Dal, paneer and Lord Hanuman: Gulveer’s recipe for a historic Asian Games hat-trick

A strictly vegetarian diet of dal, chapati and paneer powered Gulveer Singh through a grueling Asian Games campaign, while a small statuette of Bajrang Bali in his room provided him with a source of mental strength.

Indian distance runner completed a historic triple on Tuesdayhe won a bronze in the men’s 5000 m and silver medals in the 1500 m and 10,000 m, making Gulveer only the second Indian and the fourth Indian overall to win three athletics medals in a single edition of the Asian Games.

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“I don’t eat non-vegetarian food. I don’t even eat eggs. I am a pure vegetarian. I eat chapati, dal (pulses) and paneer (Indian curd),” Gulveer said when asked about his diet during the Games.

“I get good food from the hotel. It’s available at the hotel. I have a good diet and a good supplement. I eat enough protein.”

Gulveer said his diet remained vegetarian even when he was training in the US in preparation for the Asian Games.

THREE MEDALS, FIVE DAYS

The medal draw came at the end of a grueling program. Gulveer ran four races in five days, including the 1500m, and managed to finish on the podium in each of his three events.

“It was very tiring as I had to go for four races (in five days) but I am coming back with three medals. I am very happy because I always wanted to give something back to India and I did that with three medals,” he said.

His recovery routine included continuous endurance training along with support from a specialist physiotherapist provided by the Athletics Federation of India.

“I’ve been doing endurance training all the time. AFI has also given me a physio and that’s helping me in my recovery as well. I’ve had massages and stretching,” he said.

Gulveer’s success places him alongside an exclusive group of Indian athletes. Lavy Pinto won three athletics medals at the 1951 Asian Games in New Delhi, PT Usha won four at Seoul in 1986, while KM Beenamol won three at Busan in 2002.

Gulveer received his latest medal with a traditional tilak on his forehead. He said faith also helped him cope with the demands of competition.

“I also have a statue of Bajrang Bali (God Hanuman) in my room. I prayed to Him to take care of me,” he said.

FROM FEAR TO FAITH

The 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou was a very different experience for Gulveer. He described himself at the time as a raw talent who was still learning and admitted that the scale of the competition made him nervous.

Four years later, that fear was replaced by faith.

“Back then it was new so I was scared. But now I train everyday with Olympic medalists, champions and I feel like if I train with these guys why can’t I compete with them,” he said.

“So all that (fear) is gone now. My only aim is to deliver my country.”

The three medals also forced Gulveer to think beyond the immediate demands of the Asian Games. While he has shown he can compete at multiple distances, he knows his next phase will require more selective planning.

“Obviously the priority here was to win medals for India, but going forward now I have to qualify for the World Cup, qualify for the Olympics,” he said.

“It’s about picking and choosing which distance will suit me, which distance won’t suit me. So I’ll be smart about it.”

For now, however, Gulveer walks away from the Asian Games with three medals, a grueling five days in a row, and a formula that has served him well: disciplined training, a vegetarian diet, faith and a growing conviction that he belongs among the best.

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