India's Fastest Man Gurindervir Starts CWG Campaign With Strong Second-Place Finish

India's fastest sprinter Gurindervir Singh made a steady start to his Commonwealth Games 2026 campaign by finishing second in his men's 100m opening-round heat with a timing of 10.39 seconds on the opening day of athletics competition in Glasgow on Monday.

Competing in Heat 4 from lane five, the 25-year-old Punjab sprinter got off the blocks well and matched strides with Jamaica's Rohan Watson during the first half of the race. However, Watson, who owns a personal best of 9.91 seconds, surged ahead over the final 30 metres to comfortably win the heat in 10.13 seconds, opening a clear gap before the finish line. The race was run with a legal tailwind of 1.9 m/s.

Although Gurindervir's timing was enough to secure second place in his heat, it fell well short of the 10.09-second national record he created at the Federation Cup in Ranchi earlier this year. That landmark run made him the first Indian sprinter to break the 10.10-second barrier, underlining the rapid progress he has made in recent months.

His place in Tuesday's semifinals will only be confirmed after all 11 opening-round heats are completed. A total of 17 athletes will qualify from the heats, while seven sprinters have already received direct byes into the semifinal stage.

The men's 100m competition witnessed several impressive performances on the opening day. Ghana's Abdul-Rasheed Saminu produced the fastest time across the early heats, clocking 10.01 seconds, while Nigeria's Favour Ashe won the opening heat in 10.10 seconds. Wales' Jeremiah Azu also impressed by taking Heat 3 in 10.10 seconds.

With qualification still pending, Gurindervir remains firmly in contention as India hopes for another strong showing in one of athletics' marquee events.