Four years after standing on the third step of the podium in Hangzhou, Indian distance runner Gulveer Singh has gone one step higher.
In a display of tactical poise and endurance, the 28-year-old clinched the silver medal in the men’s 10,000m final at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Friday.
Clocking 28:29.38, Gulveer held off a tough field to finish behind Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew, who took gold in 28:27.51. Balew’s compatriot Albert Kipto took bronze with a timing of 28:34.18.
Gulveer’s silver adds another jewel to an extraordinary competitive season. Earlier this year, he claimed silver in the 10,000m and bronze in the 5,000m at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, taking his tally to three major multi-sport event medals in a single year.
A Humble Journey to Continental Dominance
Gulveer’s rise represents a remarkable transformation from running on the dirt roads and farmland trails of Sirsa village in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, to competing at the highest levels of Asian athletics.
His athletic trajectory gained momentum after he joined the Indian Army’s Grenadiers Regiment in 2018. His international breakthrough came with a 5,000m bronze at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, which he followed up two years later by sweeping gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea.
Rewriting the Record Books
Beyond his medal tally, Gulveer has rewritten India’s long-distance running records across multiple distances, holding national records in the 5,000m, 10,000m, one mile, and the half-marathon.
His historical milestones include:
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Becoming the first Indian to run a sub-four-minute mile (3:55.63 in 2025).
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Becoming the first Indian to break the 60-minute barrier in the half-marathon (59:42).
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Setting a new Asian record in the indoor 5,000m with a timing of 12:59.77—making him the first Asian athlete to break the sub-13-minute mark in the event.
Supported by high-altitude training stints at the high-performance center in Colorado Springs, Gulveer has redefined the boundaries of Indian distance running. His latest silver in Nagoya stands as a testament to his evolution from a promising regional talent into one of Asia’s most formidable distance runners.
