Rotterdam/New Delhi, April 12 -- Indian Army's distance runner Sawan Barwal overcame challenging conditions in the closing stages of Rotterdam Marathon on Sunday to etch his name in the record books.
The 28-year-old, on his marathon debut clocked 2:11:58 to finish 20th in the world-class field on the streets of Rotterdam, Netherlands. His Sunday performance bettered the more than four-decades-old national record of 2:12:00 set by the late Shivnath Singh in 1978 in Jalandhar, Punjab.
Sawan Barwal ran a steady pace throughout the gruelling marathon distance of 42.195 km. But windy conditions in the last 5 km of the race took their toll on the Indian runner.
"It was pretty cold and windy. I made a mistake of pouring water on my head at the ...