'We Never Deviated': How Gulveer Singh Ran India's Way Into Commonwealth Games History

For 25 laps, Gulveer Singh did something most athletes struggle to do. Nothing.

No desperate surge. No panic. No attempt to prove he belonged. He simply kept running. One lap after another. Exactly the way his coach had told him. And when the moment finally arrived, Singh exploded.

The final-lap sprint carried him to a silver medal in the men's 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, making him the first Indian in history to stand on the podium in the event.

After the race, there was no dramatic revelation about secret training methods or last-minute inspiration.

His explanation was almost boring. "We stick to the plan," he said.

For Singh, that has always been the formula.

If the coach asks for a 10-kilometre session, he runs 10 kilometres. Not 12. Not eight. There are no shortcuts and no improvisation.

"Regarding hard training, we simply follow the coach's instructions. If the coach says we need to do a specific workout today, then we do exactly that. We stick to the plan and don't deviate from the coach's guidance," he said.

That discipline was on full display in Glasgow.

Running in wet conditions against a field packed with accomplished distance runners, Gulveer refused to get dragged into an early battle. He tucked himself into the lead group, conserved energy and waited.

The patience paid off. As the bell signalled the final lap, the Indian runner was still outside the top two. Seconds later, he unleashed a stunning burst of speed, overtook his rival and crossed the finish line in 27 minutes and 49.78 seconds to claim silver behind Australia's Ky Robinson. David Mullarkey of the Isle of Man finished third.

In the process, Singh achieved something no Indian had managed before. Even more remarkably, athletes from Kenya and Uganda, nations that have dominated long-distance running for decades, finished outside the podium.

For Singh, however, the race was never about creating history.

"It was always on my mind that, given the effort I've put in, we ought to bring home a medal," he said.

History, it turned out, was simply the reward for trusting the process.

(With inputs from ANI)