Riyadh, May 16: Animesh Kujur and Mohammad Afsal continued their impressive form on the international circuit by securing victories in their respective events at the Saudi Athletics Grand Prix 2026 on Friday.
At the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Stadium, national record holder Afsal completed the men’s 800 meters in a remarkable time of 1:48.24. He finished ahead of South Africa’s Christopher Swart, who clocked in at 1:48.50, while Werner Gouws took third place with a time of 1:48.75.
Afsal, who previously set a national record in Poland with a time of 1:44.93, showcased another stellar performance on the international stage. Earlier, he had won a silver medal at the Asian Games with a time of 1:48.43. The Saudi Athletics Grand Prix featured athletes from various countries as part of the World Athletics Continental Tour.
Kujur established himself as the country’s fastest sprinting talent by winning the men’s 200 meters title in 20.77 seconds. He outpaced Great Britain’s David Harrison (20.87 seconds) and Toby Harris (21.01 seconds). Prior to this, Kujur was very close to winning the men’s 100 meters race, finishing second with a time of 10.44 seconds, just behind Harrison, who won in 10.42 seconds.
Former Indian national record holder Gurinderveer Singh also clocked 10.44 seconds but had to settle for third place after a photo finish. Kujur currently holds the national records for both sprint events in India. Last year, he broke the 100 meters national record in Greece with a time of 10.18 seconds and later set a new 200 meters record at the Asian Athletics Championships with a time of 20.32 seconds.
The young sprinter was in excellent form upon arriving in Riyadh after completing a sprint double at the Indian Athletics Series in New Delhi last month, where he won both the 100 meters and 200 meters races. M Krishik also contributed to India’s success by securing third place in the men’s 110 meters hurdles with a time of 13.90 seconds. This was his first international competition after being crowned the Indian indoor champion in the 60 meters hurdles.
The Indian men’s 4×100 meters relay team concluded their successful performance by finishing first with a time of 40.49 seconds, ahead of the host nation Saudi Arabia (41.89 seconds). Out of five teams, only two ultimately started the relay race.
– S.M./P.M.
My name is Ganpat Singh Choughan. I am an experienced content writer with 7 years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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