Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir Singh Miss Men’s 100m Final After Semifinal Exits at Asian Games 2026

India’s hopes of having a representative in the men’s 100m final at the 2026 Asian Games ended on Friday as Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur failed to advance from their respective semifinal heats.

Gurindervir clocked 10.32 seconds to finish fifth in Heat 2, while Animesh recorded 10.38 seconds and finished seventh in Heat 3. Both Indian sprinters had progressed through the heats on Thursday, but neither could produce the performance required to reach the final. Gurindervir finished 11th overall among the semifinalists, while Animesh was 18th.

The results brought an end to India's challenge in the blue-riband men's sprint event.

Gurindervir was drawn in Heat 2, alongside Oman’s Ali Al Balushi, China’s Xie Zhenye, South Korea’s Daniel Biwesa, Japan’s Shuhei Tada, Chinese Taipei’s Chen Wen-pu, Malaysia’s Muhammad Subri and North Korea’s Jo Kum Ryom. The Indian got away quickly from the blocks and appeared to be in contention in the early stages.

However, he was unable to maintain that momentum through the race. Al Balushi and Xie moved ahead as the race progressed, while Biwesa also finished in front of the Indian. Gurindervir eventually crossed the line fifth in 10.32 seconds. Al Balushi won the heat in 10.01 seconds, setting a personal best, while Xie Zhenye followed in 10.18 seconds. Biwesa was third in 10.22.

The top two advanced automatically from the heat, leaving Gurindervir needing a sufficiently fast time to qualify through the overall rankings. His 10.32, however, was not enough. For the Indian, it was a disappointing end after entering the semifinals with a personal and season's best of 10.09 seconds.

Animesh Finishes Seventh in Heat 3

Animesh Kujur faced an equally challenging semifinal in Heat 3. The Indian was drawn alongside South Korea’s Joeljin Nwamadi, Malaysia’s Muhammad Mohd, Japan’s Yuki Koike, Chinese Taipei’s Yang Chun-han, Bahrain’s Ali Haji, Singapore’s Marc Brian Louis and Thailand’s Chutithat Pruksorranan. Animesh made a decent start but, like Gurindervir in the previous heat, could not sustain his speed through the middle portion of the race.

He eventually finished seventh in 10.38 seconds. South Korea’s Joeljin Nwamadi won the heat in 10.17 seconds, with Malaysia’s Muhammad Mohd taking the second automatic qualification spot in 10.25. Japan’s Yuki Koike finished third in 10.31, followed by Yang Chun-han of Chinese Taipei in 10.33.

Animesh's 10.38 left him outside the qualifying positions.

The semifinal performances were below the level both Indian sprinters had shown earlier in the competition. Animesh had entered the Asian Games with a 10.14-second personal and season’s best, while Gurindervir had a 10.09-second personal and season’s best. During the heats, both had successfully advanced. Their semifinal timings, however, were slower than those season-best marks.

Gurindervir's 10.32 was 0.23 seconds slower than his 10.09 season's best, while Animesh's 10.38 was 0.24 seconds outside his 10.14 best. The difference was significant in a field where qualification depended on small margins.

The two sprinters had arrived in Aichi-Nagoya as India's leading men's 100m representatives. Animesh had finished third in his opening heat in 10.36 seconds, while Gurindervir finished second in his heat in 10.38 seconds, with both advancing to the semifinals. Their progress had raised hopes of an Indian presence in the final, but the semifinal proved a much tougher test.

Gurindervir's 10.32 placed him fifth in his heat, while Animesh's 10.38 left him seventh.

The final field will therefore proceed without either Indian sprinter.

The men's 100m remains one of the most closely watched events in any major athletics competition, and the Asian Games final represents the culmination of the sprint competition. For India, the immediate campaign ends with both national-level sprint performers making the semifinals but falling short of the final.

Gurindervir and Animesh will now have to look beyond the 100m competition at these Games, with their semifinal performances providing another competitive experience at the continental level. The final qualification list will feature the fastest sprinters from the two semifinal heats, including Nwamadi, Muhammad Mohd and the leading qualifiers from Heat 2.

For India, however, there will be no 100m finalist in Aichi-Nagoya.

Gurindervir Singh finished fifth in 10.32 seconds, while Animesh Kujur was seventh in 10.38 seconds — ending India’s men’s 100m campaign in the semifinals.