing is able to follow it. As a sprinter, I’ve often found myself having to deal with negative comments, especially if I have a bad race or if my form was low. But I want to rise so high above that none of this will matter.

You’re currently flying high, but you’ve had your share of challenges, haven’t you?

There have, of course, been times that have been very hard for me. I’ve had a lot of health issues. I had ulcers in my intestines that made me very sick. When I struggled last year with my performance, I became mentally very weak and struggled with stress. It was a difficult situation. I had to consult a psychologist. At that time, it was my family that gave me a lot of moral support. But like a baaz, I kept looking into the future. I kept my eyes locked on that target.

What do your eyes see in the distance?

My eyes can see a race where I run (100m) below 10 seconds.

That’s considered one of the greatest feats in track and field. What would it take to do this?

Most likely, it will take a tailwind that is a lot more than 2.0m/s! On a serious note, it will be about determination, consistency and hard work. There are also things that I know I have to improve on. I know my technique can get sharper. I also know that my hip flexor strength isn’t good. I can probably gain more tendon strength as well. My core is strong enough, but my hip flexors and tendons can get stronger. I also know I can work much more on my front-side mechanics. If that keeps improving, my timing will also keep improving.  

Published on May 25, 2026