At the Asian Games 2026, India’s Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur did not advance in the men’s 100m event, while Pooja and Anamika Kozhinjaparambil placed sixth and eighth, respectively, in the women’s heptathlon on Friday. Gurindervir, who finished second in his heat with a time of 10.38 seconds, clocked 10.32 seconds in Semifinal Heat 2, securing only fifth place. Oman’s Ali Balushi and China’s Zhenye Xie qualified for the final from this heat. Despite a strong start, Gurindervir was unable to keep pace with the competition. Meanwhile, Pooja and Anamika’s performances in the heptathlon did not yield podium finishes.
India’s runners Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur bowed out of the men’s 100m event at the ongoing Asian Games 2026 after failing to qualify for the final.
Both Indians automatically qualified for the semifinals by finishing inside the top three in their respective heats. However, the Indian duo could not secure an overall medal. Animesh also failed to progress after finishing seventh in his semifinal heat with a timing of 10.38 seconds. Earlier, Animesh had produced a strong finish in Heat 1 to secure third place in 10.36 seconds, while Gurindervir finished second in Heat 4 in 10.38 seconds. Thailand’s Puripol Boonson was the standout performer in the heats, clocking 9.95 seconds in Heat 1, just 0.03 seconds outside the Asian Games record. In the women’s heptathlon final, Pooja clocked 2:16.43 in the 800m event, while compatriot Anamika Kozhinjaparambil finished third in the event with a timing of 2:18.06. Pooja finished sixth with 5,368 points, while Anamika ended eighth with 5,234 points. Japan’s Yuri Tanaka won the heptathlon gold with 5,920 points, followed by compatriot Nanaka Kajiki with 5,673 points. Kazakhstan’s Alina Chistyakova claimed bronze with 5,568 points. Uzbekistan’s Ugiloy Norboeva finished fourth with 5,412 points, while Chinese Taipei’s Cai-juan Chen was fifth with 5,378 points. Indonesia’s Emilia Nova finished seventh with 5,279 points, followed by Anamika in eighth. Vietnam’s Thang Giang Hoang and Iran’s Fatemeh Mohitizadeh completed the standings with 4,360 and 3,486 points, respectively. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
