Gulveer Singh Makes History with Silver Medal at Asian Games 2026

Nagoya, September 25 (Daily Kiran) : Indian athlete Gulveer Singh has etched his name in history at the Asian Games 2026, held in Nagoya. On Friday, he clinched the silver medal in the men’s 10,000 meters race at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.

Gulveer has become the first Indian to win two medals in the 10,000 meters event at the Asian Games. He completed the challenging 25-lap race with a time of 28:29.38, finishing in second place. This achievement follows his bronze medal win in the same event during the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, marking a significant milestone in his career.

Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew secured the gold medal with a time of 28:27.51, just 1.87 seconds ahead of Gulveer. His compatriot Albert Kiptoo took home the bronze medal, clocking in at 28:34.38. Chinese runner Wang Wenji finished fourth with a time of 28:38.14. Throughout the race, Gulveer maintained close proximity to the leaders and remained competitive as the race neared its conclusion. In the final laps, he demonstrated remarkable speed, maneuvering between the two Bahraini runners to secure his silver medal.

This silver medal is a significant achievement for Gulveer, who previously won a bronze in the 10,000 meters at the 2023 Asian Games, where his teammate Kartik Kumar earned silver. Their performances marked the end of a long wait for Indian athletes in the men’s 10,000 meters at the Asian Games.

Gulveer also shone at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he won silver in the 10,000 meters and bronze in the 5,000 meters, becoming the first Indian to medal in the 10,000 meters at this event. As a Naib Subedar in the Indian Army, he has established himself as one of India’s premier long-distance runners. He also secured a bronze in the 5,000 meters at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships and achieved a ‘golden double’ by winning gold medals in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea.

Gulveer’s personal bests include completing the 5,000 meters in 12:59.77 and the 10,000 meters in 27:00.22. He is the first Asian athlete to finish an indoor race in under 13 minutes. In 2026, he also became the first Indian to complete a half marathon in under 60 minutes, finishing in 59:42. He trains at high altitudes under coach Scott Simmons in Colorado Springs.