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Sprinters world over are known to be extremely confident, not only while doing their job on the track, but also while speaking about it everywhere, almost bordering on cockiness. And for the first time, India’s track and field has seen someone on similar lines, not just emerge, but also break the ceiling, and be aggressively vocal about it.
Sprinter Gurindervir Singh, 25, who scripted history by becoming the first Indian to run the 100m dash under 10.10 seconds, clocking 10.09s at the Federation Cup in Ranchi recently, believes he’s at war whenever he steps onto the track and his sole mission is to ‘kill’ the competition. “In life, generally, I’m very cool, but when I’m on the track I’m a different person, highly aggressive and that aggression shows when I race. I make those [strong] comments after winning a race because of this other personality I have,” Gurindervir told mid-day during a media interaction on Wednesday.
Elaborating on the same, he continued: “Whenever I’m in competition or doing my speed sessions, I think about the warrior culture of my religion [Punjabi]. I try and think what our warriors might have been going through and how their mental state must’ve been while at war. While warming up before a race, I listen to music that connects me to these warriors. I imagine that I’m in a war and have to kill everyone [laughs]. That’s why I tend to make aggressive comments after my races.”
Unlike other Indian sprinters, Gurindervir possesses a highly muscular physique, and revealed that a famous Jamaican printer, not Usain Bolt in this case, has been his inspiration.
“When I was a kid I was a huge fan of Yohan Blake. I always wanted his muscular physique. And this may sound funny, but I manifested it. Before coming to Reliance Foundation, I was not so muscular. But after training under coach James Hillier and with the help of my dietitian Isha [Khedekar], I have developed this physique,” said Gurindervir.
Given their muscles and impressive performances, some of the world’s topmost sprinters have been under the scanner when it comes to the doping aspect, but Gurindervir insists he has nothing to worry about. “Lack of knowledge and awareness [about dope] has affected some Indian athletes’ careers. Many a times vendors approach some of our Indian athletes, offering certain supplements, claiming that many top athletes use it, and youngsters fall for it, but I’m extremely careful and well-informed. During WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency] and NADA [National Anti-Doping Agency] seminars we have been explained what to eat and what to avoid. Even a small thing, like never leaving your water bottle unattended, is extremely important. I use only the normal supplements that my dietitian and physio recommend. Also, I believe that dope isn’t very effective, and a good example of this is the recent Enhanced Games, where people promised to break Bolt’s 100m record of 9.58s but came nowhere even close to it. I only believe in one thing: work hard and results will follow. There are no shortcuts in life,” Gurindervir concluded.
100m NR broken thrice in 24 hours
. Gurindervir clocks 10.17s in semi-final Heat 1 on Friday to break Animesh Kujur’s record of 10.18s
. Five minutes later, in the semi-final Heat 2, Kujur clocks 10.15s
. In the final on Saturday, Gurindervir clocks 10.09s in the final
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