Gulveer Singh Wins India's First Gold at Asian Athletics Championships

National record holder and RF athlete Gulveer Singh secured India’s first gold medal at the 27th Asian Athletics Championships on Tuesday, winning the men’s 10,000m event.

The 26-year-old Gulveer, a bronze medallist at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and a pre-race favorite, clocked 28 minutes 38.63 seconds to claim his maiden Asian Championships gold medal.

Japan’s Mebuki Suzuki (28:43.84) took the silver, while Bahrain’s Albert Kibichi Rop (28:46.82) won the bronze. Another Indian participant, Sawan Barwal, finished fourth with a time of 28:50.53.

At the end of the opening day, India stood second in the medal tally with one gold and one bronze, behind China (5 gold, 2 silver) and ahead of Japan (3 silver, 2 bronze).

Gulveer was thrilled to win gold at the continental championships, though the warm weather during his 25-lap race affected his timing.

“Irrespective of the time, the main goal was to finish first. I am happy to have successfully implemented my race strategy," said Gulveer, an athlete from the Reliance Foundation.

“The gold medal will certainly boost my world ranking and enhance my chances of qualifying for the Tokyo World Athletics Championships in September."

The automatic qualification time for the men’s 10,000m is 27 minutes.

Due to the warm weather, the local organizing committee set up a water station during the 10,000m track race.

“I surged ahead in the last lap and shifted to top gear at the 200m mark. Had someone pushed me, I could have gone faster as I wasn’t tired after crossing the finish line," Gulveer remarked.

Earlier in the day, Sebastian claimed India’s first medal with a bronze in the men’s 20km race walk event, clocking 1 hour 21 minutes and 13.60 seconds.

However, there was disappointment in the women’s javelin throw, where Asian Games gold medallist and national record holder Annu Rani finished fourth with a below-par effort of 58.30m.

Born to a farmer father in Sirsa village of Atrauli Tehsil in Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh, Gulveer has been breaking national records, with his latest being 27:00.22 in the 10,000m earlier this year.

Entering the event as the Asian leader this season, Gulveer ran a well-calculated race to eventually leave his rivals far behind.

Gulveer is the third Indian to win the 10,000m gold after Hari Chand (1975) and G Lakshmanan (2017).

He also holds the national record in the 5,000m, in which he is competing here and aims to improve on his bronze from the 2023 Asian Championships.

(with agency inputs)