Bengaluru: It was an unusual Sunday, for both participants and the organizers, in the 8th edition of annual TCS World 10K here today. People were clueless last night whether the race will go on smoothly as the unprecedented heavy showers filled the race-route with floods on Saturday. However Procam International, the promoters of the race, worked hard with the civic authorities to pump out the water and provide a miraculously serene atmosphere when the competitors moved towards the starting line on Sunday morning.

Former 10K world record-holder and Beijing Olympic bronze medalist Micah Kipkemboi Kogo (Kenya) was among the nine men lead bunch. After the pacemakers left the group in 4 km, four runners started to move forward. Edwin Kibet Kiptoo, another Kenyan runner with a good road experience was among them alongside Ethiopians Mosinet Geremew and Fikadu Seboka. They went past the half-way mark in 14:05.


Kogo, whose 2009 record of 27:01 still ranked him second in the all-time lists, managed to led the group until 8 km with Kiptoo took over in between briefly. While the runners were still in Cubbon Park, the two Ethios increased their pace and moving ahead from the Kenyans. Mosinet, winner of Hyderabad 10K three years ago with a brilliant Indian all-comers’ record 27:36 for that distance, was trying to clock another sub-28 minutes on the sub-continent. However it was too late for him to try that today as the Ethiopians could not utilize the pace set by Kenyan Edwin on earlier stages.


Mosinet went on to win the race in 28:16 with teammate Fikadu just two seconds behind for the second place. Edwin (28:20) and Kogo (28:29) finished on next two spots.


Although his time of 28:16 was the slowest in the men’s race in the race’s history, Mosinet become the second Ethiopian to win here after Deriba Merga in 2009. “The course was very hard” he revealed after the race. “I made the push only 400m to finish, otherwise I could have clocked a better timing” the winner added further.


Daska sets the record even for Ethopians


While the men started their race fast but finished with slow timing, it was the other way round in the women’s race. Three of the past winners in Bangalore were among those took the starting line-up, viz., Aselefech Mergia (2009), Ayalew Yimer Wude (2010) and Helah Kiprop (2012).


Kenya’s former world youth champion Jackline Chepngeno led a big bunch of a dozen women at the initial stages. When the leaders crossed the mid-way at 16:10 Ethiopian Mamitu Daska realized that if she could increase her pace the day would hers. Dubai marathon champion Mergi, who knew the terrain well, faded away at this stage along with country-mate Belaynesh Oljira, the winner of World’s Best 10K at San Juan earlier this year. This encouraged Daska further.


Kiprop showed some sign to wrest the lead at this stage but slowed down after 7th KM. But her Kenyan teammate Gladys Kiptgelai Chesire, the inaugural Youth Olympic Games winner over 3000m, wish to make her maiden appearance in India a memorable one and hence started pushing the Ethiopian.


Wude Ayalew, being a past champion, also trying to snatch the lead and a race was ‘on’ between her, Daska and Chesire in the last kilometer. Daska entered the stadium first with Chesire second. Wude, in few metres behind made a gallant effort to take over the Kenyan inside the stadia. Daska clocked 31:57 to win the race, thus missing the course record of 31:48 set by Lucy Kaboo of Kenya last year in just 9 secs. Lucy’s mark is also an all-comers’ record for this distance in India.


Wude overwhelmed Gladys at the last phase to finish second in 32:10 with the Kenyan completes the podium two seconds later.


Suresh breaks record, Suriya won her maiden title


Banaras boy Suresh Kumar, on his third appearance here, eclipsed the course record for Indian Men by clocking 29 minutes 49 seconds. The former Asian junior champion over 10,000m received a course record bonus of INR 200,000 over and above his winning purse INR 250,000.


Tamil Nadu’s Suriya Loganathan, double gold-medalist in the recent edition of Federation Cup at Mangaluru, had won the title in Indian women’s category with a modest time of 35:58.


Both the winners in elite category, Mosinet Geremew and Mamitu Daska, went home with USD 21,000 winner’s cheque. “I am planning to start a small business with this prize money” Mamitu told the reporters during the press meet.


Corporate Challenge to run again


A delay in opening of the course-changing gate led to some participants confusion and take a wrong route in the DHL Corporate Champions challenge race. “We are sorry for the error. We have decided to return the entry fees to the corporate, but decided to conduct the race separately in four weeks with the same prize money” revealed Mr Vivek Singh, Joint Managing Director of event promoters Procam International. We have taken this decision after a joint meeting with the race director Mr Hugh Jones and Athletics Federation of India’s President Mr Adille Sumariwalla, he explained further.


As in the past the TCS World 10K raised huge funds for charities through pledges. Apart from Elite men and women races, the Bengaluru event also witnessed an Open 10K, a race for Champions with Disability (4.2 km) and a 6 Km “Majja” run for fun with a total participants of over 25,000 and prize pot of USD 194,376.


-/ Ram. Murali Krishnan /-


RESULTS: (Prize money in parenthesis)


MEN:

1 Mosinet Geremew ETH 28:16

2 Fikadu Seboka ETH 28:18

3 Edwin Kiptoo KEN 28:20

4 Micah Kogo KEN 28:29

5 Birhanu Legese ETH 28:42

6 Kinde Atanaw ETH 28:49

7 Dickson Chumba KEN 28:53

8 Feyisa Lelisa ETH 28:56

9 Bonsa Dida ETH 29:06

10 Azmeraw Mengist ETH 29:17

11 Japhet Korir KEN 29:44

12 Solomon Mutai UGA 29:48

13 Suresh Kumar IND 29:49

14 Kebede Tulu ETH 30:06

15 David Bett KEN 30:16

16 Kheta Ram IND 30:40

17 T Gopi IND 30:42

18 Md Yunus IND 30:44

19 Govinda Singh IND 30:49

20 Indrajeet Patel IND 30:58


WOMEN:

1 Mamitu Daska ETH 31:57

2 Wude Ayalew ETH 32:10

3 Gladys Chesire KEN 32:12

4 Helah Kiprop KEN 32:19

5 Emily Chebet KEN 32:25

6 Jackline Chepngeno KEN 32:33

7 Belaynesh Oljira ETH 33:03

8 Aselefech Mergia ETH 33:06

9 Adero Nyakisi UGA 33:47

10 Worknesh Alemu ETH 33:54

11 Almaz Gelana ETH 34:45

12 Tejitu Daba BRN 35:48

13 L Surya IND 35:58

14 Swati Gadhave IND 36:15

15 Monika Athare IND 36:54

16 Preeti Lamba IND 37:21

17 Phoolan Pal IND 37:55

18 Amita IND 38:01

19 Monika Raut IND 38:12

20 Rohini Raut IND 38:28