National record drives Gopi Thonakal ahead of Asian Games
Olympian Gopi Thonakal now has only one obsession: breaking the long-standing national marathon record.
Shivnath Singh’s ‘Jalandhar mark’ of 2:12:00 has stood the test of time for 48 years and continues to elude elite marathon runners in the country.
The 37-year-old Gopi came agonisingly close to breaking the national record when he clocked 2:12:23 at the Valencia Marathon in December 2025. He was on course to surpass the mark but suffered cramps around the 36km mark, which slowed him down, leaving him just short of the record.
“If not for the cramps in my calves, I would have broken the national record in Valencia. I was disappointed. But it (the national record) has kept me motivated, and my dream is to break it before I retire,” said Gopi from his training base in Ooty.
Gopi had another opportunity to challenge the record at the New Delhi Marathon in February this year, but finished second in 2:13:12, behind Kartik Karkera (2:13:10). Gopi, Kartik and Man Singh punched their tickets to the 2026 Aichi–Nagoya Asian Games by achieving the Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) qualifying mark of 2:15:04.
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“Qualifying for the Asian Games was my main objective at the New Delhi Marathon. The fact that three of us qualified for the Asian Games from the same race showed how competitive it was. The intense rivalry between the three of us has been mutually beneficial, pushing us to perform better. It is good to have company in a major event, as we can work as a team and pose a serious challenge to runners from Japan and China,” said Gopi, a former Asian marathon champion.
Having secured qualification for the Asian Games, Gopi now hopes to leave his mark there and believes the national record could fall on that stage.
“I reckon I will have to run something below 2:09 for a podium finish if the race is pretty fast. But sometimes races can be slower and finish around 2:15. I feel I am capable of doing a sub-2:10. My body is in good shape, and I am training hard. It would be nice if I get a chance to compete in one or two marathons before the Asian Games,” said Gopi, who represented India at the Rio Olympics.
Published on Mar 15, 2026