Photo Source: ANI
Himachal’s Seema Kumari ends India’s 16-year wait for Women’s 10,000m Asian Games Medal, wins bronze
Seema clocks 32:50.05 to end India’s 16-year wait for a medal in the event
By Sukhminder Bhangoo
Aichi-Nagoya (Japan),September 25, 2026: Himachal Pradesh’s Seema Kumari won a historic bronze medal in the women’s 10,000m at the 2026 Asian Games, ending India’s 16-year wait for a podium finish in the event.
The 25-year-old distance runner clocked 32:50.05 in the final to finish third and become only the third Indian woman to win an Asian Games medal in the women’s 10,000m.
India’s previous medals in the event came at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, where Preeja Sreedharan won gold and Kavita Raut secured silver.
Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi claimed the gold medal in 32:39.18, while Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka finished second in 32:41.54.
Seema remained among the leading runners through much of the race as the pace increased. She stayed within the medal positions during the closing stages and successfully held off the chasing field to secure bronze.
Her performance adds another significant achievement to her growing distance-running career.
Born on January 10, 2001, Seema is from Himachal Pradesh and competes primarily in the 5,000m and 10,000m events. The 2026 Asian Games marked her debut at the continental multi-sport event.
She won gold in the senior women’s race at the 2024 Asian Cross Country Championships and later claimed silver in the 5,000m at the 2025 World University Games.
In 2026, she won the women’s 10,000m at the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships. Seema also improved her personal bests in both the 10,000m and 5,000m this year.
She clocked 32:02.43 in the 10,000m at The TEN in California in March, setting a personal best at the time. In April, she recorded another personal best of 15:16.20 in the 5,000m.
Her Asian Games bronze now adds an international senior medal to a season that has already included strong performances over both distances.
For Indian women’s long-distance running, Seema’s podium finish also marks a return to the Asian Games medal table in the 10,000m after a 16-year gap.