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Parents of the new men's 100 metres national record holder, Gurindervir Singh, expressed happiness at their son's record-breaking performance at the Federation Cup and reflected on his hard work that has led him to a national record in a race category known to be an extremely tough one to excel in.
Gurindervir became the first Indian man to clock sub-10.10 seconds in the men's 100m, storming to victory at the Federation Cup in Ranchi with a sensational national record time of 10.09 seconds on Saturday. The 24-year-old shaved 0.06 seconds off the previous national mark, which had been set just a day earlier in the semifinals by Animesh Kujur, as per ESPN. Ironically, Gurindervir himself had briefly held the record after running 10.17 seconds in the semifinals, before Animesh eclipsed it minutes later with a 10.15-second effort. This time, however, Gurindervir reclaimed the record emphatically, while both sprinters also secured qualification for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where they will represent India in the men's 100m. Speaking to ANI, his father Kamaljeet said Gurindervir had been working hard since 12 years old of age and, being a volleyball player himself, he nurtured a dream of turning Gurindervir into a player. "We are delighted. He has been striving since 12 years of age. I used to play volleyball, and I wanted him to become a player. The journey was really great, there were some highs and lows, but by the grace of god, it turned out to be good. He told me that no matter what, he would fulfil my dream, and he has done it. I talked to him after the win," Gurindervir's father Kamaljeet said. Kamaljeet also said that sports are important, "for health, youth, Punjab and India". "It is on a sports field that you truly progress, make a name for yourself and make your parents and mentors proud," he added. Recalling his son's journey, Kamaljeet recalled how Gurindervir's first coach pushed him hard till 10th grade. "His second coach, Happy, worked really hard with him and almost adopted him as his own son, treating him like a family. He would give him food, keep him with himself," Kamaljeet added. Sarabjeet Singh Happy, with whom Gurindervir trained for 10 years, said he has made Punjab proud at a global stage. "He trained with me for 10 years. He joined the national camp a year back. The way he was training and his parameters stood, it seemed he would have the record broken anytime. During the semifinal heat, Gurindervir broke Animesh's record before the latter took it back. Then in the finals, Gurindervir made history, and now he is ranked second in Asia. He has made Punjab proud at a global stage," Happy added. Happy recalled how Gurindervir would express his desire to achieve tougher targets. "While speaking to the media, he would say that he wanted to achieve tougher targets and prepare for a medal-winning race. He had that confidence in him that he could do it. 100 m is such a tough race and a well-known event," Happy added. The coach hoped that with his speed, Gurindervir would be able to inspire coming generations. "People love speed. If he performs well using his speed, it will inspire upcoming generations," he said. Gurindervir's mother, Rupinder, also expressed pride that her son made history and recalled how he had performed well in sports since his school days. "It is such a matter of pride that he has made history. We have been receiving a lot of calls that our son has made the country proud. His childhood was a happy one, he would stay happy always. He was great at sports. Right from school, he was putting in good performances and winning medals. It was his father's dream to make him an athlete," she said. She said that children should stay away from drugs and focus on studies and sports. "He worked really hard and would often miss family events. It is his hard work that has got him so far. We pray he gets to play in the Olympics," she signed off. (ANI)
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