Bengaluru: On a day when no one predicted fast timings, Geoffrey Kamworoor-Kipsang obliterated the six-year-old course record with an excellent 27:44 clocking while Lucy Kabuu led a Kenyan podium sweep in the women’s race, also with a brilliant new time of 31:48, in the 7th edition of TCS World 10K race at Bangalore.
Pacemaker Daniel Salel, a silver medalist in 10000m at Delhi Commonwealth Games four years ago, led the runners through the first half of the race in 13:57. Defending champion Alex Oloitiptip and his Kenyan teammate Kamworor were in the lead group, as also Ethiopian Kinde Atanaw. Incidentally the Ethiopian has the fastest time of 27:36, which he clocked during his second place finish at Prague last year, among those who took to the starting line in the men’s race today. Atanaw was running alongside Kamworor before the Kenyan break-away after 6 km mark as the runners approached the popular Chinnaswamy Stadium—the Mecca of Cricket followers here.
Geoffrey increased his pace and was comfortable until the joggers from open 10k race started interrupting him a bit in the last 2 km stretch. The 7:40 a.m. start and an overnight rain that left some pockets of the route water-logged have been expected to cause the performance of runners considerably. However, notwithstanding the difficulties, Kamworor went on to crack the Eritrean Zersenay Tadese’s 27:51 course record from the inaugural edition in 2008, which survived through six editions.
Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei, who made his first international debut in Bangalore, came from behind to win in second place 40 seconds after the Kenyan. Usually a cross-country runner who excelled at steeplechase at times, Cheptegei felt the conditions suitable for his maiden appearance here. His country-mate Thomas Ayeko, a silver medalist in the junior category in last year’s world cross-country championships, missed the podium in his fourth place finish. Atanaw, as in previous years, filled the bronze position for Ethiopia in 28:35. Last year’s winner Oloitiptip, could not overcome the humid weather conditions, finished on sixth.
Kabuu conquered the women’s crown
As in the men’s race pacemaker Beatrice Mutai did the front-running and led a group of 10 women in the race that stated at 8:25 a.m. Having performed her duty, Mutai started trailing behind after the 4km mark where Kenyan Joyce Chepkirui emerged as a leader and covered the distance at 12:36. Teammate Lucy Kabuu, former Commonwealth Games gold medalist in 10000m and winner of Delhi Half-Marathon three years ago, along with Linet Masai joined the fray with Chepkirui in the remaining part of the race.
Both Kabuu and Chepkirui pulled away from Masai after the 6km mark and was started running neck-to-neck for the next kilometer until the duo passed the Vidhan Saudha, a magnificent building-structure alongside the race route which is housing the state legislative assembly of Karnataka. Kabuu applied pressure when she entered another of Bangalore’s landmark Cubbon Park while Chepkirui struggling hard to maintain the pace. However Chepkirui, who is holding a marvelous 30:37 clocked during her golden finish at Berlin last year, could not survive the increasing tempo of Kabuu in the waning stages of the race and thus allowed her to take away the title in 31:48. To her satisfaction Chepkirui also improved the previous record of 31:58 which stood in the name of Ethiopian Yimer Wude since 2010, as she timed 31:55 to better it on that shiny Sunday. Masai made it a 1-2-3 affair for the Kenyans in 32:28. It was a second time that Kenyans have made a podium sweep here after the 2012 edition.
Both the winners – Geoffrey Kamworor and Lucy Kabuu – earned a course record jackpot of USD 7,500 besides their first place prize purse of USD 21,000 each. The total prize pot of the race is USD 170,000.
Tilak, Swati emerge as leading Indians
Trained under J.S. Bhatia, it was third-time lucky for Army lad B.C. Tilak in Bangalore in 30:26. Anish Thapa, hails from Meghalaya, find the weather conditions hot and humid yet managed to finish second (30:38) behind Tilak on his debut over the 10K course. Last year’s Asian Grand Prix winner Nitendra Singh Rawat was third at 30:47. All the three runners have been attached with different units of the Indian Army.
Swati Gadhave won the women’s section among the Indian runners by leaving behind some of the leading names in the business. Swati, second in 2012 and sixth in 2011 at Bangalore, ran a tactical race when most of the other runners find it difficult to keep up with the conditions on the road. Her time of 37:22 was second slowest winning time here after local girl Preeti L. Rao’s 37:47 from 2010. Marathoners Jayashree Boragee (37:35) and Supriya Patil (37:46) finished on in the next two spots behind Gadhave.
Brand Ambassador and legendary athlete Carl Lewis encouraged the participants along with other celebrities who had come over here to support the ever-increasing number of entrants in Namma Run.
Results:
MEN:
1. Geoffrey Kamworor KEN 27:44 (New Course Record)
2. Joshua Cheptegei UGA 28:24
3. Kinde Atanaw ETH 28:35
4. Thomas Ayeko UGA 28:47
5. Vincent Chepkok KEN 28:54
6. Alex Oloitiptip KEN 29:03
7. Jacob Kendagor KEN 29:17
8. Daniel Salel KEN 29:28
9. Birhanu Delele ETH 30:11
10. Najim El Qady MAR 30:15
WOMEN:
1. Lucy Kabuu KEN 31:48 (New Course Record)
2. Joyce Chepkirui KEN 31:55
3. Linet Masai KEN 32:28
4. Guteni Shone ETH 32:42
5. Helah Kiprop KEN 33:20
6. Netsanet Gudeta ETH 33:34
7. Beatrice Mutai KEN 34:01
8. Ababel Yeshaneh ETH 34:32
9. Helalia Johannes NAM 34:43
10. Malika Asahsah MAR 35:38
