India, Sept. 26 -- There is a growing sense of assurance that comes with distance runner Gulveer Singh in a race these days. That the Armyman will deliver a medal. He has the endurance, strong legs to carry him through 25 laps, a big heart, tactical nous and the sprint to fly down the home stretch-a quality Indian distance runners have lacked.

So, when the much-anticipated 10,000m final got underway with 13 runners at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on Friday evening, it became clear within a few laps that Gulveer had positioned himself well for a medal. Only the colour of the medal remained to be seen.

Gulveer, 28, finished with a silver clocking 28mins, 27.51 secs, behind Birhanu Balew of Bahrain (28:27.51). Albert Kiptoo...