Bangkok, May 27: India made a strong start to their Asian Athletics Championships 2025 campaign in Bangkok on Tuesday, with national record holder Gulveer Singh leading the charge by clinching the country’s first gold medal in the men’s 10,000m event.

Earlier in the day, Servin Sebastian had opened India’s medal account with a gritty bronze in the men’s 20km race walk.

Gulveer, a 26-year-old bronze medallist from the 2023 Asian Games, produced a measured and composed performance to top the 10,000m field, clocking 28 minutes 38.63 seconds to take the gold medal in a tactical race that came down to the final few laps. While his timing was well short of his national record of 27:00.22 – set earlier this year – the victory marked a major milestone for Indian long-distance running on the continental stage.

Japan’s Mebuki Suzuki settled for silver with a time of 28:43.84 while Bahrain’s Albert Kibichi Rop took the bronze in 28:46.82.

With a smooth kick in the final 800 metres, Gulveer surged ahead of Suzuki and Rop, showing the confidence and tactical maturity that has defined his season. His win not only gave India its first gold of the Championships but also reinforced his growing reputation as one of Asia’s best long-distance runners.

On the other hand, Sebastian fought hard in a fiercely competitive men’s 20km race walk to secure India’s first medal of the event – a bronze – clocking 1 hour 21 minutes and 13.60 seconds. He was just shy of his personal best (1:21:23), set during his gold medal-winning effort at the Uttarakhand National Games in February this year.

China’s Wang Zhaozhao clinched the gold in 1:20:36.90, edging past Japan’s Kento Yoshikawa, who finished with silver in 1:20:44.90.

Sebastian stayed in the leading pack for much of the race and managed to hold off a late challenge from the chasing group to finish on the podium. The other Indian in the event, Amit, ended in fifth place with a time of 1:22:14.30, just outside medal contention but a solid performance nonetheless.

India have sent a 58-member contingent to this year’s Asian Athletics Championships, aiming to build on the 27 medals won in the previous edition. With Gulveer and Sebastian setting the tone on Day 1, expectations will now rise as the rest of the Indian squad looks to add to the medal tally in the coming days.

The Championships will continue until Saturday, with India eyeing strong performances in track, field, and mixed relay events across categories.

(IANS)

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