Gulveer calls for pacing lights in India wins the 5000m but misses the Asian Games qualifying mark

Bhubaneswar: After training and competing in the US for more than five months, Gulveer Singh expectedly clinched the men's 5000m title on the opening day of the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday but surprisingly failed to breach the Asian Games qualifying mark of 13:39.18.Having already achieved the standard earlier at LA Track Festival where he ran 13:03.93 in May, his target here was simply to win the race. However, he would have been disappointed not to go under the qualifying time. “It was very warm and the track is new. The grip isn’t great and it’s quite bouncy,” said Gulveer, who clocked 13:52.92 to finish first ahead of Abhishek Pal (13:54.18) and Harmanjot Singh (13:54.60).Speaking ahead of the race on Tuesday, the multiple national record holder also rued the absence of pacing lights, or Wavelights, at domestic competitions.

“Events in India are very different from international meets. Abroad, pacemakers and pacing lights are commonly available, whereas they are not yet a regular feature here,” he said. “India should really have a pacing light system because it helps athletes achieve better qualifying times. Even if you're running alone, the pacing lights help maintain the correct race pace.”The last time Gulveer raced with pacing lights was in the 1500m at the Music City Track Carnival at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, in May, where he clocked 3:37.87.

He will compete in the 1500m here as well on Saturday evening, with his primary aim being to break the meet record.Having returned from the US only a week ago, Gulveer, a TOPS athlete whose training is supported by SAI, admitted that his body is still adjusting to Indian conditions, which may have affected his performance.“I’ve probably gotten about 50 per cent used to the change. Even a few days ago, I was waking up at two in the morning, would lie there for a while and then go for a run,” said the 28-year-old, who has been training in Colorado Springs under American coach Scott Simmons.Interestingly, Simmons will monitor Gulveer’s performances remotely and help decide his race plans, including which events he may contest at the Asian Games. According to Gulveer, his own focus remains limited to three things: diet, rest and training.“I’ll message him my timing now and he’ll tell me what to do in the 1500m. He follows all my races and had already told me to run comfortably and not exert myself too much,” said the Asian Games 10,000m bronze medallist.Simmons has been exposing him to a variety of events to sharpen different aspects of his racing. Over the past few months, Gulveer has competed in the 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m, mile, cross-country and half-marathon races in the US.“The focus is on improving speed, particularly in the final stages of races, and adapting to different competition and race conditions,” Gulveer said.All this will hopefully help him do better at the 1500m and make the cut for Asiad which has been set by Athletics Federation of India at 3:42. 00s.