India’s best long-distance runner at the moment and current Asian 10,000m champion Gulveer Singh recently achieved a massive landmark that no India ever has done in history, thus marking a major breakthrough in Indian athletics.
He became the first Indian to breach the coveted sub-four-minute mile. This means that he became the first Indian to run a 10,000m race in under four minutes. He achieved this massive feat at the 24th Music City Track Carnival in the USA, where he clocked a winning time of 3:55.63, finishing ahead of Christopher Knight and Tristan Trevino.
The men’s professional mile is a marquee middle-distance event in track and field, with the four-minute mark serving as a highly coveted benchmark. To achieve this, athletes must maintain a stunning average pace of nearly 55 seconds per lap. The world record currently stands at 3:43.13, established by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.
Major Setback For Gulveer Singh In 5000m
Despite his historic achievement in the USA, Gulveer Singh recently suffered a major setback back home in India as he could not meet the qualifying standards set by the Athletics Federation of India for the upcoming Asian Games 2026 to be held in Japan for the 5000m category. In the Kalinga Stadium at the Nationals, Gulveer needed to finish under 13:39.18.
While he won the race by establishing a commanding lead over the rest of his competitors, he still finished it at 13:52.92, marking his slowest 5000m run in two years. His previous lowest time was a 13:54.70 finish at the 2024 Indian Open Championships. He holds the national record for the 5,000m at 12:59.77.
He had not competed on Indian soil for two years prior to the Bhubaneswar meet, a factor that seemingly impacted his overall pacing
Gulveer Singh’s Major Accolades
This milestone in the USA is the latest addition to a much decorated career for Gulveer Singh. He is the reigning Asian champion in the 5,000m following a gold-medal performance at the 2025 Asian Championships.
His previous track accolades also include a bronze medal in the 10,000m at the 2022 Asian Games and another bronze in the 5,000m at the 2023 Asian Championships. Earlier this year, he secured a 40th-place finish at the 2026 World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee.