Neil Samraj Shatters India’s U18 100m National Record Twice in One Day, Wins Gold in 10.46s

Tamil Nadu sprinter Neil Samraj produced one of the most remarkable performances of the 21st National Youth Athletics Championships 2026 in Ludhiana, breaking India's U18 100m national record twice in the space of a single day before storming to gold in the final.

Samraj first lowered the national benchmark in the semi-finals, clocking 10.53 seconds. He then went even faster in the final, stopping the clock at an extraordinary 10.46 seconds to become the fastest Indian youth sprinter over 100m.

The performance not only secured him the gold medal but also announced the arrival of a teenager with ambitions that extend well beyond the national record.

Samraj's day began with a 10.53-second run in the semi-finals. That was already enough to rewrite the U18 national record, bettering the previous mark of 10.55 seconds set by Amit Kumar Shah in 2002.

But Samraj was not finished. In the final, the Tamil Nadu youngster delivered an even faster performance. His 10.46-second run improved the record he had established only earlier in the day and gave him the men's 100m title.

Breaking a national record once is an achievement. Doing it twice on the same day, with the faster performance coming when the pressure was at its highest, made Samraj's performance particularly eye-catching.

His 10.46 also gave him another distinction: he is now the fastest Indian youth over the distance.

Samraj wanted to go even faster.

Despite producing a record-breaking performance and winning the national title, Samraj was not completely satisfied with his run. The teenager revealed that his target had been to break the 10.40-second barrier.

That ambition says as much about his mindset as the record itself. Rather than viewing 10.46 as the culmination of his championship, Samraj sees it as another step towards a faster time. He also assured that he intends to achieve the sub-10.40 mark this season.

Having already improved the U18 national record from 10.55 to 10.46 in a matter of hours, Samraj has demonstrated that there is significant room for further progression.

Sanket Swami had set the early benchmark.

Before Samraj's record-breaking evening, Haryana's Sanket Swami had emerged as one of the leading names in the men's 100m competition.

Swami clocked 10.85 seconds in the heats, recording the fastest time across all five heats at the time. Mehebubul Ahamed followed with 10.89 seconds, while Divraj Singh posted 10.90.

Those performances initially set up an intriguing battle for the men's title. Samraj, however, raised the level considerably when it mattered most. His 10.53 in the semi-final immediately changed the complexion of the competition, and his 10.46 in the final ultimately put the title beyond doubt.

Samraj's victory was part of an outstanding sprint championship for Tamil Nadu. T. Mrithika won the women's 100m title with a personal best of 11.76 seconds, making her the only athlete in the women's final to break the 12-second barrier.

Her performance earned her the distinction of becoming India's fastest youth girl over 100m at the championships. Together, Samraj and Mrithika gave Tamil Nadu a clean sweep of the youth 100m titles, with the state claiming gold in both the men's and women's events.

For Samraj, though, the headline belonged to his extraordinary progression over the course of a single day.

The significance of Samraj's 10.46-second performance extends beyond the medal and the national record. At the youth level, performances can often provide an indication of an athlete's potential, but the transition into senior athletics remains a demanding one. Maintaining development, managing training loads and continuing to improve technical aspects of sprinting will now be crucial for Samraj.

The youngster has already shown that he possesses the speed to rewrite national age-group history. More importantly, his reaction to the 10.46 suggests he believes there is considerably more to come.

His target of going under 10.40 seconds this season gives him a clear next milestone. For now, however, Samraj can celebrate a remarkable championship. He arrived at the National Youth Athletics Championships as one of the promising young sprinters from Tamil Nadu and left Ludhiana as the holder of India's U18 100m national record.

And he broke it twice in one day.