Animesh Kujur clocks fastest 200m ever run by an Indian with 20.27s sprint at European meet | More sports News
NEW DELHI: Animesh Kujur, India’s exceptional sprinting talent, has demonstrated his remarkable speed once again with an outstanding display in a European competition, solidifying his position as one of the nation’s finest track athletes.Considered India’s own ‘Lightning Bolt’, the 21-year-old Odisha sprinter set the track ablaze at the AtleticaGeneve 2025 – a World Athletics continental tour bronze level event – by running the men’s 200m race in a breathtaking 20.27s at the Stade de Genève on Saturday evening.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The performance established him as the fastest Indian to cover the 200m distance, marking an excellent beginning to his European campaign. Despite the impressive timing, due to a wind assistance of +2.3 m/s, Animesh’s achievement cannot be registered as a new national record for the 200m.Nevertheless, it stands as the fastest time achieved by an Indian athlete. World Athletics regulations specify that only times recorded with wind assistance of +2.0 m/s or less are considered valid for record purposes.
Animesh, who currently holds India’s national records in both 100m and 200m events, secured fifth position in his heat and sixth overall in the final race. Although his start was modest on Lane 5, he maintained his composure and executed a powerful run through the curve, surpassing numerous competitors in an impressive display.Benjamin Richardson from South Africa claimed victory in 19.79s, followed by Xavi Mo-Ajok of the Netherlands at 19.96s, while Israel’s Blessing Afrifa secured third place with 19.99s.In the previous month, Animesh surpassed his own national record, set earlier this year, becoming the second Indian male to secure a 200m medal at the Asian athletics championships in Gumi, South Korea.He recorded 20.32s in the final for bronze, bettering his previous national mark of 20.40s from the Federation Cup. Post his medal success in Gumi, Animesh stated, “I want to become the first Indian athlete to run below 20s. I am working in that direction. I am waiting for that performance to happen”.Accompanied by Martin Owens, head coach of the Odisha-Reliance Foundation High Performance Centre, Animesh is competing in various European meets aiming to qualify for the World athletics championships in Tokyo from Sept 13-21.Strong performances at AtleticaGeneve and subsequent events will help him accumulate crucial ranking points for World championship qualification, as achieving the automatic qualification mark (20.16s) appears challenging.
