When Animesh Kujur finished fourth in an invitational 200-meter race won by Australian Gout Gout on Friday, he became the first Indian sprinter to compete on the Diamond League circuit. Kujur, who Jamaican great Usain Bolt inspired, told AFP on Thursday how happy he was to run into Olympic 100 and 200-meter winners Letsile Tebogo and Noah Lyles at lunch.
He took a photo with the two as it dawned on him that he was suddenly surrounded by the best sprinters of all time. On a night full with track and field’s biggest stars, Kujur chose to compete in the under-23 200m rather than compete against the renowned duo.
The much-heralded Australian teenage prodigy Gout Gout, who was also settling in with the older boys but was sometimes likened to a younger Bolt, was the clear choice for the Indian race. He won in 20.10 seconds, and Kujur came in fourth with a time of 20.55 seconds. Although I’m unhappy with my timing, I’m happy that I ran here and glad to have been the first sprinter from India to compete in the Diamond League.
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