This Army hawaldar breaks Shivnath Singh's 48-year-old marathon national record

Himachal Pradesh long-distance runner Sawan Barwal created history on Sunday by breaking the 48-year-old national marathon record—the longest-standing mark in Indian athletics—at the Rotterdam Marathon.

Barwal clocked 2:11:58 to finish 20th in the elite race, surpassing the previous record of 2:12:00 set by Shivnath Singh in 1978.

Fellow Indian Gopi Thonakal finished 23rd, completing the 42.195 km race in 2:13:16.


The feat was particularly remarkable as it was Barwal’s marathon debut, having not competed in an official marathon before.

This was also his second event of the season, following his participation in the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in the USA in January.

Who is Barwal?

Hailing from a village in Joginder Nagar in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, the 28-year-old Barwal has trained hard for many years, establishing himself as a reputed long-distance runner. His feat on Sunday was the culmination of that hard work, as he literally emerged from the hills of Himachal Pradesh to the flat roads of Rotterdam.

Barwal, an Armyman, was at the 27th spot at around the halfway mark (21km) with a time of 1:04:43 while Gopi was 33rd with 1:04:44.

Barwal moved up to 19th spot at the 35km mark but dropped one spot in the end.

His past race record on the World Athletics website does not mention any marathon though he has run many half marathons, and 5000m and 10000m races.

He first broke onto the national scene when he won a 10000m silver at the 2022 Federation Cup National Championships. The same year, he won a 5000m bronze at the National Games in Gujarat.

His first international medal came in 2023 when he won a bronze in the Asian Half Marathon Championships in Dubai.

Barwal won his first national title at the Federation Cup in 2024, clinching gold in the 5,000m event. However, 2025 proved to be his most successful year, as he secured gold medals in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the National Games in Uttarakhand, followed by another 10,000m gold at the Federation Cup. He also won a bronze in the 5,000m at a World Athletics Bronze Level Continental Tour event in Bhubaneswar.

Coached by Gopal Thakur, Barwal has been a regular participant in events such as the Delhi Half Marathon and the World 25K Kolkata Run. He also won gold among Indian elite runners at the Delhi Half Marathon in 2024.

Barwal developed an interest in sports during his school days, playing multiple disciplines including badminton and athletics. After winning a medal at a school event, he chose to pursue athletics seriously, going on to secure medals at zonal and district-level competitions. He later joined the Indian Army in 2019.