Gulveer Singh breaks 5000m national record, qualifies for World C’ships

India’s long-distance runner Gulveer Singh continued his record-breaking spree by shattering the men's 5000m Indoor National Record at the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational 2025 on Saturday morning.

Just a week after setting the national record in the men’s 3000m at the same event, the 26-year-old clocked an impressive 12:59.77s in the 5000m, becoming the first Indian to break the 13-minute barrier.

His performance not only set a new national record but also established a new Asian 5000m short track record.

Gulveer’s remarkable run also earned him a spot in the World Athletics Championships he surpassed the qualifying standard of 13:01.00s.

The Indian athlete’s previous best in the 5000m was 13:11.82s, recorded at the Denka Big Swan Stadium in Niigata, Japan in 2024. This latest achievement will undoubtedly boost his confidence, especially after narrowly missing out on qualification for the Paris Olympics.

In the 3000m event last week, Gulveer finished second with a time of 7:38.26s, breaking the previous national record of 7:49.47s set by Surendra Singh in 2008 by over 11 seconds.

Despite his record-breaking performance in the 5000m, Gulveer finished fourth in the race. The top three spots were claimed by Cole Hocker (12:57.82s), Cooper Teare (12:57.97s), and Jack Rayner (12:59.43s).

In November last year, Gulveer set a new national record in the men’s 10,000m event at Japan's Hachioji Long Distance 2024 athletics meet. His time was nearly 27 seconds faster than his previous national record of 27:41.81s, set earlier in California, surpassing Surender Singh’s 2008 mark of 28:02.89s.

All national records are subject to ratification by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).