Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated distance runner Seema Kumari for winning the bronze medal in the women’s 10,000m event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026.
Seema ended India’s 16-year wait for a medal in the women’s 10,000m at the Asian Games by securing bronze at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.
She clocked 32:50.05 to finish third behind Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi, who won gold in 32:39.18, and Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka, who claimed silver in 32:41.54.
“Proud of Seema for winning the Bronze Medal in the Women’s 10,000m at the Asian Games! Congrats to her. Her determined performance has brought India a medal in this event after many years. A wonderful achievement that reflects endurance, discipline and years of hard work,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a post on X.
“Wishing her many more successes in the times ahead,” he added.
Seema remained in contention throughout the race after making a strong start. She led the field through the opening 2,000m, completing the first 1,000m in 3:18.12 before reaching the 2,000m mark in 6:36.13.
As the pace increased, Seema slipped to fourth but stayed within touching distance of the leaders. With 1,000m remaining, she moved back into third and held her position through the final stages to secure the bronze.
She finished 10.87 seconds behind Yavi, while Kazakhstan’s Daisy Jepkemei was fourth in 33:03.21, more than 13 seconds behind the Indian.
Seema became only the third Indian woman to win an Asian Games medal in the 10,000m. Preeja Sreedharan won gold and Kavita Raut claimed silver in the event at the 2010 edition.
(IANS Inputs)
