48 year wait ends as Sawan Barwal breaks Shivnath Singh’s marathon record

Indian long distance running entered a new chapter on Sunday as Sawan Barwal delivered a historic performance , breaking a record that had stood untouched for 48 years .

Competing at the prestigious NN Marathon Rotterdam, Barwal clocked an impressive 2 hours 11 minutes and 58 seconds , finishing 20th in the elite field . With this run, he surpassed the legendary mark of 2:12:00 , set in 1978 by India’s iconic marathoner Shivnath Singh.

The achievement is being hailed as a landmark moment in Indian athletics , as Shivnath Singh’s record had remained the longest standing national record in the country’s distance running history. Barwal’s performance not only rewrote the record books but also signalled India’s growing presence in world marathon racing .

Running among a strong international field in Rotterdam, Barwal maintained a steady pace throughout the race and produced a strong finish to dip under the historic barrier. His timing of 2:11:58 finally erased a mark that had defined Indian marathon standards for nearly half a century.

Athletics observers see this breakthrough as a major boost for Indian long distance running , coming at a time when the country is steadily improving its global competitiveness in endurance events .

Barwal’s record run is expected to inspire a new generation of distance runners, marking what many are calling a new era in Indian marathon history .