Animesh Kajoor and Gurwinder Vir Singh broke the men’s 100m national record within minutes of each other on the first day of the National Senior Athletics Federation competition on Friday.Representing Reliance, Gurvinder Veer clocked 10.17 seconds in the first semi-final heat to break Animesh’s 10-month-old national record of 10.18 seconds.However, the record only lasted for a few minutes as Animesh from Odisha regained the national mark by running 10.15 seconds in the second semi-final heat.The two sprinters will now face off once again in the final on Saturday.Animesh also cleared the qualifying mark of 10.16 seconds set by the Athletics Federation of India for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.“It’s all about hard work,” said a jubilant Animesh after the race.The women’s long jump event also saw a close contest between Shelly Singh and Ansi Sujan.Representing the Indian Navy, Ansi won the event with a jump of 6.75m, bettering the meet record of 6.64m set by Shelley in Kochi last year. His streak included jumps of 6.47m, 6.56m, 6.69m, 6.75m, 6.68m and 6.57m.Competing for the Anju Bobby George Sports Foundation, Shelley finished second with a best jump of 6.58m.In the morning session, Uttarakhand’s Deepak Bhat won the men’s 10,000 meters in 29 minutes and 42.93 seconds.Karnataka athlete Shivaji M appeared dehydrated during the race in hot conditions and was helped by the team coaches.In the women’s 10,000m, Raveena Gyakwad of Maharashtra finished first with a time of 35:30.98, just short of the 2026 Commonwealth Games standard of 31:14.14.The competition is also significant as it is the first time that the AFI is conducting SRY gene testing at a national event to ensure that only biological women compete in the women’s category.A once-in-a-lifetime test will be done using either a cheek swab or a blood sample.The AFI will also begin DNA testing of Indian athletes to collect and store data that can later be used for research, injury prevention and development purposes. The results of both the SRY and DNA tests will remain confidential.Apart from being the final selection event for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2, the May 22-25 federation competition will also serve as trials for the first Asian U23 Championships in China from July 9 to 12.Day 1 Results:Men: 10,000m: Deepak Bhatt (Uttrakhand) 29:42.93, Shailesh Kushwaha (Karnataka) 29:57. 56, Prashant Chaudhary (Uttar Pradesh) 30:36.97.Hammer Throw: Ashish Jakhar (SSCB) 68.52m, Damneet Singh (Reliance) 67.62m, Ajay Kumar (Haryana) 64.93m.Women: 10,000m: Raveena Gyakwad (Maharashtra) 35:30.98s, Sonia (Uttrakhand) 36:16.22, Aarti Pwara (Maharashtra) 36:24.79s.Long jump: Ansi Sujan (Navy) 6.75m (MR), Shelley Singh (Anju Bobby George Academy) 6.58m, Bhavani Yadav (NCOE Bengaluru) 6.39m.
