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Odisha sprinter Animesh Kujur clocked 10.15 seconds in the men's 100m semifinal at the National Senior Athletics Federation Competition in Ranchi, setting a national record and qualifying for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Gurindervir Singh had earlier run 10.17 seconds to break Kujur's previous 10.18-second record before Kujur reclaimed it.

Ranchi: Odisha’s ace sprinter Animesh Kujur set the national men’s 100m record in the semifinal round of the 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Competitions in Ranchi on Friday, to win a ticket to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Seema also achieved CWG qualification mark in women’s discus throw.

Kujur, 22, bettered the national record to 10.15 seconds in the second semifinal round on day one of the 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Competition here at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Stadium. The Commonwealth Games qualification time in men’s 100m was 10.16 seconds.

The spotlight was on men’s 100m sprinters on Friday. The national record was shattered twice within a short span of time. Gurindervir Singh, dominating the first semis, clocked 10.17 seconds to better the previous national record of 10.18 seconds set by Kujur last year.

Excitement reached its zenith as a few minutes later, Kujur, racing in the second semis, clocked 10.15 seconds to reclaim his national record. “It’s all about hard work,” says jubilant Animesh Kujur on winning tickets to Glasgow.