Why Was Gurindervir Singh Eliminated Despite Finishing 2nd in His Heat? Explained

Indian athletes have been performing quite well in the Commonwealth Games 2026. Sprinter Gurindervir Singh has finished 2nd in Heat of the Men’s 100 metre. He completed it in a time of 10.39 seconds and was ahead of almost every runner except Jamaica's Rohan Watson who was in his heat and he clocked 10.13 seconds. 

Even after he recorded such an amazing time, Gurindervir didn’t go to the semifinals. This result was quite surprising for many fans. The reason behind this was simple and it was related to the qualification system of the game. Here is everything you need to know. 

Why Didn’t Gurindervir Singh Qualify?

Here is a brief overview as to why didn’t Gurindervir Singh qualify: 

• Qualification Format: The Men’s 100m at CWG 2026 had 73 athletes that were spread across 11 heats (they are starting races or rounds which are played when there are too many players and the track is small). Each heat had their own winner but coming first or second in their respective heat round doesn’t guarantee a place in the semi finals. 

• Automatic Qualification Places: During the Games, there are a small number of automatic qualifiers where players with the fastest times all over the heats are moved to the semi finals. 

• Fastest Losers: The remaining spots after automatic qualification are filled by players who have the fastest time. 

• Overall Comparison of Timing: When all the athletes from 11 heats were compared then Gurindervir was ranked 28th out of 73 runners. This means his overall time among the other heats was slower than many athletes. 

• Qualifying Mark: The qualifying mark for the semifinals was 10.24 seconds and Gurindervir completed the race in 10.39 seconds which was just 0.15 seconds slower. That is why he didn’t qualify for the semi finals.