"I Could Have Run Faster" Gulveer Singh Wins Men's 5000m on Day One of 65th National Inter-State Athletics Championships 2026
Gulveer Singh, India's national record holder in the men's 5,000m with a time of 12:59.77, opened the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships 2026 in Bhubaneswar with a commanding win, finishing in 13:52.92 seconds on day one. Singh said after the race that he held back due to a lack of competition, with the meet doubling as the last domestic selection trial before AFI names the Indian squad for the Asian Games in Japan.
Asian Games bronze medallist Gulveer Singh sprinted home to victory in the men's 5,000m on the opening day of the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships at Bhubaneswar's Kalinga Stadium on Wednesday, winning in a time of 13:52.92 seconds while barely pushing himself to the limit and ultimately making no secret of that fact afterwards. "I could have run faster but there was no one to push me," said the Asian Games medallist, a line that speaks as much about his dominance over the domestic field as it does about his readiness for what lies ahead on the international circuit.
Singh stayed with the leading pack through the early stages before surging ahead at the bell on the final lap, and from that point nobody came close to challenging him. Abhishek Pal finished second in 13:54.18 seconds, with Harmanjot Singh taking third in 13:54.60 seconds. The battle for the minor places was tight, but at the front it was a procession from the moment Singh decided to move.
Singh holds the national record in the men's 5,000m after clocking 12:59.77 at the Boston University Terrier DMR Challenge in the USA in 2025, a mark that doubles as the Asian short track record. He is also the reigning Asian champion in both the 5,000m and 10,000m, having won gold at the 2025 Asian Championships.
Sportscape feels that the championship is the last major domestic meet before AFI finalises the Indian squad for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, beginning September 19. Singh has already made his intentions clear: "Competing in middle-distance events is part of my preparation for the Japan Asian Games," he said, with his coach expanding his training scope to include the 1,500m alongside his usual events in Bhubaneswar.
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