Abhishek Mishra in Chennai
Every athletics meet has its highlight, and for track and field fans, it’s generally always the explosive 100m sprint that creates most excitement. In humid conditions on Day 1 of the National Senior Interstate Athletics Championship at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, S Tamilarasu, a 23-year-old young local boy, blazed the track in style, outpacing a stacked field to claim the 100m gold medal.
When the result flashed on the scoreboard, everyone was in awe. He had clocked 10.22 seconds, his personal best and the joint fourth-fastest timing by an Indian ever. Tamilarasu edged past former national record-holder Manikanta Hobildar, and also the likes of Ragul Kumar and Amlan Borgohain, to finish top of the podium.
The timing not only helped him to win gold but also broke the meet record. The earlier record in the name of Gurvindervir Singh, 10.27s, and Tamilarasu shattered it on the attractive blue track in Chennai.
Hobildar of Karnataka secured the silver medal with a timing of 10.35s, while Ragul. another local lad, took bronze clocking 10.40s.
“I came here to win the gold medal and, thankfully, I achieved that,” Tamilarasu told Revsportz.
The year 2025 has seen Indian sprinters surging ahead in the 100m, with the national record broken thrice. Animesh Kujur recently set the record in Dromia, Greece. Earlier this year, Gurvindervir blazed the track, clocking 10.20s at the Federation Cup, Kochi, and Hobildar also achieved his personal best timing of 10.22 this season.
Tamilarasu believed that if Animesh and Gurvindervir had participated, the competition would have pushed him to dip below 10.20s. In the semis, the local favourite ran 10.33s, the second-fastest timing, and he wanted to dip below that.
“It’s my personal best,” he said. “At the state meet, I ran 10.29s, and I wanted to run below, and I’m happy that I clocked 10.22s. In the semis I ran 10.33, made a few mistakes, but returned in better shape in the final.”
Tamilarasu was happy to run in Chennai and was grateful for the support. “All my friends and everyone who supports me was there in the stands cheering for every step,” he said. He ran three races – heats and semis in the morning, and final in the evening.
He hails from Coimbatore district, but shifted his training base to Chennai to improve after he started athletics. For Tamilarasu, it was volleyball which he played a lot before trying his luck in athletics. His old coach at school asked him to try athletics as he saw great potential in him.
He started sprinting professionally only at the age of 19, in college, and never looked back after that. He now trains under coach Gautham, a friend whom he used to compete against during their college days.
Gautham, a certified nutritionist and a former 100m athlete, also understands the dynamics of the sport and the role of food choices.
“The improvement can be seen,” he told RevSportz. “In the last three months, Tamilarasu dipped below 10.30s for the first time. He was running around 10.6 at the start of the season but went on improving. At the Federation Cup in Kochi, he clocked 10.45s. After that, I did a few changes in his diet and that worked really well.
“He ran around 10.10s in practice, and he’s capable of dipping below 10 seconds. Once he fixes his finishing, the national record will not be far out of his reach.
For Tamilarasu, there were financial hardships too. His father is a farmer and his mother a housewife. He is struggling to get sponsors and it has not easy for him to pay the bills.
“I have no sponsors, and earlier my family borrowed money for my career,” he said. “Now I’m working in railways, so yes, I can manage my expenses, but it is not enough to build myself.
“I want the 100m national record to be in my name,” he added. “My aim is to run below 10.20s consistently.”
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) recently announced the selection process for 4×100m relay team for the Asian Games 2026. Athletes who do well at the National Open meet in the last week of September will be chosen on merit.
The next target for Tamilarasu is to qualify for that relay team. “I am good at the first leg because my block start is really good,” he said. “My focus next will be to qualify for the Asian Games 2026.”
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