New Delhi: India’s Gulveer Singh clinched the country’s first gold medal at the 27th Asian Athletics Championships with a commanding win in the men’s 10,000m final, while Servin Sebastian secured bronze in the men’s 20km race walk, marking a promising start for the Indian contingent on Day 1 of the competition.
Gulveer Claims Maiden Asian Gold
The 26-year-old national record holder and bronze medallist from the 2023 Asian Games clocked 28:38.63 to capture his maiden Asian Championships title, asserting dominance in the final lap to outpace Japan’s Mebuki Suzuki (28:43.84) and Bahrain’s Albert Kibichi Rop (28:46.82). Fellow Indian Sawan Barwal narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth in 28:50.53.
Despite warm weather conditions, Gulveer maintained a strong pace throughout the 25-lap race and surged ahead with a decisive kick at the 200m mark in the final lap.
“The goal was to win, regardless of the time,” said a jubilant Gulveer. “This gold will boost my world ranking and improve my chances of qualifying for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.” The automatic qualification mark for that event is 27 minutes.
A water station was set up along the track to help athletes cope with the heat.
Born in Sirsa village in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh district, Gulveer has been in sensational form this season, setting the national record of 27:00.22 earlier this year. He is now only the third Indian to win gold in the 10,000m at the Asian Championships, following Hari Chand (1975) and G. Lakshmanan (2017).
Bronze for Sebastian in Race Walk
Earlier in the day, Servin Sebastian opened India’s medal tally with a bronze in the men’s 20km race walk, clocking 1:21:13.60, just shy of his personal best. He followed China’s Wang Zhaozhao (1:20:36.90) and Japan’s Kento Yoshikawa (1:20:44.90), who claimed gold and silver respectively.
“I tried to close the gap, but they pulled ahead in the final stages. I’m happy to win a medal in my first continental event,” Sebastian said.
All three podium finishers broke the previous championship record of 1:24:42, set by Japan’s Yutaro Murayama in 2023. India’s Amit finished fifth in 1:22:14.30.
Sebastian has had a consistent 2025 season, having won gold at the National Games in February and again at the Indian Open Race Walking Competition in April.
Mixed Results in Other Events
There was disappointment in the women’s javelin throw, where national record holder and Asian Games gold medallist Annu Rani finished fourth with a best effort of 58.30m, falling short of the podium.
In the men’s high jump, Sarvesh Anil Kushare advanced to the final with a clearance of 2.10m in Group B.
Tejaswin Shankar, national record holder in decathlon, topped the field after five events in the 10-discipline contest, continuing his strong form.
On the track, Vishal TK clocked a personal best 46.05s to qualify for the men’s 400m final, finishing third in his semifinal heat. In the women’s 400m, Rupal Chaudhary won her heat in 53.00s, while Vithya Ramraj secured her spot in the final with 53.32s.
Yoonus Shah also advanced to the men’s 1500m final, finishing second in his qualifying round with a time of 3:46.96.
India in Medal Standings
At the end of Day 1, India stands second in the overall medal tally, with one gold and one bronze, behind China (5 golds, 2 silvers) and ahead of Japan (3 silvers, 2 bronzes).
