Asian Athletics Championships 2025: Gulveer Singh wins males’s 10,000m; Servin Sebastian collects 20km race stroll bronze
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Nationwide document holder Gulveer Singh snared India’s first gold with a prime end within the males’s 10,000m occasion whereas Servin Sebastian clinched the 20km race stroll bronze on a fairly good opening day for the nation on the twenty seventh Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old Gulveer, a bronze-medallist on the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Video games and a pre-race favorite, clocked 28 minute 38.63 seconds to win his maiden Asian Championships gold.
Japan’s Mebuki Suzuki (28:43.84) took the silver whereas Bahrain’s Albert Kibichi Rop (28:46.82) received the bronze. One other Indian within the fray, Sawan Barwal completed fourth with a time of 28:50.53.
On the finish of the opening day, India stood at second place with one gold and one bronze, behind China (5 gold, 2 silver) and above Japan (3 silver, 2 bronze).
Gulveer was elated to pocket gold on the continental championships, although the nice and cozy climate on the time of his 25-lap race denied him a greater timing.
“Regardless of the time, the principle aim was to complete first. I’m glad to have efficiently applied my race technique,” Gulveer mentioned in Gumi.
“The gold medal will definitely improve my world rating and brighten possibilities to win a ticket to Tokyo World Athletics Championships in September.” The automated qualification within the males’s 10,000m is 27 minute.
As a result of heat climate circumstances, the native organising committee arrange a water station throughout the 10,000m observe race.
“I surged forward within the final lap and shifted prime gear on the 200m mark of the race. Had somebody pushed me I might have gone sooner as I wasn’t drained after crossing the end line,” Gulveer mentioned.
Earlier within the day, Sebastian claimed India’s first medal with a bronze within the males’s 20km race stroll occasion, clocking 1 hour 21 minute and 13.60 seconds.
There was disappointment, although, in girls’s javelin throw with Asian Video games gold medallist and nationwide document holder Annu Rani ending fourth with a below-par effort of 58.30m.
Gulveer continues good kind
Born to a farmer father at Sirsa village of Atrauli Tehsil in Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh, Gulveer has been on a nationwide document breaking spree, the final one being the 27:00.22 in 10000m earlier this 12 months.
Going into the occasion as Asian chief this season, Gulveer ran a effectively calculated race to ultimately depart behind his rivals by a fare distance.
He was within the main pack all through. In the direction of the tip, it was a contest among the many eventual three medal winners.
Simply earlier than the final lap, Kibichi was main with Gulveer intently behind him. However quickly, he made his remaining kick and was effectively forward of the opposite two rivals halfway into the final lap.
He had sufficient gasoline within the tank to nearly dash down the final 100m stretch.
Suzuki, the second greatest Asian to date this season, overtook Kibichi in the long run to take the silver.
Gulveer is the third Indian to win the 10000m gold after Hari Chand (1975) and G Lakshmanan (2017).
He additionally holds the nationwide document in 5000m, by which he’s additionally competing right here and could be aiming to higher the bronze within the 2023 Asian Championships.
Sebastian’s timing was simply shy of his private better of 1:21:23sec, set earlier this 12 months for a gold on the Uttarakhand Nationwide Video games in February.
China’s Wang Zhaozhao (1:20:36.90) and Japan’s Kento Yoshikawa (1:20:44.90) received the gold and silver respectively.
Amit, the opposite Indian within the discipline, completed fifth with a time of 1:22:14.30.
All of the three medal winners within the males’s 20km race stroll occasion bettered the championships document of 1:24:42 set by Japanese Yutaro Murayama on the earlier version of the continental meet in 2023 in Bangkok.
Sebastian has been a constant performer for the reason that starting of the 2025 season.
After the Nationwide Video games, his second gold (1:21:47) at a home occasion was on the Indian Open Race Strolling Competitors in April in Chandigarh.
Sebastian stayed with the main pack of seven athletes for a serious a part of the gruelling 20km occasion.
Within the final two kilometers of the race, Wang Zhaozhao and Kento Yoshikawa opened up a small lead, which ultimately widened because the Indian walker wasn’t capable of catch up.
“I made efforts to slender the hole however ended up in third place,” Sebastian mentioned.
“It was an excellent race. I’m glad to be among the many medal winners in my first race on the continental occasion.” In males’s excessive leap, Sarvesh Anil Kushare certified for the ultimate after ending fourth in qualification group B with an effort of two.10m.
TJ on prime in Decathlon
Nationwide document holder decathlete Tejaswin Shankar was on the prime within the nine-man discipline after the completion of 5 occasions out of 10 on Tuesday.
In males’s 400m, Vishal TK made it to the ultimate spherical after ending third in semifinal warmth 2 with a private greatest time of 46.05 seconds.
His girls counterparts Rupal Chaudhary and Vithya Ramraj additionally made it to the ladies’s 400m finals.
Chaudhary received warmth primary with a time of 53 seconds whereas Ramraj was second in warmth quantity two, clocking 53.32 seconds.
Yoonus Shah additionally certified for the lads’s 1500m finals after ending second within the qualification spherical, clocking 3 minutes and 46.96 seconds.
