When Gurindervir Singh warmed up on the tracks while listening to religious Punjabi vaar (war) songs, prior to the men’s 100m final of the Federation athletics meet at the Birsa Munda Stadium (Morabadi), his high energy level was unmistakable. The battle was two-fold for him. The Navyman wanted to get back the National record with a new mark while proving to the world that Indians can run fast.The 25-year-old, hailing from Jalandhar, progressed in his mission by clocking 10.09, and becoming the first Indian to record a sub-10.10 time, while wresting the National record from his closest rival and friend Animesh Kujur.“I had self-belief, I had done hard training. I got good timing during training. The coach had belief that we could do it. Besides, the vaar songs playing into my ears took me to a different zone,” said Gurindervir.Now, Gurindervir wants to run 100m even faster and emerge as a path-breaker like Milkha Singh and Neeraj Chopra.“A lot of people think that Indians can’t sprint. Indians’ genes are not made for sprinting.“Until Milkha Singh, there was no 400m champion. Milkha made a path and everyone started running on that path.“Before Neeraj Chopra, there was no big name in javelin. When Neeraj won the Olympic gold medal, everyone wanted to do javelin. He broke the mental barrier that Indians can throw javelin and win gold in Olympics. Similarly, it is my wish, my dream that I should make a path on which people can walk and believe that we can do it too.”Gurindervir admitted that he could not handle the success after breaking the National record (10.20, March 2025) for the first time and saw his performance dip.“Last year, I was not a mature athlete...I could have achieved a lot. But my decisions were wrong. I chose something wrong. I made mistakes, but learned from my mistakes.“Mentally, I am very strong this time. I will not back down soon. I have a support system. This time, there is no chance (of making mistakes). I have to carry this focus and mentality till the end.”