Team India, representing the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), delivered a historic performance at the IAU 24-Hour Asia & Oceania Championship in Hirosaki, Japan, in May 2026, recording its best-ever showing in ultrarunning history.
The Indian men’s team swept the individual podium. Amar Singh Devanda won gold with 282.881 km (226 laps), setting a new national record. Geeno Antony took silver with 272.894 km (218 laps), while Saurav Kumar Ranjan secured bronze with 260.058 km (208 laps).
Advertisement
India also clinched the men’s team gold with a total of 815.833 km, setting a new Asia-Oceania record and the highest-ever team total by an Asian nation at any IAU championship. Japan finished second with 754.726 km, followed by Australia with 732.525 km.
Advertisement
In the women’s event, India won bronze with 667.722 km, led by Tenzin Dolma’s 228.939 km effort, which placed her fourth overall and also set a new national record. Japan won gold, while Australia took silver.
The championship witnessed multiple national records across 12-hour and 24-hour categories, with eight of 11 Indian athletes recording personal bests. Amar Singh Devanda narrowly missed the Asian record by just three kilometres and fell 13 km short of the highest-ever world championship team total.
The performance underlined India’s growing dominance in endurance running, with the country winning its third consecutive Asia-Oceania title (2022, 2024, 2026).
“We are grateful for this moment, it is an achievement the entire Indian ultrarunning community can celebrate. This victory belongs not only to the athletes, but to every supporter who believed in Indian ultrarunning,” said Santhosh Padmanabhan, Team Head Coach and Manager.
Reflecting on his achievement, Amar Singh Devanda said, “This performance was not just about distance or records. It was about representing India with pride and pushing myself beyond every limit physically and mentally. There were many moments during the race when the body wanted to stop, but the mind and the heart kept moving forward. To set a new Indian national record and achieve the second-best performance ever by an Asian athlete in this event is truly special for me.
“I hope this inspires more Indian athletes to believe that we can compete with the very best in the world in endurance sports. This achievement belongs not only to me, but also to everyone who supported me throughout this journey—my coach, family, team, AFI, supporters and every person who believed in me. I am proud to carry the Indian flag on the international stage and this is only the beginning.”
Tenzin Dolma, who led the Indian women’s team and set a new national record, said, “To come from a remote village in the mountains of Himachal and achieve success at this level is truly something special. It brings not only great pride but also hope and potential development to my village. For athletes like myself, who come from challenging backgrounds, the greatest hurdle is often finding support.
“As an ultra-athlete, funding is scarce, from government, private individuals, or corporate sponsors. I hope this achievement encourages more people to step forward and support athletes like me who have the potential to excel on the world stage. I am deeply thankful and immensely proud, not only to represent India, but to stand among the best this time. I thank the AFI, Coach and the entire support team for helping me achieve the National Record.”
Team India
Men: Amar Singh Devanda, Geeno Antony, Saurav Kumar Ranjan, Sugourav Goswami, Velu Perumal
Women: Aparna Choudhary, Bindu Juneja, Mukesh Kumari, Shashi Mehta, Sunita Subba, Tenzin Dolma
Support Team: Aashish Kusswaha (Physiotherapist), Chandra Gopalan (Strength & Conditioning Coach), Gorkha Ram (Crew Member), Hemanth Kumar (Assistant Coach), Sonali Sahoo (Nutritionist), Santhosh Padmanabhan (Head Coach & Manager)
Advertisement
