Barwal ends 44-year marathon medal drought
Reports from Aichi–Nagoya say India’s Sawan Barwal won men’s marathon silver in 2:11:37, though the official results sheet is still missing from view.
India’s reported marathon silver awaits formal confirmation in the results sheet.
Sawan Barwal has reportedly won silver in the men’s marathon at the 2026 Asian Games, ending India’s 44-year wait for a medal in the event. Reports put his time at 2:11:37, described as a personal best and a new Indian record.
The result follows Barwal’s documented 2:11:58 at the Rotterdam Marathon in April, where he broke Shivnath Singh’s 2:12:00 national record set in 1978. The Athletics Federation of India had named Barwal in India’s 77-member Asian Games squad and listed him as the country’s fastest marathon qualifier.
AFI records India’s previous Asian Games men’s marathon medal as Hosur Kukkappa Seetarama’s bronze at the 1982 New Delhi Games. Japan’s Ichitaka Yamashita was reported to have won gold. The official Aichi–Nagoya, Olympic Council of Asia or updated AFI results sheet confirming the final placing and formal record ratification was not located. For now, the marathon has supplied the headline; the administrators are still looking for the paperwork.