The Making of India's Fastest Man

Animesh Kujur, hailing from Chhattisgarh's Oraon tribal community, is the fastest Indian sprinter in the world. After creating national records in both 100m and 200m this year, now this rising star is on his way to script history—he is the first Indian sprinter ever to qualify for the World Athletics Championships

- By Ravi Raj

Animesh Kujur is in the middle of the hottest streak of his athletic career, having already ventured into territories that once seemed a distant dream for the Indian sprinters.

He set a national record in the 100m with a 10.18s finish in Athens, becoming the first Indian athlete to breach the 10.20s barrier. He scripted the national record of 20.32s in the 200m, which is his main event. He also became the first Indian to compete in the prestigious Diamond League, where he finished fourth in the U-23 200m event. And now, he has become the first Indian sprinter to qualify for the World Athletics Championships. If this compilation of his achievements fails to extirpate your scepticism about his potential, the fact that he has achieved all of these milestones in the span of last few months, will surely do.

It's unprecedented for an Indian sprinter to even stand in the same frame with the world's elite, for there exists a great gulf. Kujur, 22, has bridged this gulf closer than anyone else in the past, finishing fourth at the Diamond League in Monaco in 200m, which was won by Gout Gout, the Australian sprinter who's considered athe heir apparent to Usain Bolt. Besides the venerable fourth-place finish, another major highlight for Kujur in Monaco was encountering Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo, the gold medalists of the 100m and 200m events at the Paris Olympics, respectively. Lyles and Tebogo are the biggest achievers, and while Kujur may never replicate their success, was a valuable learning opportunity for him. I gained a lot of insights that I'll carry forward,” he adds.