Background
Nitin Gupta is an Indian race walker from Uttar Pradesh who has emerged as one of the country’s leading young prospects in race walking. He has made his mark in junior competitions with national-record performances and an Asian U20 Championships gold medal.
The 18:54.37 National Record
Gupta’s performance at the National Junior U20 Federation Athletics Competition in Tumkur, Karnataka, on 25 April 2026 was a major milestone in Indian race walking.
He won the men’s 5,000m race walk in
18:54.37, improving his previous national record of 19:24.48, set at the National Youth Athletics Championships in Patna in March 2025. The official federation results also identify the April 2026 performance as a national record.
Asian U20 Championships 2026: India's First Gold
Gupta carried his strong junior form into the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong in May 2026.
He won the men's 5,000m race walk in
19:47.49, taking gold ahead of Sheng-Qin Lo of Chinese Taipei, who finished in 19:56.17. Japan’s Chihiro Obata claimed bronze in 20:06.73. The victory gave India its first gold medal of the championships.
From Junior Records to Longer Distances
Gupta has also competed over longer race-walking distances, including the 10,000m and 20km events.
At the Indian Athletics Series 9 in Ludhiana in June 2026, he won the men’s 10,000m race walk in
39:57.74, finishing ahead of Gaurav Kumar and Ritik Kumar. The official results list Gupta as representing Uttar Pradesh.
