Commonwealth Games 2026: Gulveer Singh wins India's first men's 10,000m medal

India's Gulveer Singh etched his name into the history books by becoming the country's first-ever medallist in the men's 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games, claiming a silver medal in Glasgow.

The national record holder clocked 27:49.78 to finish second in a high-quality field, adding another landmark achievement to what has been a remarkable rise in Indian distance running.

The silver also marked India's first-ever medal in the men's 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games. The country's only previous medal in the 10,000m across both men's and women's competitions came in 2010, when Kavita Raut won bronze in the women's event.

The 28-year-old entered the final as one of the favourites after an outstanding run of performances over the past two years, and lived up to expectations with a composed tactical race before producing a strong finish to secure the silver medal.

The result adds another major international medal to Gulveer's growing collection, having previously won bronze in the 10,000m at the 2022 Asian Games before completing a memorable distance double by winning both the 5,000m and 10,000m titles at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships.

Humble beginnings to history maker

Born in Sirsa village in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh district, Gulveer did not initially dream of becoming an elite athlete. Coming from a farming family with a strong military tradition, his ambition was to join the Indian Army in search of a stable career.

He achieved that goal in 2018, joining The Grenadiers regiment through the sports quota.

What began as running to improve his fitness gradually turned into a professional career after Army coaches recognised his endurance potential.

His progression has transformed him into India's leading long-distance runner.

Over the past two seasons, Gulveer has rewritten the Indian record books. He holds the national records in the 10,000m (27:00.22), 3,000m, 5,000m, the 25km road race, and became the first Indian to run a sub-60-minute half marathon.

Earlier this year, he also became the first Indian to break the 13-minute barrier in the 5,000m indoors and the first Indian to run a sub-four-minute mile, achievements that established him among the world's leading distance runners.