Punjab’s Gurindervir back at his best

Indervir Grewal

Chandigarh, May 19

Gurindervir Singh is back. The 23-year-old Punjab sprinter announced his return to the top bracket with a blazing run in the 100-metre final at the recently-concluded Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar.

The win means a lot because it has been a rough couple of years for me. Now, I have got my rhythm back. My next target is to break the national record. Gurindervir Singh

Gurindervir finished almost two paces ahead of the silver medallist, flying across the finish line in 10.35 seconds before letting out an adrenaline-fuelled roar. Despite the fist-pumping excitement, there was an underlying relief in Gurindervir’s mind. “The win means a lot because it has been a rough couple of years for me,” said Gurindervir, who belongs to Patial village near Bhogpur town in Jalandhar district.

After dominating the junior circuit — he broke the national U20 record with a time of 10.47s in 2018 — Gurindervir was destined to become the next big thing in Indian sprinting. Making steady development, he recorded his best time of 10.27s in 2021. But health issues put a halt to his progress.

“There was some issue with my digestion. It affected my diet, which plays a major role if you want to succeed in sprinting. I just did not have the energy in training,” Gurindervir said.

“I went to many doctors but they could not diagnose the problem. Finally, last year I discovered that there was an issue with my intestines, which I was able to cure with medication. That was about six-seven months ago,” he added.

Gurindervir, who trains under Sarabjit Singh in Jalandhar, started seeing the results within months. “For two years, I could not breach 10.50s. I felt helpless and frustrated. Now, I have got my rhythm back,” he said.

Gurindervir was “really happy” to win his first gold in what “felt like a long time”, but he was “not satisfied” with his timing. He recorded his best a day before the final, running 10.33s in the heats. “The way I had been running during training, I was hoping to record around 10.10s. That is my next target — to break the national record,” he said.

The record stands at 10.26s, held by Amiya Kumar Mallick since 2016. Gurindervir will get a chance to go for the record next month at the inter-state championships at Panchkula.