CWG 2026: Gulveer Singh claims historic silver in 10,000m with thrilling late charge
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Glasgow: Indian distance runner Gulveer Singh etched his name into the history books on Tuesday night, executing a masterclass in pacing to secure a silver medal in the men's 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Clocking a time of 27:49.78, the 28-year-old delivered a blistering final-lap sprint to capture India's first-ever Commonwealth Games medal in the 10,000m event. Australia's Ky Robinson took gold in 27:48.93, while David Mullarkey of the Isle of Man secured bronze in 27:50.28, just ahead of Kenya's Edwin Kurgat, who finished fourth with a season-best time of 27:50.98.
Gulveer launched into the race strongly, staying near the front of the pack early on before tactical shifts in pace saw him drop to sixth around the halfway mark and ninth past the 5,600m threshold. Refusing to yield as the leaders surged, Gulveer steadily clawed his way back into contention over the final 1,000 meters. Positioned in third as the bell rang for the final lap, he unleashed a devastating late surge on the home stretch to charge past Mullarkey and seal the historic silver.
Though his winning time was outside his personal best and national record of 27:00.22 set in 2025, the performance further cements Gulveer’s stature as one of India's premier track athletes. The distance star currently holds national records across the 3,000m, 5,000m, and 10,000m events, continuing an impressive international run that includes a 5,000m bronze at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, a 10,000m bronze at the Asian Games, and a remarkable double gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea.
A serving Naib Subedar in the Grenadiers Regiment of the Indian Army, Gulveer hails from Sirsa village in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh district. His journey to international success began on unpaved village roads and farmland trails, where he initially trained while preparing for military recruitment before rising to become one of the nation's greatest long-distance runners.
(Inputs from IANS)