Gulveer Singh completed a historic treble at the Asian Games, winning bronze in the men’s 5000m on Tuesday. He clocked 13:32.75 to finish third in a close race.

Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew won gold in 13:30.79, while Japan’s Tomonori Yamaguchi took silver in 13:31.43. Only about a second covered the three medallists.

The bronze followed Gulveer’s silver medals in the 10,000m and the 1500m, where he set a personal best of 3:36.72. Three medals from three races is a rare feat.

He is now only the second Indian after the legendary P.T. Usha to stand on the podium in three events at a single Asian Games. Usha won four medals at Seoul 1986.

President Droupadi Murmu congratulated the 28-year-old Naib Subedar of the Indian Army. His treble is one of the standout Indian performances of these Games. His coach credited months of high-altitude training for the endurance shown across the three races. Gulveer is expected to target the World Championships next season.