India’s Fastest Mam – Animesh Kujur is Rebuilding His Start – Know details here

The Hunt for Milliseconds

For Animesh Kujur, India's fastest man, breaking national records has become a regular occurrence. In 2025 alone, the 22-year-old sprinter has shattered the marks in the 100m, the 200m (twice), and was part of the record-breaking 4x100m relay team. But in the world of elite sprinting, national acclaim is just the starting block. The real race is against the clock, a relentless hunt for the hundredths of a second that separate the best in a country from the best on the planet. This pursuit of marginal gains recently took Kujur and his coach, Martin Owens, to Europe, where a humbling fifth-place finish provided the most valuable lesson of his season.

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A Reality Check in Monaco

While competing in the Under-23 race at the prestigious Monaco Diamond League, Kujur lined up against some of the world's most promising young talents, including Australian teen phenom Gout Gout. Although Kujur finished with a respectable time, the race exposed a critical gap. A detailed analysis of the race splits revealed that Gout Gout was faster in every 10-metre segment. He exploded from the blocks, accelerated powerfully through the first 40 metres, and maintained his speed to the finish. This direct comparison made it clear: to compete at this level, Kujur needed to fundamentally rebuild the most crucial part of his race—the start.

Deconstructing the Start

To address this, Kujur’s team relocated to the Swiss Olympic Medical Centre, a high-performance hub for Europe’s elite athletes. There, under the guidance of strength and conditioning expert Chris Woolley, they began a meticulous process of deconstruction. The focus was squarely on the first two strides out of the blocks. For a tall sprinter like Kujur, who stands at 6-foot-2, achieving an explosive start has always been a challenge.

The intervention was twofold. First, they adjusted the angle of his starting blocks, tilting them slightly inward to create a more efficient launch angle. Second, Woolley worked extensively on Kujur’s body mechanics, prescribing targeted exercises to loosen his tight hamstrings and lower back, which were hindering his initial acceleration. Using advanced equipment like the 1080 sprint machine, which provides detailed feedback on every step during resistance and assistance training, Kujur was able to see and feel the improvements. Within a week, he was shaving precious fractions of a second off his start times.

The Sprinter's Symbiosis

While the 200m remains his favoured event, Kujur and his coach view the 100m as an essential training tool. The shorter distance forces him to develop the raw power and explosive start that are critical for success in the 200m. Conversely, the speed endurance required to finish a strong 200m helps him maintain his form and power through the final stages of a 100m race. This symbiotic relationship between the two events is a cornerstone of his training philosophy, ensuring that he develops as a complete and versatile sprinter.

As he prepares to compete on home soil at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Bhubaneswar, Kujur is no longer just the athlete who breaks records. He is a student of his craft, engaged in a scientific and painstaking process to find speed where it matters most. His ultimate goal is clear: to move beyond national accolades and earn a direct qualification for the World Championships, proving he belongs among the world’s elite.