Neil Samraj of Tamil Nadu shattered both the national and meet records in the Under-18 Boys 100m event at the National Youth Athletics Championships in Ludhiana, Punjab, on Tuesday, 1 September, clocking a blistering 10.46 seconds to claim gold. The performance erases the previous national record of 10.63 seconds set by Anshu Rajak in 2023 and announces the 17-year-old as one of India's most compelling sprint prospects.

A Record-Breaking Run

Samraj's winning time of 10.46 seconds was not just a career-best — it also wiped out the meet record of 10.68 seconds previously held by Parth Singh, set in 2024 in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh. He finished well clear of the field: Mehebubul Ahamed of West Bengal took silver in 10.74 seconds, while Pushpendar Kumar of Delhi claimed bronze in 10.81 seconds.

Tamil Nadu Dominates the Sprint Track

The opening day at Guru Nanak Stadium belonged emphatically to Tamil Nadu, as the state's sprinters swept both 100m titles. In the Women's 100m, T Mrithika crossed the finish line with her hands raised in celebration, clocking 11.78 seconds — bettering the previous meet record of 11.80 seconds set by Dutee Chand in 2012 in Bengaluru. Mrithika was the only athlete in the final to dip under the 12-second barrier. Suchithra S of Karnataka edged out Saawari Kulkarni of Maharashtra for silver, clocking 12.03 seconds to Kulkarni's 12.09 seconds.

About the Championship

The three-day National Youth Athletics Championships features Under-18 competition across Youth Men and Youth Women categories, covering sprints, middle distance, hurdles, race walks, jumps, throws, the heptathlon, and medley relays. Competitions run across forenoon and afternoon sessions and are scheduled to conclude on Thursday, 3 September.

Automatic qualification standards for Youth Men Under-18 include: Long Jump 7.00m, High Jump 1.95m, Shot Put 16.70m, Discus Throw 50.50m, and Javelin Throw 63.00m. For Youth Women Under-18, the Long Jump standard is set at 5.40m. In the Women's Discus Throw, Oshin of Haryana won gold with 45.98m, ahead of Dimpy Saini of Uttar Pradesh (43.22m) and Mansi Dangi of Haryana (43.09m).

What This Means for Indian Sprinting

Samraj's 10.46 seconds at age 17 places him in rare company in Indian youth athletics. The national record he broke had stood since 2023, and his margin of improvement — 0.17 seconds — is significant at the elite level. Notably, Tamil Nadu's double on the sprint track reflects the state's growing depth in short-distance events, a trend that has been building through domestic competition circuits over the past few years. With the championships still ongoing, more records could fall before the meet concludes.