India's medal haul at the 2023 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China went up a notch after Kartik Kumar and Gulveer Singh bagged the silver and bronze medals respectively in the men's 10,000 metre race on Saturday.
Gulveer came rather close to his compatriot and ended up missing the mark by a slight margin. He clocked 28:17.21 compared to Kartik's 28:15.38. Bahrain's Birhanu Balew who won the gold medal, ended up clocking 28:13.62.
Who is Gulveer Singh?
Hailing from Sirsa of Atrauli Tehsil in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, Gulveer Singh came into the limelight earlier this year when he won the 10,000-metre race in the Federation Cup Athletics Championships held in Ranchi. By profession, he is a havaldar in the Indian army.
This victory allowed him to compete in the Asian Athletics Championships, where he won the bronze. This was the first time that Gulveer was participating in the championships, but the composed demeanour he portrayed did not betray that at all. He clocked 13:48:33 in that race, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand in July.
The son of a farmer, Gulveer has truly made a name for himself and his family. Legend goes that he started running on the ridge of the farms in his village back in Aligarh and it is stupendous to see how far he has progressed from those humble beginnings.
It goes without saying that the entire district of Aligarh will join the rest of the country in celebrating one of their sons' success in the Asian Games. Gulveer has made a name for himself by standing firm in the face of adversity and not giving up when the choice seemed easy.
His father Pappu Singh and mother Lakshmi Devi will also be extremely proud of their son's achievement. Along with Kartik Kumar, Gulveer has ensured that India's medal tally has increased by two.