Pelting rain, chilly conditions and a field of runners from Africa with a podium-finishing history spanning over 50 years — India’s Gulveer Singh was up against the weather, sporting history and a quality field at the Commonwealth Games.
Yet, the 28-year-old from Sirsa in UP’s Aligarh held his nerve, stuck to his race strategy and produced an impressive final burst to win silver, marking India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games medal in the men’s 10,000m with a time of 27 minutes and 49.80 seconds.
Gulveer had, in fact, fallen behind during the race but fought back to snap at the heels of the leading pack before surging forward. Ky Robinson of Australia won gold in 27:48.93, while David Mullarkey of the Isle of Man took bronze in 27:50.28.
The result also ended decades of African dominance. For the first time since 1970, no athlete from the continent finished on the podium, though eight of them were in the 15-man final, including two formidable Kenyans: 2023 World Championship medallist Daniel Ebenyo and 2024 Paris Olympics podium-finisher (5000m) Edwin Kugrat.
But Gulveer was unfazed by reputation. His performance in the rain-soaked conditions, alongside Avinash Sable’s second-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase four years ago in Birmingham — another event once dominated by Kenyans — will be remembered among the finest races by an Indian distance runner.
“The silver means a lot because it is the result of a lot of hard work over the last few years,” Gulveer told The Indian Express from Glasgow.
This wasn’t a flash-in-the-pan performance. Gulveer holds national records in the 10,000m (27:00.22), 3,000m, 5,000m and the 25-km road race, and became the first Indian to run a sub-60-minute half marathon, in New York, this year.
In Glasgow, the downpour made things harder. “We had to be a little careful on the bends because the track was wet. Otherwise, my focus was only on following my race plan and staying relaxed,” Gulveer said.