Asian Games: Gulveer seals a special treble with 5000m bronze

New Delhi: It may not have been a hattrick of the gleaming medal kind. But Gulveer Singh’s treble at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games was of the grittiest kind. Amid India’s subdued track and field performances — his two silver and a bronze were the only medals by Indian men on the track this time — he showed it wasn’t just talent or calibre, it was also about not giving up.

On Tuesday, as Gulveer lined up for the 5,000m final — his fourth race in five days — there was a lingering concern whether India’s top distance runner will have the legs to last the distance. After all, he saved the blushes for the middle-distance specialists by nailing the 1,500m silver barely 24 hours earlier, that too with a season best, a creditable 3 min, 36.72 secs.

In the end, it was a bronze medal, after silver in 10,000m and 1500m. As versatile as it comes. While PT Usha’s five medals at the 1986 Seoul Asiad (4 gold) are India’s individual best in athletics in one edition, Gulveer has matched the three medals sprinter Lavy Pinto collected at the 1951 New Delhi Games.

Gritting his teeth, as he kept pace with the small lead bunch in steady drizzle at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on the final day of athletics competitions, Gulveer didn’t cause doubts if he would fade away. There were still three laps to go in the 5,000m final and the man who has been a picture of tirelessness was soldiering on.

Inclement weather didn’t deter the 28-year-old Armyman from Aligarh at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where the national record holder in 10,000m and 5,000m took silver and bronze respectively to underline his development to tackle the tactical challenges of competing in a Games. There wasn’t a huge turnaround before the Asian Games, but he has been ready.

The Asian Games hasn’t been easy despite the smaller fields. On Tuesday, the 5,000m had a bigger field but only six were bunched after the first few laps. But there were two or three with a sharper finish.

88). Gulveer’s strong finish and the joyous spreading of arms showed how much of a success that silver was for him.

The 10,000m silver first up could have been gold but for the awesome sprint finish of Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew, the runner of Ethiopian origin. On Tuesday, Balew could not be denied the double. Although Japan’s Tomonori Yamaguchi set off with 600m left to blunt that late finish, the adopted Bahraini had plenty in reserve. Balew clocked 13:30.79 in the slow race with Yamaguchi second at 13:31.43.

Gulveer, clocked 13:32.75, pedestrian for a man whose national record is 12:59.77, but the race had been more about tactical jockeying in the rain than about speed. He also had to come through a mini battle into the final bend with Nagiya Mori, and like he did to the Japanese in the 1,500m, he again edged him out for the bronze, braving the heaviness that would surely have set in his legs due to the workload.