NEW DELHI: A carefully preserved 500 rupee note, tucked into the back cover of his mobile phone, traveled every step of sprinter Gurindervir Singh’s extraordinary journey. The folded note, which the national record holder calls his “lucky charm”, is a reminder of his struggling days – he would find it difficult to finance his training and once did not have enough money to pay a toll fee while traveling for practice in Punjab.“Someone helped me when I needed it most. That note has been with me ever since,” Gurindervir said, declining to reveal the full story. “The full story is for my biopic.”Today, the 25-year-old Indian Navy sprinter has a much bigger story to tell. At the Federation Cup in Ranchi late last month, Gurindervir became the first Indian to break the 10.10-second barrier in the men’s 100m, clocking a national record of 10.09 seconds. Success is just a stage, I believe.“My target is not to stop at 10.09. If I stay consistent, keep training well, recover well and follow the process, I believe a sub-10 race is possible in future competitions,” said Gurindervir with confidence.Under coach James Hillier at the Reliance Foundation, Gurindervir transformed his training and his mindset. Every aspect of his preparation – strength, speed, mobility, recovery, diet and race execution – is meticulously planned. “Before I had to manage everything alone. Now I have support from coaches, physiotherapists and nutritionists. We have planned every phase of training, from strength to speed, and the results have followed,” he said.With European training in Spala, Poland starting in July and the main targets including the upcoming Commonwealth Games and Asian gamesGurindervir’s next target is clear. “I have already broken the 10.10 barrier. Now, he is chasing even bigger – becoming the first Indian to run under 10,” he said.An important reason behind Gurindervir’s breakthrough was a deeper understanding of his race structure. “My start has always been good, but first I struggled to maintain my speed in the last 30 meters. This year, we worked a lot to improve my acceleration, running angles, exit block and foot. My race model is simple – accelerate through the first 30 meters, build towards the maximum speed from about 60 to 65 meters and then maintain until the end.His favorite gym exercises are the squat and hang clean. He lifts 220 kg in the half squat and 145 kg in the hang clean – numbers that underline the driving power of India’s fastest sprinter. “I maintain a body fat percentage of about 6 to 7 percent during training before reducing it to 5 to 6 percent during competitions,” he added.The road to success, however, was anything but smooth. Between 2021 and 2023, Gurindervir battled severe gut-related health problems caused by a poor diet and contaminated water during his time at a sports hostel in Punjab. Limited finances meant I often survived on meatless chicken gravy after training sessions.“We didn’t always have proper food. Sometimes we only had sauce with our meals. Sometimes even that was unavailable. Drinking water was poor and all these factors eventually damaged my health,” he said.The condition became so severe that he lost almost 12kg in just over a week and struggled to absorb nutrients. His sprinting career seemed to be in jeopardy. Medical treatment, a structured nutrition plan and scientific support under Hillier helped him rebuild his body and come back stronger.Equally significant was his mental evolution. Gurindervir admitted that a year ago, the sudden fame and media attention often overwhelmed him. “If you had met last year’s Gurindervir, you would have been stressed. I was thinking about the interview and the expectations all the time. My coach helped me understand how to handle attention and stay focused on performance. Now I don’t take unnecessary pressure. I am a stress-free person,” he said.His rivalry with fellow sprinter Animesh Kujur added a new dimension to Indian sprinting. The pair exchanged national records three times in 24 hours before Gurindervir emerged on top with his run of 10.09 seconds.“Off the court we are friends and often roommates. On the court, we are rivals. It’s a healthy competition because we push each other to improve.”Despite growing recognition, Gurindervir’s sacrifices continued. He did not return home for more than a year, determined to achieve bigger goals before celebrating. “My family asks me to come home. I tell them that I will not return empty-handed. I want to bring something special.”.
