Parul Chaudhary won the women's 5000m bronze medal at the Asian Games 2026 with a time of 15:14.61
The podium finish came less than 24 hours after she secured a national-record bronze in the 3000m steeplechase
The remarkable double added two more medals to her stellar continental and multi-sport legacy
Parul Chaudhary showed the grit that has defined her career. Less than 24 hours after a national-record bronze in the 3000m steeplechase, she lined up for the women's 5000m final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. She fought right to the line and finished third in 15:14.61. Two events, two days, two bronze medals.
Bahrain's Winfred Yavi, who also won the steeplechase gold, took the 5000m title in 15:10.18. Japan's Nozomi Tanaka claimed silver in 15:11.65, just under three seconds ahead of Parul. It was another race where India's distance runners took on the best in Asia and stayed in the medal fight to the end.
The double is the latest chapter in a remarkable Asian Games story. At Hangzhou, Parul won the 5000m gold with a dramatic late surge past Japan's Ririka Hironaka, a day after taking steeplechase silver. She became the first athlete to win medals in both events at an Asian Games, and the first Indian woman to win 5000m gold.
In Nagoya, her steeplechase time of 9:08.67 set a new national record. She also won steeplechase gold at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships and silver in both events at the 2025 edition in Gumi. She ran both events at the Paris Olympics as well. Now a Deputy Superintendent of Police in Uttar Pradesh, the runner from Iklauta village near Meerut keeps rewriting what Indian distance running can achieve.
