Gurinderveer and Animesh Miss Out on Medal Dreams at 2026 Asian Games
Indian sprinters Gurinderveer Singh and Animesh Kujur fail to qualify for the finals in the mens 100 meters at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya.
Nagoya, September 25 (Daily Kiran) : Indian sprinters Gurinderveer Singh and Animesh Kujur saw their hopes of winning medals dashed at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya on September 25. Both athletes failed to qualify for the finals in the men’s 100 meters race.
In the women’s heptathlon, however, Indian athletes Pooja and Anamika Kozhinjparambil put forth commendable efforts. Competing in seven events, Pooja finished in sixth place while Anamika secured the eighth position. Although neither athlete earned a medal, they represented India with distinction.
Gurinderveer Singh clocked a time of 10.38 seconds in his initial heat, securing second place and advancing to the semifinals. Unfortunately, he could not improve his performance in the semifinal, where he recorded a time of 10.32 seconds and finished fifth. Oman’s Ali Balushi won that heat, followed closely by China’s Zhenye Ji, both of whom qualified for the finals.
Gurinderveer began the race strong but struggled to maintain his pace against faster competitors as the race progressed. Ultimately, he missed the final spot, finishing in fifth place.
Animesh also faced disappointment in his semifinal heat, finishing seventh with a time of 10.38 seconds. Earlier, he had placed third in Heat 1 with a time of 10.36 seconds, while Gurinderveer had secured second in Heat 4.
In the heats, Thailand’s Puripol Bunsong delivered an impressive performance, clocking 9.95 seconds, just 0.03 seconds shy of the Asian Games record. In the heptathlon finals, Pooja completed the 800 meters in 2:16.43, while Anamika finished with a time of 2:18.06. Despite their efforts, the Indian duo did not win any medals, with Pooja scoring 5,368 points for sixth place and Anamika scoring 5,234 points for eighth.
Japan’s Yuri Tanaka claimed the gold medal in the heptathlon with 5,920 points, followed by compatriot Nanaka Kaziki with 5,673 points. Kazakhstan’s Alina Chistyakova took home the bronze with 5,568 points, while Uzbekistan’s Ugiloy Norboeva and Chinese Taipei’s Kai-Juan Chen finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
