Commonwealth Games: Gulveer Singh secures historic silver in men’s 10,000m
Gulveer Singh has made history at the Commonwealth Games, securing a silver medal in the men’s 10,000m event. This achievement marks the first time an Indian athlete has reached the podium in this particular event at the Games. Singh’s performance was notable given the challenging conditions, which included a heavy downpour and a rain-soaked track at the Scotstoun Stadium.
Singh, who is also an Asian Games bronze medallist and a national record holder, maintained his position within the leading group throughout the race. He then delivered a strong finish in the final laps to claim his medal. His time was 27:49.78 seconds, placing him just behind Australia’s Ky Robinson, who won gold with a timing of 27:48.93 seconds.
The race featured a competitive field, including several African runners. Among them was Daniel Ebenyo from Kenya, a 2023 World Championships medallist, who has a personal best of 26:57.80. Despite the strong competition and adverse weather, Singh’s tactical race execution, under the guidance of coach Scott Simmons in the United States, allowed him to move into medal contention during the closing stages.
His powerful final kick enabled him to surpass the Isle of Man‘s David Mullarkey, who secured the bronze medal with a time of 27:50.28 seconds. This silver medal is India’s second in athletics at the current Games, following Sarvesh Kushare‘s podium finish in the men’s high jump.
Singh’s historic achievement also marks the first time since the 1986 Commonwealth Games that no African athlete finished on the podium in the men’s 10,000m. This feat draws parallels to Avinash Sable‘s silver medal in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2022 Birmingham Games, where he similarly ended a period of dominance by Kenyan athletes.
Long Jump and Hurdles Action
In other athletics events, Murali Sreeshankar secured a silver medal for India in the men’s long jump. His best effort measured 8.09m. Sreeshankar entered the final round with an opportunity to overtake Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle, but his last attempt was 7.97m, confirming his second-place finish.
Gayle, who had already secured the gold medal with an impressive 8.15m leap, did not improve his mark on his final attempt. Scotland’s Stephen Mackenzie also competed, failing to improve on his final jump of 8.06m, and settled for the bronze medal with a best jump of 8.08m.
Sreeshankar’s competition began strongly with an opening leap of 8.03m, followed by an 8.09m effort in his second attempt, placing him in the lead initially. Fellow Indian long jumper Lokesh Satyanathan also had a solid start, recording 7.97m in his first attempt and remaining in fourth place after his second jump of 7.70m.
However, Gayle’s superb leap of 8.15m in the fourth round moved him into the lead, pushing Sreeshankar to second. Sreeshankar’s fourth attempt was ruled a foul by a narrow margin, preventing him from reclaiming the top spot. Lokesh, meanwhile, managed 7.32m on his fifth attempt, his lowest mark of the competition, and remained in fifth place.
In the men’s 400m hurdles heats, Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan finished third in Heat 2 with a timing of 49.51s. Yashas Palaksha also finished third in Heat 1 with a timing of 49.65s. Both athletes will await the results of the remaining heats to determine if they qualify for the final, with the top two from each heat and the next two fastest overall advancing.
Boxing and Lawn Bowls Updates
India’s boxing contingent continued to perform well, with Jaismine Lamboria securing a spot in the semifinals of the women’s 57kg quarterfinal. She achieved a 4-1 split-decision victory over England’s Elise Glynn, dominating the final round with a 5-0 score. This win guarantees another medal for India and makes Lamboria the sixth Indian boxer to reach the semifinals on the day, contributing to a total of 10 Indian boxers in the semifinals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
The bout was closely contested, with Lamboria edging Glynn 3-2 in both the first and second rounds, maintaining a narrow advantage before her strong finish. This achievement surpasses India’s medal tally from the Birmingham 2022 Games in boxing.
In lawn bowls, the Indian duo of Dinesh Kumar and Navneet Singh secured a 2-0 straight-sets victory over Namibia in the men’s pairs sectional play. They clinched the second set 6-3, building on their strong start in the competition. The convincing win provides a boost for their campaign in Glasgow.
However, the Games also saw a concerning moment in the men’s 70kg boxing quarterfinal, where Wales’ Orlando Holley-Sotomi delivered a knockout blow to Lesotho’s Refiloe Thai. The impact sent Thai through the ropes just over a minute into the opening round, necessitating immediate medical attention.
Later, Manpreet Kaur is scheduled to compete in the women’s shot put final, aiming for a podium finish.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Priya Menon 