India Breaks 44-Year Drought with Marathon Silver at Asian Games

After more than four decades, India secured a podium finish in the men’s marathon at the Asian Games, thanks to Sawan Barwal’s second‑place performance in Nagoya. The silver medal is the nation’s first marathon medal at the Games since the 1982 edition and the first ever for an Indian male runner on foreign soil.

Barwal’s race was a tactical masterclass; he stayed with the lead pack for most of the 42.195 kilometres before breaking away in the final stretch to claim silver. His time of 2:11:37 eclipsed the previous national best and added a fourth overall Asian Games marathon medal to India’s historic tally, joining the likes of Chota Singh’s gold in 1951 and Surjit Singh Mathur’s bronze the same year.