India’s long-distance star Gulveer Singh etched his name into Commonwealth Games history on Tuesday as he became the first Indian ever to win a medal in the men’s 10,000m after producing a sensational late burst to claim silver at the 2026 Games in Glasgow.
The 27-year-old, widely regarded as India’s finest distance runner, delivered one of his greatest performances to clock 27:49.78 to finish second behind Australia’s Ky Robinson, while the Isle of Man’s David Mullarkey settled for bronze, as traditional distance-running powerhouses Kenya and Uganda were pushed off the podium.
Having stayed with the lead pack throughout the race, the Asian Games bronze medallist timed his challenge to perfection. Running in difficult conditions with heavy downpour and a rain-soaked track at the Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow, the Indian kicked hard over the final lap to surge into second place, holding off the chasing pack and ensuring India celebrated a historic breakthrough in an event where it had never previously reached the podium.
This was India’s second medal win on Day 6 at the CWG 2026, with Harjinder Kaur having finished second in Women’s 69kg weightlifting, thus taking the overall medal tally to 12. India is also assured of three boxing medals with Preeti Pawar, Priya Ghanghas and Jadumani Singh progressing to the semifinals in their respective weight categories.
The historic silver was the latest milestone in Gulveer’s remarkable rise from the village roads of Sirsa in Uttar Pradesh to the Commonwealth Games podium. A serving Naib Subedar in the Indian Army’s Grenadiers Regiment, Gulveer joined the force in 2018 before emerging as India’s leading long-distance runner.
After winning Asian Championship and Asian Games medals, he announced himself as Asia’s best in 2025 with gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the Asian Athletics Championships. A prolific record-breaker, he holds the Indian records in the 5,000m, 10,000m, one mile and half marathon, while becoming the first Indian to run a sub-four-minute mile and a sub-60-minute half marathon, cementing his status as one of the country’s greatest-ever distance runners.
