NAGOYA: Two different races — shortest and the longest (inside a stadium); 100m and 10,000m. Chalk and cheese; two different timings — one ends in under 10 seconds the other lasts for close to half an hour. The excitement, though, remains the same.
The temperature was just about comfortable but the humidity was high. Thailand’s Puripol Boonson thundered to gold with a Games record of 9.90s but India's Gulveer Singh had a very tactical race to win silver with a timing of 28:29.38s. The Indian long distance runner is in pristine form collecting medals in almost all major Games now. He won two historic ones at the Commonwealth Games, understandably so, an Asian Games medal was for the taking.
Long distance running is like cooking in slow flame — excitement builds up, as the race progresses. It has its own charm and the fascinating part is the close proximity the runners run. They try to flirt with each other, teasing too to check how much energy they have in the tank.
They will not leave each others’ side until the last two to three laps. There is paucity of movement and the rhythm is like a beautiful flamingo dance step after step. Strides are measured, hand movement just enough to move forward just like pistons in engines.
Gulveer is right now the most consistent runner. Every stride he takes on the track is producing magic. He is among elite runners in the world and in the last few years he has created and recreated national records for fun – in 5000m, 10000m, 25k and half marathon. He topped all these personal milestones with two historic Commonwealth Games medals – silver in 10k and bronze in 5k beating an elite field. The last 10 laps are when the athletes start kicking in.
Gulveer had won bronze last time and this time he wanted to change the colour. He had been training with Scott Simmons at Colorado Springs in the US and that has worked. When in India, he prefers to train at the Anju Bobby George Academy in Bengaluru.
Scott Simmons broke down the race quite beautifully. “If they had run a 27-minute race, Gulveer would have probably won gold,” he said. But Birhanu Balew of Bahrain (who finished with a timing of 28:27.51s) was too good. “The last 200 metres he just ran like a sprinter and finished the last lap in about 55 seconds,” Simmons said.
Overall, the race overall was slow but the American didn't mind. “He has a very long menu,” he said. Gulveer will run the 1500m heat and final and then in the 5000m. First, the it was the Japanese who set the tone in front of the home crowd, but later, the two Bahrainis picked up some pace again later and they got back to 67-68sec a lap race and in the last two kilometre timing came down to 65-64, which Scott believed was solid.
However, it's not the race alone that establishes Gulveer as one of the greatest long distance runners in the country but it's his consistency.
Catching Balew in the last few yards is impossible because he is fast in short distance. The finishing touch is sublime. “Because Balew is the Diamond League champion in 5000m. He destroyed the field” said Simmons. The coach said that they were concentrating on the Commonwealth and Asian Games. He is looking forward to the next two events – 1500m and the 5000m.
Meanwhile, In women’s shot put, Manpreet Kaur ended her 12-year-wait. The Haryana thrower managed to throw 17.17m. She finished behind China’s Jiayouan Song (gold) and ahead of Zhang Linru (silver).
How Balew’s life changed
Seeking a better life is an innate human tendency. Born and brought up in Ethiopia, Balew could have been a champion athlete there as well. Though the competition is very stiff, he could have walked into the team any time. But he chose to migrate to Bahrain as an elite athlete.
Ask him and he is quite candid with the reason behind the decision. “Better life” he said during a conversation in the mixed zone. He trains in Ethiopia but represents Bahrain. In whatever English he knows, Balew spoke about how his life has changed. There is a better facility after he moved to Bahrain. He has coaches and physios, drives a better car and has one in Ethiopia and one in Bahrain. And the gold would fetch him money too — up to a staggering $100,000.
