Long-distance runner Murli Kumar Gavit bagged gold in the men’s 10,000m race at the Gouden Spike meeting in Leiden, the Netherlands, to become the second fastest Indian in this event. Murli, who hails from Dang district in south Gujarat, clocked a personal best of 28 minutes 43.34 seconds, the best by an Indian this year. The national record of 28:02.89 is held by current long distance coach Surendra Singh, who has run faster than Kumar on four occasions. Kumar’s earlier best was 29:33.85 during the Federation Cup in Patiala in March.
The Gouden Spike is one of the top meet in The Netherlands. Speaking from Kenya where he is training for future events, Murli said, “I am happy with my performance. The sacrifices made by my parents working as labourers in farms during my childhood have made what I am today.” He further stated that his parents struggled a lot to bring him and his two elder brothers up.
His first coach Mohan Maurya said that Murli’s dedication and hard work helped him bag medals at the international level. “Even when a coach is not around at the training centre, he used to do intense workouts and was sincere and serious in his approach. He had the calibre to become a champion and above all, a will to work hard.” Murli said it was his elder brother Sitaram Gavit, employed with the Indian Army, who motivated him to take up running seriously.
Murli’s middle and long distance running capabilities came to light in 2013, when he came first in the 1,500 metre running race at Khel Mahakumbh in Dangs. Later in 2014, Murli again participated in Khel Mahakumbh at state-level and clinched gold medals in 3,000 metres and 5,000 metre races.
