Gulveer Singh breaks 5000m India Record At California Track Meet

LOS ANGELES, CA- Distance runner Gulveer Singh improved his own 5000m outdoor Indian national record with a silver medal finish at the LA Track Fest in California.

Representing India at the Sound Running Track Fest in Los Angeles, Gulveer clocked 13:03.93 to finish second behind Eritrean runner Habtom Samuel, who won the race in 12:57.22.

In the process, Gulveer broke his previous national record of 13:11.82, which he had set in Japan in September 2024.

The Indian Army Sports and Adventure wing praised the performance in a post on X, stating: “Indian Army Athlete strikes again on the global stage! Nb Sub Gulveer Singh of Army Sports Institute delivered a sensational performance at the Sound Running Track Fest, Los Angeles. Silver Medal in Men’s 5000m, New National Record – 13:03.93.”

The post added that Gulveer had surpassed his earlier national mark and continued to redefine Indian distance running “with grit, discipline and determination.”

Currently training in Colorado Springs, Gulveer has emerged as one of India’s leading long-distance runners. He is the first Indian athlete to hold multiple national records ranging from the 3000m track event to the 25km road race.

He currently holds national records in the 3000m, 5000m and 10000m events and is also the reigning Asian champion in both the 5000m and 10000m races.

At the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships, Gulveer won gold medals in both the 5000m and 10000m events.

This was Gulveer’s fourth competitive outing of the year. He began the 2026 season with a 40th-place finish in the senior men’s race at the World Cross Country Championships in January.

In February, he finished third in the 5000m short track event at the Sound Running Invite in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

In March, Gulveer became the first Indian runner to clock a sub-60-minute half marathon after finishing third at the NYC Half Marathon in New York with a timing of 59:42.

He finished behind South African Olympian Adriaan Wildschutt and U.S.-based runner Zouhair Talbi, while also breaking the previous Indian national record of 1:00:30 set by Avinash Sable at the 2020 Delhi Half Marathon.

Gulveer is now preparing for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July and the Asian Games in September, where he is aiming for podium finishes. (IANS)