Gurindervir exudes confidence, both on and off the track

Tribune News Service

Deepankar Sharda

Panchkula, June 27

As soon as the 23-year-old Gurindervir Singh won his men’s 100 metres semifinal, an official of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) asked him to sign the document for undergoing a doping test.

While Gurindervir was still watching the race’s replay on the big screen, he laughed and said, “Bhaaji, final taan jeetan dao (sir, let me win the final first).”

Such was the confidence of the Punjab youngster, who was the centre of attraction during the 100m race qualifiers on the opening day of the National Inter-State Athletics Championships at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium here.

Amid humid conditions in the evening, Gurindervir clocked 10.44 seconds to calmly move into the final. Gurindervir’s result in the 100m heats was no different in the morning session, but it came under a much pleasant weather.

“The evening run was good... such weather (having less wind) suits me. I am not happy with the timing, I could have done better. Let’s save it for tomorrow,” said the sprinter after the race.

The final of the men’s 100m is slated for tomorrow evening around sundown and the emerging star from Punjab is not new to the conditions. “Conditions play an important role, but more important is how good you feel when you walk on the track. I always feel pumped up under tough conditions, and most likely I am going to enjoy my race tomorrow,” said Gurindervir.

In the last seven years, Gurindervir has won many accolades — from setting the national U-20 record to winning medals in several national events. However, another big moment arrived earlier this year when he made a comeback by winning the 100m Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar. He clocked 10.35 then and it was special as he recovered from health issues pertaining to digestion. “I was surprised. My coach was more surprised after getting to know about the problem. I am fine now, but it was a haunting time,” he said.

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