Sawan Barwal won silver in the men's marathon at the 2026 Asian Games, ending India's 44-year wait for a medal in the event
Barwal clocked 2:11:37, finishing behind Japan's Ichitaka Yamashita and setting a new personal best
The medal is India's first Asian Games marathon podium finish outside India, with all three previous medals coming in New Delhi in 1951 and 1982
Sawan Barwal brought India back to the Asian Games marathon podium after a 44-year wait, producing a historic performance to win silver at the Aichi-Nagoya Games on Saturday at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.
The Indian Army havildar from Himachal Pradesh completed the gruelling 42.195km race in 2:11:37, finishing behind Japan's Ichitaka Yamashita, who took gold in 2:10:49. China's Peiyou Feng claimed bronze after crossing the finish line in 2:12:13.
Barwal's silver is India's fourth medal in the men's marathon at the Asian Games and the country's first in the discipline since the 1982 Games in New Delhi. It also marks a significant departure from India's previous record in the event, as every earlier marathon medal had been won on home soil.
India's first two medals came at the inaugural Asian Games in 1951, also in New Delhi. Chhota Singh secured the gold medal, while Surat Singh Mathur finished third. Three decades later, Hosur Kukkappa Seetharan added another bronze to India's tally at the 1982 edition.
Barwal has now become the first Indian man to win an Asian Games marathon medal outside the country.
The 29-year-old was firmly in contention from the opening stages of the race. He crossed the 5km checkpoint in 15:28, sitting second, before taking control of the race by the 10km mark after clocking 31:28.
He maintained his position at the front through 15km and 20km, reaching the halfway point in 1:05:54. Barwal remained in charge at 25km, where his time stood at 1:18:19.
The race began to change after the 30km mark. Barwal dropped to second, just one second behind the leader, but responded by regaining the lead at 35km after completing the distance in 1:49:29.
Yamashita, however, made his decisive move in the closing kilometres. The Japanese runner pulled clear before the finish, leaving Barwal to battle for the silver medal. The Indian held his position and completed the race in 2:11:37.
The performance added another record to Barwal's breakthrough year. Earlier in April, he broke Shivnath Singh's 48-year-old national marathon record at the NN Marathon Rotterdam. Barwal became the first Indian to run the marathon in under 2 hours and 12 minutes.
The Asian Games race was only the second marathon of Barwal's career, making his silver-medal finish another significant milestone in his progression as a long-distance runner.
India's Asian Games marathon medallists
1951: Chhota Singh - Gold (2:42:58.6)
1951: Surat Singh Mathur - Bronze (2:53:49.8)
1982: Hosur Kukkappa Seetharan - Bronze (2:25:07)
2026: Sawan Barwal - Silver (2:11:37)
After 44 years, India once again has a marathon medallist at the Asian Games. This time, the historic podium finish came away from New Delhi, with Barwal becoming the first Indian to achieve the feat outside the country.
