Sawan Barwal Secures India’s First Asian Games Marathon Silver in 44 Years

Sawan Barwal clinched the silver medal in the men’s marathon at the Asian Games on Saturday, ending a 44‑year drought for India in the event. He finished in 2:11:36, a new national record set in Aichi‑Nagoya, and improved on his own mark that he broke earlier this year. In April, Barwal became the first Indian to run sub‑2:12, shaving off time from the 48‑year‑old record held by Shivnath Singh after his Rotterdam Marathon victory. This was only his second career marathon. Barwal trailed Japan’s 29‑year‑old Ichitaka Yamashita, who won gold in 2:10:51 and became the seventh Japanese runner to claim the title, the first on home soil. Yamashita led from the start and entered the stadium to loud cheers from the local crowd. Another Indian, Kartik Karkera, placed 17th with a time of 2:22:41. After the first five kilometres Barwal was in the lead pack of six, just one second behind China’s Feng Peiyou. He stayed with the front group throughout, matching Yamashita at the halfway point in 1:05:54. Both runners ran side by side until about 35 km, after which Barwal briefly pulled ahead before Yamashita re‑established his lead by the 39‑km mark. At 40 km Barwal was 26 seconds behind, but he maintained his pace to secure silver, delivering India’s fourth marathon medal at the Games and the first since 1982.