Asian Games, marathon: India's Sawan Barwal wins silver
What's the story
Sawan Barwal, an Indian Army soldier from Himachal Pradesh, has won a silver medal in the Asian Games marathon. The feat was achieved on Saturday at Nagoya, Japan. Barwal finished the race with a new national record time of 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 37 seconds. His achievement marks India's first medal in the Asian Games marathon since Hosur Kukkappa Seetharan's bronze in New Delhi back in 1982.
Athletic evolution
Remarkable transition
Barwal's transition from a 1500m runner to a marathoner has been nothing short of remarkable.
He only switched to the longer format this year, having previously competed in shorter races like the 5,000m and half-marathon.
His rapid rise was evident when he broke Shivnath Singh's 48-year-old national record at the NN Marathon in Rotterdam earlier this year with a time of 2:11:58.
Race tactics
Barwal finishes in 1st group
During the marathon, Barwal led for a while in mild weather conditions with some wind and drizzle.
He reached the halfway mark in second place with a time of 1:05:54.
After the 35km mark, only three runners including him were at the front.
"My target was to finish in the first group up to 39-40km," he said after finishing.
Early life
Journey into running
Hailing from Joginder Nagar in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, Barwal's journey into running began by chance.
He was introduced to the sport at age 14 after watching his elder brother practice for the school's track team.
His first national-level event was a 3,000m race in 2015 (Under-18 category).
He won gold medals in both the 5,000m and 10,000m events at the National Games held last year in Dehradun.