As Indian athletics continues to witness a wave of record-breaking performances, distance runner Gulveer Singh has added another historic chapter to the sport by setting a new national record in the men’s 5000m outdoor event at the Sound Running Track Fest in Los Angeles, USA.
The 27-year-old clinched silver in the elite race with a timing of 13:03.93, surpassing his own previous outdoor national record of 13:11.82 set in Japan in September 2024 by nearly eight seconds.
According to the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), the mark now stands as the fastest outdoor 5000m ever recorded by an Indian athlete.
Gulveer finished behind New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel, who won the race in 12:57.22, while Australia’s Jackson Sharp secured third place in 13:05.22.
Although Gulveer’s personal best of 12:59.77, achieved earlier this year at the Boston University Terrier DMR Challenge, remains his fastest overall timing, that effort came in an indoor event. His latest performance in Los Angeles officially establishes a new Indian outdoor benchmark in the discipline.
The achievement adds to what has already been a remarkable season for the Asian Games medallist. Earlier this year, Gulveer became the first Indian athlete to complete a half marathon in under one hour after clocking 59:42 at the New York City Half Marathon 2026, breaking the previous national record of 1:00:30 held by Avinash Sable since 2020.
Gulveer now holds multiple national records across middle and long-distance events, from the 3000m track race to the 25km road race, further cementing his status as one of India’s finest distance runners.
He also enjoyed a stellar campaign at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships, where he completed a distance double by winning gold in both the 5000m and 10000m events.
With the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games later this year, Gulveer’s consistent rise has strengthened India’s hopes of securing medals on the global stage.