India finished the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi with an impressive 24 medals, including 8 golds. But one performance stood out not for the color of the medal — a bronze in the men’s 200m — but for its sheer significance.
21-year-old Animesh Kujur clocked 20.32 seconds, breaking his own national record to finish third in the final. It was a performance that elevated not just his career but Indian sprinting history — making him only the second Indian ever to medal in the 200m at this championship in over 50 years.
Behind the scenes:
The run was heroic — not just because of the result, but the circumstances.
* It was his international debut for India.
* He was ill, running a fever, and nursing a cold since landing in South Korea.
* He had to survive multiple rounds (heats, semis, finals) across days, requiring careful energy management.
Despite this, Animesh delivered his best performance on the biggest stage of his life.
The journey:
Animesh wasn’t always a sprinter.
* He grew up playing football in a Sainik School in Chhattisgarh.
* It wasn’t until 2020, after passing out and losing access to a team, that he switched to athletics.
* Since then, it’s been steady progress under coach Martin Owens at the Reliance Odisha High Performance Centre.
In Gumi, his technical growth was evident. Known for taking time to hit top speed, he started strong, the result of focused work on his starts during camp.
What could’ve been:
Coach Owens believed Animesh had silver in sight. But Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz Atafi surged early on the bend, finishing in 20.31s — a national record. Japan’s Uzawa, meanwhile, stormed ahead with a 20.12s run, setting a new championship record.
Still, Animesh’s third-place finish wasn’t a disappointment — it was a tatement.
The takeaway:
In a meet full of headline-worthy wins, Animesh’s bronze tells a bigger story: of raw talent, grit through illness, and breaking through in an event where India has almost no history.
This wasn’t just a medal — it was the birth of a new Indian sprinting star.
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