Naib Subedar Gulveer Singh etched his name into Indian athletics history at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026, becoming the first Indian athlete to win two track medals at a single edition of the Games. He opened with a hard-fought 10,000m silver in wet, windy conditions, clocking 27:49.78, before following it up days later with a 5000m bronze in 13:24.95, holding off Kenya’s challenge by a razor-thin 0.04 seconds.
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Gold Was The Goal
For all the historic significance, Gulveer made no secret that silver and bronze weren’t what he set out for. He had walked into both finals eyeing the top step of the podium and the chance to hear the Indian national anthem play at a Commonwealth Games. Coming away with two medals but no gold left him with mixed feelings — proud of the milestone, but not fully satisfied with the colour of the medals around his neck.
The Army Runner’s Journey
Gulveer’s rise has been remarkable. Raised in a farming family in Uttar Pradesh‘s Atrauli, he took up serious running only after joining the Indian Army in 2018, initially chasing better food, easier duties, and a shot at promotion rather than podiums. He began with inter-unit races while posted in Arunachal Pradesh and was national champion within a few years. Since then, he has repeatedly rewritten the record books, breaking long-standing national marks in both the 5000m and 10,000m, and became Asian champion in both events at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships — a trajectory that has now delivered his biggest global stage yet.
At 28, Gulveer’s Glasgow campaign cements him among India’s greatest-ever distance runners, alongside legends who have carried Indian long-distance running onto the world stage. But his own reaction suggests the ambition hasn’t dimmed with the achievement. With Olympic qualification and future global meets on the horizon, Gulveer’s hunger for that elusive gold — and the anthem that comes with it — looks set to drive his next phase.
