Gulveer Singh matches PT Usha's 1986 feat with Asian Games medal hat-trick
India’s Gulveer Singh completed a remarkable individual medal hat-trick at the Asian Games 2026, winning bronze in the men’s 5000m in Nagoya on Tuesday. His third podium finish made him the first Indian since P.T. Usha in 1986 to win three individual athletics medals at a single edition of the Asian Games.
Gulveer clocked 13:32.75 to finish third, adding bronze to the silver medals he had already won in the men’s 10,000m and 1500m. Speaking after the 5000m, Gulveer said he was unaware of the historical significance of his feat and admitted he had hoped to hear the Indian national anthem in Nagoya.
“I didn’t know that because I didn’t understand all that. I started running in 2021. I was not even born when she won 4 medals.”
“I don’t have any regrets. But, I came here thinking I would hear the national anthem here. That didn’t happen. But, definitely next time.”
Gulveer’s achievement brings him into the same conversation as Usha’s extraordinary 1986 campaign. At the Seoul Asian Games, Usha won four individual medals, taking gold in the 200m, 400m and 400m hurdles and silver in the 100m. Her 4x400m relay gold is excluded from this comparison as it was a team medal.
THREE MEDALS, THREE EVENTS
Gulveer’s Asian Games campaign began with silver in the men’s 10,000m, where he clocked 28:29.38, improving on the bronze he won in the same event at the 2022 Hangzhou Games. He then produced a personal best of 3:36.72 to take silver in the 1500m before completing his hat-trick with bronze in the 5000m.
His three medals add to an already remarkable 2026. At the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Gulveer won silver in the 10,000m and bronze in the 5000m, becoming the first Indian athlete to win two medals in track events at a single Commonwealth Games.
A BREAKTHROUGH YEAR
Gulveer entered the Asian Games as a double Asian champion, having won gold in both the 5000m and 10,000m at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi. He also holds the Indian national records in the 5000m and 10,000m, with marks of 12:59.77 and 27:00.22 respectively.
His development has also been supported by an extended training stint in Colorado Springs with Scott Simmons. Gulveer said the Athletics Federation of India backed his decision to return to the United States for training after the Commonwealth Games.
“I trained in good weather conditions. But it was not great here. AFI has supported me a lot. I trained in Colorado Springs in the US with Scott Simmons for six months. I thought after CWG, I would train in India. But, I was told by AFI to train there, go back to the US.”
VITHYA CHASING THREE MEDALS
Gulveer’s feat comes as Vithya Ramraj also targets a third medal in Nagoya. Vithya has already won silver in the mixed 4x400m relay and bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles, where her 54.75-second run broke P.T. Usha’s 55.42-second national record, which had stood since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Vithya is due to compete in the women’s 4x400m relay, giving her an opportunity to add another medal to her haul. The development creates an intriguing parallel at these Games: Gulveer has matched Usha’s three-medal individual benchmark from 1986, while Vithya has broken one of Usha’s longest-standing national records.
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