Sriram Singh ran in the 800 metres final at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and led for most of the first lap and a half. He faded to seventh, but his time of 1:45.77 was an Asian record and stood as India’s national record for 42 years. The winner that day, Alberto Juantorena of Cuba, set a world record, and he later credited the Indian’s fast front running for helping him do it.
Name: Sriram Singh Shekhawat
Born: Rajasthan
Sport: Athletics
Event: 800 metres
Army runner
Sriram Singh came from a Rajput family in Rajasthan and joined the Rajputana Rifles in 1968. Army athletics gave him his start. He made his international debut at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok and won silver in the 800m. At the 1972 Munich Olympics he went out in the heats, but his time of 1:47.7 broke the Asian record.
He improved it again to win gold at the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran in about 1:47.6, and added a silver in the 4x400m relay. He also won medals at the Asian Championships, including 800m silver in 1973.
Montreal 1976
Before Montreal, Sriram Singh had never run on a synthetic track. In India he was used to cinder and grass, and times of around 1:47. In his heat he ran 1:45.86, a new Asian record. In the semi-final he ran about 1:46.4 to reach the final.
In the final on 25 July 1976 he went straight to the front and stayed there until the last bend, with Juantorena on his shoulder. The Cuban went past and won in a world record of 1:43.50. Sriram Singh tired in the home straight and finished seventh in 1:45.77, his best time ever. The heats, semi-final and final were run on three successive days.
That time remained the Asian record until Lee Jin-il of South Korea broke it in 1994. As an Indian record it lasted until June 2018, when Jinson Johnson ran 1:45.65.
Bangkok 1978 and after
Sriram Singh defended his Asian Games 800m title in Bangkok in 1978 in 1:48.80 and won another relay silver. He ran at his third Olympics in Moscow in 1980 but did not reach the final.
He completed the coaching diploma at the National Institute of Sports in 1980 and later coached young athletes. He retired from the army as an Honorary Captain. He received the Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri. He has spoken often about how long his record survived, saying it showed how far Indian middle-distance running had fallen behind.
Career record and honours
- Olympic 800m finalist: seventh at Montreal 1976 in 1:45.77
- Olympic appearances: Munich 1972, Montreal 1976, Moscow 1980
- Asian Games gold medal, 800m: Tehran 1974, Bangkok 1978
- Asian Games silver medal: 800m, Bangkok 1970; 4x400m relay, 1974 and 1978
- National 800m record, 1976 to 2018; Asian record, 1976 to 1994
- Arjuna Award
- Padma Shri
