The 26-year-old Army runner will compete in Doha Diamond League on Friday in the men’s 5,000m track race

India’s Asian Games bronze medallists in men’s 10,000m track race, Gulveer Singh, will enter a different territory on Friday, which is purely elite.

The 26-year-old Army distance runner will compete in the men’s 5,000m track race at the Doha Diamond League. Singh is the first Indian distance runner to compete in top tier track and field competition launched in 2010.

On Friday, he will make Diamond League debut to add another milestone in the history of Indian long distance running.

In the last seven months, Singh has neatly and gently clipped vital seconds to improve both 5,000m and 10,000m national track records.

He was agonisingly close to breaking 27 minutes barrier for the 10,000m in March at The Ten in California. His sixth place finish fetched him a time of 27:00.22 but fell short of Tokyo World Championships automatic qualification time 27:00.00. His outstanding performance in California gave him a ticket to Doha Diamond League. “He has good endurance and speed to surge in the last lap of the 5,000m/10,000m races,” a senior coach familiar with Singh’s training said.

The Army runner has a personal and season best of 12:59.77 over 5,000m indoor track race in February this year. While his outdoor 5,000m national record stands at 13:11.82. 

Gulveer has given a new dimension to distance running in India by breaking barriers in the past seven months over track races ranging from 3,000 to 10,000m.

Last September he started building up for the 2025 season. When his rivals were busy hitting off season training and running cross country races, but the Army runner shaved off seconds from his personal best in 5,000m and 10,000m track races and earned an entry in the elite category in 2025 USA track circuit.

At the Doha Diamond League there are 19 runners in fray. Majority of them are from East African nations that predominantly excel in distance running. The fastest runner in the field is Addisu Yihune of Ethiopia whose personal best is 12:59.65.

Singh’s personal best over 5,000m outdoor track race was 13:11.82 clocked in 2024 in Japan and his current global ranking is 38. The Indian runner has been based out of Colorado Springs in the USA for altitude training. “He has ample international exposure. Doha Diamond League will add another chapter to his illustrious running career,” one of the athletics coaches said.