India’s new marathon star Barwal eyes Asian Games podium after breaking 48 year record

Fresh from rewriting India’s marathon history, Sawan Barwal has now set his sights on a bigger prize, an Asian Games marathon medal , a feat India has not achieved since 1982 .

The 28 year old long distance runner recently broke the country’s oldest standing national record in the marathon, clocking 2:11:58 at the NN Rotterdam Marathon. The performance erased a 48 year old mark held by legendary athlete Shivnath Singh , who had set 2:12:00.

Barwal finished 20th in his debut international marathon, but the timing and the manner of his run have placed him firmly in the spotlight of Indian athletics. His next target is clear: a medal in the Asian Games marathon , a distance where India last stood on the podium when Hosur Kukkappa Seetharan won bronze in 1982 in New Delhi. Before that, Chota Singh had won gold in 1951.

Speaking after his record run, Barwal said he believes he can go even faster. He stated that under better conditions, he could have touched close to 2:10, and added that improving his national record remains possible.

The Rotterdam race, however, was not smooth. Barwal revealed that cold winds in the final stretch affected his performance. He collapsed twice within the last 100 metres but managed to complete the race with the help of a volunteer.

“I had a blackout for a few seconds, but I got up and finished,” he recalled.

His coach at Reliance Foundation, Ajith Markose , said Barwal is part of the Project 2:09 marathon programme and will now focus more on championship results rather than timing. A few shorter races like 5000m and 10000m may also be part of his preparation.

Barwal, who is also getting married next month, will now balance personal milestones with a high stakes sporting mission, bringing Indian marathon running back into continental medal contention.