Nagoya, September 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s Gulveer Singh completed a remarkable medal hat-trick at the 2026 Asian Games, clinching bronze in the men’s 5000m final at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on Tuesday to become the first Indian athlete in 40 years to win three medals at a single edition of the continental event.
Gulveer clocked 13:32.75 to finish third in a closely contested race, adding a bronze to the silver medals he had secured in the men’s 10,000m and 1500m events earlier in the Games.
His achievement puts him in the company of former Indian athlete P.T. Usha, who won four medals at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games. Gulveer is the first Indian athlete since Usha to claim three medals at a single edition of the Asian Games.
In the 5000m final, Gulveer remained among the leading runners during the early stages and was placed third after the opening 2000 metres. He maintained his position as the race progressed into its decisive phase but could not challenge for either of the top two places.
Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew claimed the gold medal in 13:30.79, while Japan’s Yamaguchi Tomonori secured silver in 13:31.43.
Gulveer had earlier delivered an impressive performance in the men’s 10,000m, clocking 28:29.38 to win silver and become the first Indian to secure two Asian Games medals in the event. He had previously won bronze in the same discipline at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
He followed that performance with another silver in the men’s 1500m, finishing in a personal-best time of 3:36.72. Japan’s Kazuto Iizawa won gold in an Asian Games record of 3:36.35, while his compatriot Nagiya Mori took bronze in 3:37.92.
Gulveer’s third podium finish in Nagoya capped an outstanding campaign across three different distance-running events.
In other track events on Tuesday, India’s Pooja Olla finished seventh in the women’s 800m final with a time of 2:06.72. China’s Wu Hongjiao won the gold medal in 2:04.49.
India’s Mohammed Afsal Pulikkalakath endured a disappointing outing in the men’s 800m final, finishing eighth in 1:48.27. Afsal, who had won silver at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, was unable to reproduce his previous performance.
Japan’s Ko Ochiai claimed the men’s 800m gold in 1:44.48, setting a new Asian Games record and breaking the 16-year-old mark of 1:44.74 set by Iran’s Sajad Moradi.
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