Indian sprinters Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir Singh advanced to the men’s 100m semifinals at the 2026 Asian Games after finishing third and second in their respective opening-round heats on Thursday, keeping India represented in the next stage of the sprint event. Kujur clocked 10.36 seconds to finish third in his heat and secure qualification. Thailand’s Puripol Boonson won the race in 9.95 seconds, while China’s Zeng Keli placed second in 10.22 seconds. Kujur recorded a reaction time of 0.140 seconds and stayed within the qualification positions throughout the race. Gurindervir finished second in Heat 4 with a time of 10.38 seconds. Oman’s Malham Al Balushi took first place in 10.29 seconds, while Iran’s Hassan Taftian was third in 10.46 seconds. Gurindervir’s reaction time was 0.142 seconds, and he finished 0.09 seconds behind the heat winner. His second-place finish secured his progress to the semifinals. The qualification of both sprinters gives India two representatives in the men’s 100m semifinals as the athletics campaign continues at the continental event. The duo will now aim to advance to the final. Earlier in boxing, Sakshi Chaudhary was eliminated after losing 3-2 to Kazakhstan’s Balkibekova in the women’s 51kg bout. Parveen, however, moved into the quarterfinals after Tajikistan’s Malika Nozimova conceded a walkover. Parveen will next face Uzbekistan’s Navbakhor Khamidova in the quarterfinal, while Kujur and Gurindervir continue India’s sprint challenge. Their performances ensured India’s presence in the next round of the blue-riband sprint event, with both athletes progressing through their heats on the same day. The results also added to India’s participation in athletics at the ongoing Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan.