Captain Sriram Singh Shekhawat

Sriram Singh is a former Indian middle-distance runner specializing in the 800 meters. He is best known for setting multiple Asian records and representing India at major international events, including the Olympics and Asian Games.

Early Career and Training

Sriram Singh joined the Rajputana Rifles in 1968, where he came under the guidance of coach Ilyas Babar, who encouraged him to shift his focus from the 400 meters to the 800 meters.

Major Achievements

1970 Asian Games (Bangkok): Won silver in the 800 meters, finishing second to Jimmy Crampton of Burma.
1972 Munich Olympics: Eliminated in the heats, but clocked a time of 1:47.7, breaking the existing Asian record despite never having competed on synthetic tracks before.
1974 Asian Games: Won gold in the 800 meters with a time of 1:47.6.
1976 Montreal Olympics: Delivered his career-best performance in the 800m event:
- Broke his own Asian record in the qualifying round with 1:45.86.
- Finished second in the semifinals with a time of 1:46.42.
- In the final, led the race at the 300-meter and 400-meter marks but finished seventh with 1:45.77. The race was won by Cuban Alberto Juantorena, who set a new world record of 1:43.50. Juantorena later credited Sriram Singh’s aggressive pacing for pushing him to the record.

Sriram Singh’s time of 1:45.77 remained the Asian record until 1994 and stood as the Indian national record for 42 years until broken by Jinson Johnson in 2018.

Awards and Honors

Arjuna Award (1973) for outstanding achievements in athletics.
Padma Shri (1974), one of India’s prestigious civilian awards, for his contribution to sports.

Later Career

Retained his 800m gold medal at the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok with a time of 1:48.80.
Competed in the 1978 Moscow Olympics but was eliminated in the heats.
Won a silver medal in the 800m at the 1973 Asian Athletics Championships.
Claimed three gold medals in 400m, 800m, and 4×400m relay at the 1975 Asian Athletics Championships.