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Gulveer Singh etches name in history books, first Indian to win medal in both 5000 and 10,000m at Commonwealth Games
Gulveer Singh became the first-ever Indian to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the men's 5000m final.
Gulveer Singh etched his name in the history books on Saturday night as he became the first-ever Indian to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the men's 5000m final. Remarkably, he is also the first-ever Indian to win a medal in both 5000m (bronze) and 10,000m (silver) in the same edition of the Commonwealth Games. With this accomplishment, he also became the first Indian to win two medals in a single edition of an athletics event at the competition.
Speaking of the 5000m final, Gulveer beat Cornelius Kemboi of Kenya by four hundredths of a second to take home the bronze medal, clocking 13:24.95s. Australia’s Ky Robinson took the silver with a time of 13:24.70s while Kenya’s Mathew Kipsang won the gold with a time of 13:23.61s.
Also Read: Commonwealth Games 2026, Day 10 Key Results
Heading into the CWG 2026, there was already enough chatter about Gulveer. His first major breakthrough came in 2023 when he claimed the bronze medal in the men's 5,000 metres at the Asian Athletics Championships. The same year saw him finishing on the podium in the men's 10,000 metres at the Asian Games.
2025 then saw him compete at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, where he completed a memorable distance-running double by winning gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m events. The same calendar year saw him become the first Indian to break the four-minute barrier in the mile, clocking an outstanding 3:55.63. He also entered the history books by becoming the country's first athlete to complete a half-marathon in under an hour, registering a remarkable time of 59 minutes and 42 seconds.
India's performance at CWG on August 1
Gulveer's achievement made the day all the more special for the Indian contingent at CWG 2026. Earlier, the boxers made their presence felt, recording their best-ever performance in a single edition of the CWG, winning seven golds and three silver.
On the penultimate day of CWG 2026, India also jumped to the fourth spot in the medal table. Out of the eight gold medals won by the Indians on August 1, boxers returned with seven, while the other top prize was won by Soman Rana in the men's F57 para shot put event.
India also won yet another medal in judo on Saturday as Unnati Sharma finished third in the women's 63kg event, continuing the country's historic run at the Commonwealth Games. She outclassed South Africa's Skye Knoester by ippon.
