Indian athlete Sawan Barwal created history by winning silver in the men’s marathon event at the Asian Games 2026. It was the first Asian Games medal for India in the men’s marathon event in the last 40 years.
On Saturday (26 September), Japanese athlete Ichitaka Yamashita won the gold medal in the men’s marathon event at the Asian Games 2026 after finishing the race in 2:10:49 hours. Indian Sawan Bawal stunned by completing the race in 2:11:37, his personal best finish and a new national record, to secure the historic silver medal for his nation. Sawan was 48 seconds behind Yamashita, while Peiyou Feng (2:12:13) from China claimed the bronze medal.
The 13th-placed Tae Ho Jong from North Korea (2:20:07) and the 15th-placed Vincent Leslie Lam from Hong Kong (2:22:04) produced their respective season-best finishes.
Asian Games 2026 (Men’s Marathon): Sawan Barwal silver medal
India’s first Asian Games medal in the men’s marathon outside India.
India’s first Asian Games silver medal in the men’s marathon event.
India’s fourth Asian Games medal in the men’s marathon event.
India’s men’s marathon medals at the Asian Games
India has now recorded one gold, two bronzes, and one silver in the men’s marathon event at the Asian Games.
1951 (New Delhi): Chhota Singh — Gold Medal
1951 (New Delhi): Surat Singh Mathur — Bronze Medal
1982 (New Delhi): Hosur Kukkappa Seetharan — Bronze Medal
2026 (Aichi-Nagoya): Sawan Barwal — Silver Medal
Asian Games 2026: Men’s Marathon — Final Scores
Rank | Name (Nationality) | Result | GAP | Note |
Gold | Ichitaka Yamashita (Japan) | 2:10:49 | — | |
Silver | Sawan Barwal (India) | 2:11:37 | +0:48 | Personal Best/ National Record |
Bronze | Peiyou Feng (China) | 2:12:13 | +1:24 | |
4 | Il Ryong Han (North Korea) | 2:12:21 | +1:32 | |
5 | El Hassan El Abbassi (Bahrain) | 2:12:45 | +1:56 | |
6 | Robi Syianturi (Indonesia) | 2:13:12 | +2:23 | |
7 | Shadrack Koech (Kazakhstan) | 2:14:07 | +3:18 | |
8 | Minho Park (South Korea) | 2:15:35 | +4:46 | |
9 | Shokhrukh Davlatov (Uzbekistan) | 2:17:44 | +6:55 | |
10 | Hongrok Kim (South Korea) | 2:18:27 | +7:38 | |
11 | Yuuya Yoshida (Japan) | 2:18:33 | +7:44 | |
12 | Erenjia Jia (China) | 2:19:18 | +8:29 | |
13 | Tae Ho Jong (North Korea) | 2:20:07 | +9:18 | Season Best |
14 | Richard Salaño (Philippines) | 2:20:34 | +9:45 | |
15 | Vincent Leslie Lam (Hong Kong) | 2:22:04 | +11:15 | Season Best |
16 | Olonbayar Jamsrano (Mongolia) | 2:22:15 | +11:26 | |
17 | Kartik Karkera (India) | 2:22:41 | +11:52 | |
18 | Gantulga Dambadarjaa (Mongolia) | 2:22:54 | +12:05 | |
19 | Khadka Khadka (Nepal) | 2:23:42 | +12:53 |
Who is Sawan Barwal?
The 28-year-old Swana Barwal is a Havildar in the Indian Army in the Corps of Engineers. He is a long-distance runner and half-marathoner, but he is now generally working as a marathoner. Last April, Sawan broke Shivnath Singh’s (2:12:00 in 1978) long-standing national record in the marathon by completing the race in 2:11:58 hours, which he has now bettered at the Asian Games 2026.