Sawan Barwal wins Asian Games marathon silver and breaks national record

India’s Sawan Barwal won the men’s marathon silver medal at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Saturday, setting a national record of 2:11:37 in only his second competitive race over the distance. Japan’s Ichitaka Yamashita won gold in 2:10:49, while China’s Peiyou Feng took bronze in 2:12:13. Barwal’s performance gave India its first men’s Asian Games marathon medal since Hosur Kukkappa Seetharan won bronze at the 1982 Delhi Games.

Barwal led for much of the race, moving to the front at about the 10-kilometre mark and remaining there until 35 kilometres. Yamashita then made his move, but Barwal stayed in contention and held on for silver. The result lowered Barwal’s own national record by 21 seconds.

He had set the previous mark in Rotterdam earlier this year, running 2:11:58 and breaking Shivnath Singh’s 48-year-old record of 2:12:00. Barwal said the medal was important for India and acknowledged that Yamashita had taken his opportunity. His coach, Surender Singh, believes the runner can eventually break 2:09, while Barwal has identified a target of between 2:07 and 2:08.

The 28-year-old Army runner from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh spent most of his career competing on the track. He joined the Army in 2019 after running at school and later began training with marathon runners and senior athletes. His preparation included altitude camps, long runs of 40 to 42 kilometres and weekly mileage of about 200 kilometres.

He said senior runners had warned him that the marathon truly becomes difficult after 35 kilometres, when mental endurance becomes as important as physical strength. Barwal had planned to try the marathon after the 2022 Asian Games but suffered an injury shortly before an intended race. He eventually made his marathon debut in Rotterdam, where he immediately broke the long-standing national record.

His Nagoya performance now extends that progression and provides India with a significant result in the event.