Gurindervir, Kujur and Indian Relay Teams To Headline New Taipei City Athletics Open

The World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet is expected to provide valuable ranking points and high-quality competition, with India’s men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams among the headline attractions.

All eyes will be on Gurindervir Singh, who recently rewrote the Indian men’s 100m national record and arrives in Chinese Taipei as one of the country’s most in-form sprinters. He will be joined in the men’s 100m by Pranav Gurav, Harsh Raut and Ragul, while national 200m record holder Animesh Kujur is entered in his preferred event.

India’s sprint depth will also be on display in the women’s 100m, where experienced campaigner Srabani Nanda leads a field that includes Nithya Gandhe, Tammana, Sudheshna Shivankar and S.S. Sneha.

National record holder Tejas Shirse, who has emerged as one of India’s brightest hurdles prospects, is also entered in the men’s 110m hurdles and will be looking to continue his strong run of form on the international circuit.

The meet carries additional significance this year after being upgraded from a Continental Tour Bronze event to Silver status. The elevation means a stronger field, greater ranking opportunities and stricter World Athletics requirements, including the presence of multiple athletes ranked among the world’s top 100.

India will arrive with confidence, having dominated the previous edition of the competition in 2025. The team topped the medal standings with an impressive haul of 16 medals, including 12 gold medals.

The relay teams were among the biggest success stories. The men’s 4x100m quartet of Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidhar and Amlan Borgohain stormed to gold in 38.75 seconds, while the women’s team of Sudheeksha V, Sneha S S, Abinaya Rajarajan and Nithya Gandhe claimed gold in a championship-record 44.07 seconds.

India’s dominance extended across multiple disciplines. Jyothi Yarraji and Tejas Shirse won the sprint hurdles titles, Abdulla Aboobacker triumphed in the triple jump, while Pooja completed a middle-distance double by winning both the women’s 800m and 1500m. Krishan Kumar added another gold in the men’s 800m, while Annu Rani and Rohit Yadav secured victories in the javelin throw events. Vithya Ramraj also struck gold in the women’s 400m hurdles.

With several members of that successful squad returning, India will be aiming not only to defend its relay titles but also to continue building momentum ahead of a crucial international season.

For athletes such as Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur and Tejas Shirse, the New Taipei City Athletics Open represents another opportunity to test themselves against quality international opposition. For the relay teams, it is a chance to reaffirm India’s growing reputation as one of Asia’s sprinting powers.

After topping the medal table a year ago, India heads to Chinese Taipei with expectations—and ambitions—higher than ever.