Who is Kartik Kumar? Everything you need to know about the Asian Games 2023 silver medalist

Kartik Kumar scripted history as he bagged the silver medal in the men's 10,000-metre race in the 2023 Asian Games, while his compatriot Gulveer Singh bagged the bronze. Kartik was on top of this game throughout the race and managed to run the eventual gold medalist Birhanu Balew extremely close.

The Ethiopian-born long-distance runner, who represented Bahrain, clocked 28:13:62, while Kartik trailed just behind him and ended the race by clocking 28:15:38. Gulveer Singh, on the other hand, ended up with 28:17:21.

Kartik Kumar. (Credits: Scroll.in)

Kartik's capacity to take on Balew till the dying stages of the race seemed to be well in tune with his ability to run rapacious among others. Balew, however, seemed to be too strong and managed to pip him towards the end.

However, the nation can celebrate with carefree abandon as he and Gulveer ensured that two medals will be added to the already-burgeoning tally.

Who is Kartik Kumar?

Born in 1999, Kartik has had the honor of winning medals at a national championship twice. Hailing from the village of Shimlana in western Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district, Kartik is a havaldar in the Indian Army and serves in the Jat regiment.

In an earlier interview with Sportstar, he had said that he took up running at the age of 14 as he was inspired by a neighbor in his village who was preparing to join the Army.

“In our region, a lot of boys run because they are preparing for the Army physical (test). There was also one high jumper who competed at the nationals who inspired a lot of youngsters to do athletics, but the main goal is to join the Army,” he had said back then.

The gold that he won at the Federation Cup in 2022 was instrumental in shaping him as a runner. Another feather in Kartik's cap is the bronze that he won in the 2018 Junior Asian Championship. The runner now trains with the army's long-distance running programme based out of Pune.

In numerous interviews, Kartik has credited the influence of senior runner Avinash Sable as well as coach Amrish from the Army Sports Institute in Pune for his improvement in the sport.

At 24-years-old, the army man has a long way to go, and the country is looking forward to his growth. He deserves to celebrate owing to the brilliant performance he put in to pick up the silver medal in the Asian Games, although knowing him, he will be berating himself for not going for gold.