Sawan Barwal claims historic marathon silver at Asian Games
Indian distance runner Sawan Barwal scripted history on Saturday by securing silver in the men’s marathon at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. He crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 37 seconds to register a personal best and establish a new national record. This remarkable achievement ends a 44-year wait for an Indian podium finish in this gruelling athletic discipline. Previously, India last claimed an Asian Games marathon medal during the 1982 edition held in New Delhi.
Barwal delivered a consistent performance from the start, staying comfortably with the leading pack after the initial 10km mark. He briefly took control of the race near the 21km point. As the pace intensified, he maintained his spot among the top contenders. By the time runners reached the 30km to 35km stretch, a clear leading trio emerged featuring Barwal, Japan’s Yamashita, and China’s Han.
At the decisive 36km mark, Yamashita pulled away, creating a gap of 20 to 30 metres over his rivals. Yamashita held this lead to win gold, while Barwal pushed hard to comfortably secure the second position. Another Indian competitor, Kartik Karkera, started well but dropped out of the leading group as the race advanced.
This latest silver pushes India's total medal count to 24 at these Games, including two gold, 10 silver, and 12 bronze medals. Shooters have contributed 10 of these early medals. India now looks forward to potential gold medals in team sports. Both the men’s and women’s kabaddi teams face Iran in highly anticipated final matches at the Tokai Citizen Gymnasium. Furthermore, badminton star PV Sindhu starts her singles tournament this weekend, hoping to bring more success for the national squad.
With Inputs from Agency Threads and Image Courtesy: ANI
