Animesh Kujur becomes first Indian male sprinter to qualify for World Championships

Animesh Kujur became the first Indian male sprinter to qualify for the World Athletics Championships after finding a place in the 200m competition through the World Rankings which was released on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old, who currently holds both the 100m and 200m National Record, finished 41st in the World Rankings with 1220 points.

A total of 48 athletes have qualified for the 200m event at the Worlds to be held in Tokyo between September 13 and 21. The top 31 sprinters qualified through the entry standard after eclipsing the 20.16 mark this year. Animesh is among 16 others who have guaranteed a place through the rankings.

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The Odisha athlete broke the 200m NR with a 20.32 at the Asian Athletics Championships en route a bronze medal.

Animesh was most recently seen in action during the National Inter-State Championships in Chennai last week, where he finished first in the 200m with a time of 20.63.

The final travelling squad for the World Championships will be confirmed by the Athletics Federation of India.

Published on Aug 27, 2025