US EditionSawan Barwal Breaks 48-Year-Old Marathon National Record, the Longest Standing Mark in Indian Athletics, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
The 28-year-old debutant ran 2:11:58, beat the old mark by two seconds and secured a place at this year’s Asian Games.
- On Sunday, 28-year-old Sawan Barwal broke India's 48-year-old national marathon record at the NN Marathon Rotterdam, clocking 2 hours 11 minutes and 58 seconds in his debut, surpassing the late Shivnath Singh's 1978 mark of 2:12:00.
- Coach Ajith Markose leads the Reliance Foundation's Project 2:09, where Barwal trains alongside his attachment to the Army Sports Institute in Pune, aimed at producing an Indian marathoner under 2:09.
- Facing cold winds in the final 2 kilometres, Barwal maintained a pace of 2:09:14 until 40km before experiencing two mini-blackouts with 20 metres left, falling twice yet recovering to finish.
- Qualifying for this year's Asian Games, Barwal expressed gratitude to the AFI, ASI, and Reliance Foundation, stating, "I am thankful to AFI, ASI and Reliance for supporting me."
- Now confident after breaking the mental block, Barwal has set his sights on a sub-2:09 marathon, believing his achievement will inspire other Indian runners to shatter the 48-year record barrier.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Army Havildar Sawan Barwal, overcomes mini-blackouts, breaks India’s 48-year marathon record in Rotterdam
"In the last 2 km, my head felt like it was frozen because of the breeze. I had put water on my head to remain cool, which is what marathon runners usually do but I didn't expect it to be so windy. I fell twice with just 20 metres to go because of the effect of the cold wind on my head," says India's new marathon record holder Sawan Barwal.
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LatestlySawan Barwal breaks Shivnath Singh's marathon national record at Rotterdam Marathon 2026
Indian long-distance runner Sawan Barwal made a strong marathon debut by breaking Shivnath Singh's 48-year-old Indian national record at the Rotterdam Marathon 2026 on Sunday. Barwal finished 20th in Rotterdam with a time of 2:11:58, surpassing Shivnath Singh's 2:12:00 mark set in Jalandhar in 1978 by 0.42 seconds, according to Olympics.com.
Sawan Barwal breaks Shivnath Singh’s 48-year-old marathon national record
Rotterdam (Netherlands), Apr 12 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh long-distance runner Sawan Barwal on Sunday scripted history as he broke the 48-year-old marathon national record, the longest standing mark in Indian athletics, at the NN Marathon Rotterdam. Barwal clocked 2 hours 11 minutes and 58 seconds to finish 20th in the elite marathon race and erase the […]
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