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On His Marathon Debut, Sawan Barwal Shatters Longest-standing National Record In Indian Athletics

By IANS News April 12, 2026 • 18:56 PM View: 104

World Athletics Gold Label Road: Young distance runner Sawan Barwal shattered the longest-standing record in Indian athletics on his marathon debut, clocking a time of 2:11:58 at the NN Marathon Rotterdam, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Sunday.

The 28-year-old athlete, who is supported by the Reliance Foundation, improved on the long-standing National Record of 2:12:00 set by the legendary Shivnath Singh on May 28, 1978, in Jalandhar.

For Barwal, this was his marathon debut, marking an important milestone in his career. He has now achieved the AFI qualification standard of 2:15:00 for the 2026 Asian Games.