Gulveer Singh Bronze Medal: For Gulveer, running was simply a means to secure a stable life for his family. Growing up with aspirations of wearing the uniform of the Indian Army, running in competitive sports or athletics was not part of his original plan. However, destiny had some other plans.
Today, he is one of those athletes who clinched a hat-trick of medals in the Asian Games after winning a bronze medal in the men's 5000m race. He finished third on the podium with a time of 13:32.75, behind Bahrain's Birhanu Balew (Gold) and Tomonori Yamaguchi (Silver) of Japan. Earlier, he had won silver medals in the men's 1500m and 10,000m events.
Joined Army In 2018 For A Stable Job
Growing up in a farming family in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh district, Gulveer joined the Indian Army in 2018 through the sports quota, with a clear aim to wear the uniform and have a stable job to support his family financially.
After joining the army, he learnt about competitive running and was inducted into the Army Sports Institute and later joined the Sports Authority of India national camp. "Gradually I learnt more about the sport and the people involved," he said.
Equals Historic Records Of Lavy Pinto And KM Beenamol
With his bronze medal finish at the 2026 Asian Games, Gulveer Singh cemented his name alongside two legendary Indian athletic icons: Lavy Pinto and KM Beenamol. Both have previously secured three medals at a single continental showpiece. While Pinto won a gold medal in the 100m and 200m alongside a silver in the 4x100m relay during the inaugural 1951 New Delhi Games, the stalwart Beenamol achieved her brilliant hat-trick at the 2002 Busan Asian Games.
The elite trio is now just behind the Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha, who holds the national record of winning four medals at the 1986 Asian Games held in Seoul, South Korea.
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Gulveer's Domestic Breakthrough
Balancing rigorous military responsibilities with relentless training, Gulveer spent his formative training years building the foundational endurance necessary for national competition. It took four years to win a senior medal. In 2022, at the Federation Cup in Calicut, he clinched a bronze medal in the 10,000m event.
A Naib Subedar Gulveer won double gold at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships and two medals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Last year, he became the first Indian to run a mile in under four minutes, clocking 3:55.63.
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