Gulveer Singh upgrades Asian Games bronze to silver, wins 2nd medal in 10,000m
Four years after winning bronze in Hangzhou, Gulveer Singh has gone one step higher. The Indian long-distance runner upgraded his Asian Games medal to silver after finishing second in the men’s 10,000m final in Nagoya on Friday. Gulveer clocked 28:29.38 to claim his second medal at the continental showpiece.
Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew won the gold medal in 28:27.51, while his compatriot Albert Kipto finished third in 28:34.18. Gulveer had won bronze in the 10,000m at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Four years later, he bettered that result with a silver in Nagoya, continuing a strong run of form on the international circuit and adding another major medal to his growing collection.
The medal adds to a successful year for Gulveer. He won silver in the men’s 10,000m and bronze in the 5,000m at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, giving him three medals at major multi-sport events this year.
Gulveer’s rise has been built on a remarkable journey from the village roads and farmland trails of Sirsa village in Aligarh district, Uttar Pradesh, to the highest level of Asian distance running. His progress has been steady since he joined the Indian Army’s Grenadiers Regiment in 2018 and began making his mark in athletics.
His first major international medal came at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, where he won bronze in the 5,000m. Two years later, he reached another level by winning gold medals in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea.
Gulveer has also established himself as one of India’s leading record-holders in distance running. He holds the Indian national records in the 5,000m, 10,000m, one mile and half-marathon, reflecting the progress he has made across different distances.
In 2025, he became the first Indian to run a mile in under four minutes, clocking 3:55.63. He also became the first Indian to break the 60-minute barrier in the half-marathon, finishing in 59:42.
He then made history in the indoor 5,000m by clocking 12:59.77. The performance made him the first Asian athlete to run the distance in under 13 minutes and set a new Asian record.
Gulveer has also spent time training at the high-performance centre in Colorado Springs as he continues to push the standards of Indian distance running. His training and performances have helped him establish himself as one of the country’s leading long-distance runners.
His silver in Nagoya is another significant milestone in that journey. Having improved on his bronze from Hangzhou, Gulveer now has two Asian Games medals to his name, along with silver and bronze medals from the 2026 Commonwealth Games, in a breakthrough year that has further strengthened his position among India’s leading distance runners.
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