Bihar’s Vibhaskar Kumar emerged as one of the standout performers in the men’s 100m heats at the Federation Cup Athletics Championships in Ranchi, clocking a sharp personal best of 10.36s to finish fastest overall ahead of national record holder Animesh Kujur.
Animesh, one of India’s leading sprinters, clocked 10.40s in the heats as both athletes comfortably progressed to the next round.
What made Vibhaskar’s performance particularly impressive was the speed of his recent improvement. The 22-year-old had recorded a personal best of 10.57s as recently as April 4 in Bengaluru, while his best timing last year stood at 10.63s. His 10.36s run in Ranchi marks a significant leap forward in a short period.
The performance has also drawn attention because Bihar has not traditionally been known as a major sprinting hub in Indian athletics. Vibhaskar’s emergence therefore adds an interesting new name to India’s growing sprint scene at a time when the country is searching for greater depth in short-distance events.
With Indian sprinting witnessing rapid progress in recent seasons, performances like Vibhaskar’s will be closely watched heading into the final and the remainder of the season.