3 min readUpdated: Mar 15, 2026 11:40 PM IST
Star Indian distance runner Gulveer Singh created history by becoming the first-ever Indian athlete to dip below the one-hour mark in half marathon on Sunday. Running at the prestigious New York City Half Marathon, Gulveer finished third with a timing of 59 minutes 42 seconds against a strong international field. The Indian finished behind South Africa’s Adriaan Wildschutt, who clinched the top spot with a time of 59:30, while Morocco-born American long-distance runner Zouhair Talbi finished second in 59:41.
Gulveer’s timing is better than the current national record of half marathon set by Avinash Sable. However, it won’t be considered as the official national record because the course of NYC half marathon is not certified for world and national records. While the race is certified by both USA Track and Field and World Athletics, the course of the race is not considered for records due to two reasons: point-to-point course and elevation drop.
The NYC event is run on a point-to-point course in which the start and finish are separated by a distance greater than the limit permitted for record purposes — about 11.6km apart compared to the maximum allowed 10.55km — thereby breaching World Athletics regulations for record-eligible courses.
The start and finish of the course are far apart resulting in tailwinds and elevation changes helping the runners. Given the course has downhill slope, it acts as an advantage for the runners making it faster than any standard course.
So, the timing of 59 minutes 42 seconds will be considered as the new personal best for Gulveer in the half marathon event but won’t be considered as the national record which still belongs to Avinash Sable.
Gulveer has made it a habit to break the national records in the past two seasons. He currently holds the national records of 3000m, 5000m, and 10000m on track and 25km on road. Last year, he broke three different national records. He had a good run at the 2025 Asian Championships in Gumi, South Korea, winning both the 5,000m and 10,000m races.
This year he is confident of a podium finish at both the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya in September. “I’m fit and looking forward to good results in upcoming major international races,” said the Army runner who is currently based in Colorado Springs in the United States.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
