Nagoya: India will have two representatives in the men’s 100m semifinals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after Animesh Kujur and national record holder Gurindervir Singh progressed through their respective heats on Thursday here at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.
Kujur produced a strong finish in Heat 1 to secure third place in 10.36 seconds, while Gurindervir clocked 10.38 seconds to finish second in Heat 4. Both automatically advanced after finishing inside the top three in their respective heats.
Kujur appeared to be under pressure through the early stages of his race but found another gear over the final 25 metres to move into the qualifying positions. Thailand’s Puripol Boonson dominated the heat, crossing the line in 9.95 seconds, while China’s Keli Zeng was second in 10.22.
Malaysia’s Muhammad Subri finished fourth in 10.43, with North Korea’s Kum Ryom Jo, Maldives’ Ibadulla Adam and East Timor’s Mouzinho Belo completing the field.
Gurindervir, meanwhile, made a solid start in Heat 4 and remained in contention throughout before finishing behind Oman’s Malham Al Balushi, who won in 10.29. Iran’s Hassan Taftian took third in 10.46, while Hong Kong’s Ho Hin Cheung was fourth.
The qualifying format saw the top three finishers from each heat progress directly to the semifinals, with the next six fastest athletes also earning places.
The semifinals are scheduled for Friday, giving both Indian sprinters an opportunity to push deeper into the competition in one of the Games’ marquee track events.
Kujur’s progression adds another significant chapter to his campaign in Nagoya, while Gurindervir will look to build on his national-record credentials when the field returns for the medal-stage races.
Boonson’s performance was the standout run of the heats, with the Thai sprinter’s 9.95 seconds narrowly missing the Asian Games record by 0.03 seconds.
(IANS)
