New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated ace distance runner Seema Kumari for winning a historic medal for India in the women's 10,000m race at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 on Thursday.

Seema ended a 16-year wait for a medal in the women’s 10,000m at the Asian Games by securing a bronze medal at Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on Thursday.

Seema clocked 32:50.05 to finish third behind Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi, who won gold in 32:39.18, and Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka, who claimed silver in 32:41.54.

"Proud of Seema for winning the Bronze Medal in the Women’s 10,000m at the Asian Games! Congrats to her. Her determined performance has brought India a medal in this event after many years. A wonderful achievement that reflects endurance, discipline and years of hard work," PM Modi was quoted as saying in a post put out by the Prime Minister's Office.

"Wishing her many more successes in the times ahead," the PM was quoted as saying in the post.

Seema Kumari stayed in contention throughout the race after making an impressive start. She led the field through the opening 2,000m, completing the first 1,000m in 3:18.12 before reaching the 2,000m mark in 6:36.13.

As the pace increased, Seema slipped to fourth but remained within touching distance of the leading runners. With 1,000m remaining, she moved back into third and held her position through the final stages to secure the bronze.

Seema finished 10.87 seconds behind Yavi, while Kazakhstan’s Daisy Jepkemei was fourth in 33:03.21, more than 13 seconds behind the Indian.

Her bronze also made Seema only the third Indian woman to win an Asian Games medal in the 10,000m. Preeja Sreedharan won gold in 2010, while Kavita Raut claimed silver at the same edition.

--IANS

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