India’s Gulveer Singh produced a breakthrough performance at the 2026 NYC Half Marathon (21km), winning a bronze medal and breaking national records with a brilliant run in New York on Sunday 15 March.
The 27-year-old distance runner clocked 59:42 to finish third in a stacked elite men’s field and became the first Indian to break the one-hour mark in the half marathon.
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Gulveer’s effort was historic not only for his podium finish but also because he broke the previous Indian National Men’s Half Marathon record of 1:00:30 set by Avinash Sable at the 2020 Delhi Half Marathon.
By shaving 48 seconds off that mark, Gulveer produced one of the best road race performances ever by an Indian long-distance runner.
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The race itself was very competitive. South Africa’s Adriaan Wildschutt won the men’s title in 59:30, while Moroccan-born American Zouhair Talbi finished second in 59:41.
Gulveer was just a second behind Talbi, underscoring how competitive his run was against a world-class field. Importantly, it also marked Gulveer’s professional half-marathon debut, making the feat even more impressive.
And that’s a milestone broken in Indian long distance running…Under 60 Half Marathon by Gulveer Singh at NYC Half Marathon. 59.42 min to be exact, better than Avinash Sable’s previous 60.30.
He sets it up well for a sub 2.10 marathon whenever he chooses pic.twitter.com/UYAgptQVvI— Vijayaraghavan Venugopal (@veira_veira) March 15, 2026
GULVEER AMINING FOR MORE
After his impressive showing in New York, Gulveer is aiming for podium finishes at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July and the Asian Games in Japan in September. The Army runner is currently training out of Colorado Springs in the United States.
“I am fit and looking forward to do well in the upcoming big international races,” he said.
Gulveer pioneered Indian distance running and became the first athlete from the country to hold several national records in events ranging from the 3000 m track to the 25 km road race.
The 2022 Asian Games 10,000m medalist also holds the Indian records in the men’s 5,000m and 10,000m. He enjoyed a great finish at the 2025 Asian Championships in Gumi, South Korea, where he won the gold in 2025, and will now aim for podium finishes at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
15 March 2026 21:37 IST
