Tamil Nadu's Neil Samraj Breaks Boys U-18 100m National Record Twice

Tamil Nadu sprinter Neil Samraj broke the youth national record twice in the boys 100m event at the National Youth Athletics Championships in Ludhiana on Tuesday, clinching the gold medal with a timing of 10.46 seconds.

The 17-year-old athlete's winning run in the final strengthened his position to qualify for the Youth Olympics scheduled to take place in Dakar later this year. His achievement came just weeks after he returned from competing in the World U-20 Championships.

Samraj first broke the national youth record earlier on Tuesday during the semifinals, where he registered a time of 10.53 seconds. He improved upon that mark in the final by clocking 10.46 seconds, shaving 0.17 seconds off the previous youth national record established by Anshu Rajak in 2023.

Reflecting on his race, Samraj noted that he had targeted a faster timing but valued the milestone. He stated that he had expected to run 10.30 seconds and could not execute the race entirely as planned, but expressed confidence that he would dip below that mark in upcoming competitions. He credited his recent participation at the World U-20 Championships, where he featured in the men's 100m relay, as a valuable learning experience that aided his performance at the national meet.

Samraj began his journey in athletics while studying in Grade 9 and trains under coach Velmurugan, whom he regards as an elder brother. The sprinter attributed his development and athletic success to Velmurugan's guidance.

Following his record-breaking 100m performance, Samraj is scheduled to compete next in the 200m event on Wednesday, aiming to deliver a similar display on the track.

In the girls' events at the meet, fellow Tamil Nadu athlete T Mrithika also secured a first-place finish, breaking the meet record in the girls 100m final with a time of 11.78 seconds.