Federation Cup: Gurindervir becomes fastest Indian, Tejaswin Shankar breaks 8000-point barrier

Indian sprinting witnessed another historic chapter at the Federation Cup 2026 as Gurindervir Singh clocked a sensational 10.09 seconds in the men’s 100m final to become the fastest Indian man ever.

A day after the national record had been broken twice during the heats, Gurindervir returned to produce an even faster run in the final, becoming the first Indian sprinter to dip below the 10.10-second mark.

The race capped off a dramatic two-day battle between Gurindervir and Animesh Kujur at the Federation Cup, which is serving as the final selection event for the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow.

Animesh, who had broken the national record with a 10.15-second effort in the heats after Gurindervir’s earlier 10.17s run, finished second in the final with a timing of 10.20 seconds.

Pranav Pramod secured third place after clocking 10.29 seconds.

The men’s 100m competition emerged as the standout event of the tournament, with Indian sprinting reaching unprecedented standards over consecutive days.

The Athletics Federation of India had set strict qualification criteria for the Commonwealth Games due to the limited quota available for track and field athletes. 

Both Gurindervir and Animesh managed to surpass that benchmark during the competition.

Tejaswin Shankar and Vishal TK also rewrite record books

The Federation Cup also witnessed a landmark performance from Tejaswin Shankar in the men’s decathlon.

Tejaswin won the title with a new national record tally of 8057 points, surpassing his previous mark of 7826. In doing so, he became the first Indian athlete to cross the 8000-point barrier in the decathlon and also secured qualification for the Commonwealth Games 2026.

His score currently places him eighth in the world rankings for the year and fifth on the world lead list.

Meanwhile, Vishal TK scripted another historic moment by becoming the first Indian to run the men’s 400m in under 45 seconds.

Vishal clocked 44.98 seconds to set a new national record, although he narrowly missed the Commonwealth Games qualification standard by just 0.02 seconds.

With multiple national records falling across sprinting and combined events, the Federation Cup has emerged as one of the most memorable domestic athletics meets in recent years.