The distance runner Gulveer Singh won three medals at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, two silvers and a bronze, becoming the first Indian man to win three individual medals at a single edition of the Games.
The medals
- 10,000 metres: silver, in 28 minutes 29.38 seconds
- 1,500 metres: silver, in 3 minutes 36.72 seconds, a personal best
- 5,000 metres: bronze, in 13 minutes 32.75 seconds
The range is unusual. The 1,500 metres is a tactical middle-distance race usually decided by a sprint finish, while the 10,000 metres is the longest event on the track. Few runners contest both at a major championship, let alone win medals in each.
An upgrade on Hangzhou
At the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023, Gulveer won bronze in the 10,000 metres. This time he improved that to silver and added medals in two more events.
Who he is
Gulveer Singh serves in the Indian Army and comes from Uttar Pradesh. Over the past three years he has rewritten India’s distance-running record book, setting national records in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres, and he won gold in both events at the Asian Athletics Championships in 2025.
India’s athletics at the Games
Athletics again produced a large share of India’s medals. Among the other notable results reported by Olympics.com, Vithya Ramraj won gold in the women’s 4×400 metres relay, silver in the mixed relay and bronze in the 400 metres hurdles.
What next
The long-distance events at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 will be far harder, with East African runners setting the pace. But Gulveer’s times have been falling steadily, and he is the first Indian in a generation to be competitive at Asian level across three distances.
Times and results are as reported by Olympics.com, the Deccan Herald and The Tribune.
Image: The Mizuho stadium in Nagoya, the athletics venue of the 2026 Asian Games, before its rebuilding (file photo). Photo by Waka777, licensed under CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.