Indian long-distance runner Seema Kumari secured a historic bronze medal in the women’s 10,000m final at the 2026 Asian Games on Thursday.
Seema clocked 32:50.05 to finish third and give India its first athletics medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Her bronze also ended a 16-year wait for India in the women’s 10,000m event.
Yavi wins gold, Tanaka takes silver
Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi won the gold medal in 32:39.18, while Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka took silver with 32:41.54.
Seema stayed within medal contention throughout the race and produced a strong finish to pull away from the chasing group and secure third place.
India’s first athletics medal at the Games
Seema’s bronze is India’s first athletics medal at the 2026 Asian Games. It is also the country’s first women’s 10,000m medal at the Asian Games since 2010.
India has now won three medals in the women’s 10,000m at the Asian Games. Preeja Sreedharan won gold and Kavita Raut took silver in the event at the 2010 edition.
Who is Seema Kumari?
Born on January 10, 2001, in Himachal Pradesh, Seema specialises in the 5,000m and 10,000m events.
She won gold in the senior women’s race at the 2024 Asian Cross Country Championships and followed it with a silver in the 5,000m at the 2025 FISU World University Games. In 2026, she won the 10,000m at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships.
She also produced a personal best of 32:02.43 in the 10,000m at The TEN in California in March 2026, before setting a 5,000m personal best of 15:16.20 a month later.
The Asian Games bronze adds a major international medal to Seema’s growing career and gives Indian athletics a memorable podium finish in Nagoya.
