India shines on Day 1 of the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea as Gulveer Singh wins gold in the 10,000m and Servin Sebastian claims bronze in the 20km race walk; Annu Rani narrowly misses javelin medal.
On an eventful opening day of the 26th Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, India experienced a mix of glory and near-misses. Gulveer Singh led the charge for the Indian contingent by clinching the gold medal in the men’s 10,000m event, while race walker Servin Sebastian delivered a commendable performance to secure bronze in the 20km race walk. However, the day concluded on a disappointing note as Annu Rani narrowly missed a podium finish in the women’s javelin throw.
Gulveer Singh, a Hangzhou Asian Games medallist, displayed a masterclass in race strategy and endurance during the 10,000m final. The 26-year-old surged ahead in the final lap to clock a time of 28:38.63 — a mark slower than his personal best of 27:00.22 recorded earlier in March this year in California. Despite the warmer-than-ideal conditions and a slower pace, Singh expressed satisfaction with the outcome.
“Irrespective of the time, the main goal was to finish first. I’m happy to have successfully implemented my race strategy,” said Singh in a post-race interaction. “The gold medal will certainly enhance my world ranking and brighten my chances of qualifying for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September,” he added, as quoted by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).
The automatic qualifying mark for the men’s 10,000m at the World Championships is 27:00.00. Although Gulveer narrowly missed this mark during his March race in California, his recent gold medal performance in Gumi is expected to bolster his global ranking, giving him another pathway to qualification via the global ranking system.
Due to the warm weather during the 25-lap event, water stations were set up by the local organizing committee. Singh noted that he conserved energy throughout the race to make a decisive sprint in the final 200 meters. “Had someone challenged me, I could have gone faster. I wasn’t exhausted even after crossing the finish line,” said the national record holder, indicating room for even better performances ahead.
Sawan Barwal, the second Indian athlete in the 10,000m event, finished just outside the medal bracket in fourth place, clocking 28:50.53.
Gulveer Singh now sets his sights on completing a rare double, as he is also scheduled to compete in the men’s 5,000m event on May 31, the final day of the championship. With ample time to recover, hopes are high for another top finish.
Earlier in the day, Army athlete Servin Sebastian kickstarted India’s medal tally with a bronze in the men’s 20km race walk. Competing at the continental level for the first time, the 26-year-old clocked a personal best of 1:21:13.90.
“It was a good race. I’m happy to be among the medal winners in my debut at the continental level,” Sebastian said after his event. His consistency in the 2025 season has been noteworthy — winning gold in the same event at both the Uttarakhand National Games and the Indian Open Race Walking Competition earlier this year.
Sebastian’s timing surpassed the previous championship record of 1:24:42, set by Japan’s Yutaro Murayama in the 2023 edition in Bangkok. Staying with the leading pack of seven athletes for most of the race, Sebastian eventually settled into third place after a fierce contest with Chinese and Japanese competitors in the final 2 kilometers.
Another Indian, Amit, finished fourth in the same event, narrowly missing out on a medal.
The evening session brought heartbreak for India’s star javelin thrower, Annu Rani, who finished fourth with a best throw of 58.30m. Her series of throws — 56.92m, no mark, 58.30m, 58.11m, 57.80m, and another no mark — was not enough to secure a place on the podium.
In other events, India saw promising developments with several athletes advancing to the final rounds. Yoonus Shah progressed to the medal round in the men’s 1500m after finishing second in his heat with a time of 3:46.96. In the men’s high jump, Servesh Anil Kushare also qualified for the final.
In the men’s 400m, Vishal TK advanced to the final with a time of 46.05 seconds, while Jay Kumar missed out after finishing fourth in his semifinal with 46.87 seconds.
On the women’s side, both Rupal Chaudhary and Vithya Ramraj qualified for the 400m final. Rupal clocked 53.00 seconds in her heat, while Vithya followed closely at 53.32 seconds.
Meanwhile, Tejaswin Shankar continues to compete in the decathlon, where he is expected to be a strong contender.
With a gold and a bronze on the first day and several athletes progressing into final rounds, India has started the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships on a hopeful note. As the championship progresses, all eyes will be on Gulveer Singh and the Indian contingent for more podium finishes.
