Gopi chasing Asian Games glory and National record

Olympian Gopi Thonakal now has a singular obsession — break the long-standing National record in marathon.

Shivnath Singh’s Jalandhar Mark of 2:12.00 has stood the test of time for 48 years and continues to elude the elite marathon runners in the country.

The 37-year-old Gopi came agonisingly close to breaking the record when he clocked 2:12.23 at the Valencia Marathon in December 2025. He was on course but cramps by the 36km mark slowed him down and he missed setting a National record by a whisker.

“If not for the cramps in my calves, I would have broken the National record in Valencia. I was disappointed. But it (national record) has kept me motivated and my dream is to break it before I retire,’’ said Gopi from his training base in Udhagamandalam.

Gopi got another opportunity in the New Delhi Marathon in February this year but finished second (2:13.12) behind Kartik Karkera (2:13.10). Gopi, Kartik and Man Singh punched their tickets for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games by achieving the Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) qualifying mark (2:15.04).

“Qualifying for the Asian Games was my main objective at the New Delhi marathon. The fact that three of us qualified from the same race showed how competitive it was. The intense rivalry among 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 champion in the event.

Having qualified for the Asian Games, Gopi wants to break the National record there. “I reckon I have to do something below 2:09 for a podium finish if the race is pretty fast. But sometimes the race may be slow and finish in 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 participated in the Rio Olympics.