Bengaluru, 27 April 2024: A star-studded lineup of Indian elite athletes is poised to compete at the TCS World 10K Bengaluru, scheduled to take place on Sunday, 28th April 2024. Set against the iconic streets of Bengaluru, the event boasts a total prize pool of USD 210,000. The Indian elite lineup that will comprise 67 athletes, features a cash purse of INR 2,75,000 each for men’s and women’s winners, along with a further INR 1,00,000 bonus for breaking the course record. Adding to the grandeur of the occasion, dignitaries including Shri Thawar Singh Gehlot, Hon’ble Governor of Karnataka, and Mr. K Govindraj, President KAA & President Basketball Federation, will be present to flag off the race.
Leading the charge for the Indian women’s field, will be defending champion Tamshi Singh and the National Course Record Holder, Sanjivini Jadhav.
Speaking ahead of the World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, Sanjivini Jadhav, said, “My training has been going well and I am looking forward to the competition on Sunday. My goal is to give my best and I will try to do go for the record.”
With regards to her strategy and the competition she will face in the race, the 27-year-old stated, “I enjoy 10K competitions as it is my favorite domain in running and the fact that it is an Indian event makes it even more exciting. I don't have a specific strategy for the competition. I try not to think about the competition too much. For me, it’s about competing with myself and trying to beat my personal best.”
Also taking to the start line amongst the Indian elite women will be Sanghamithra Mahata, Poonam Dinkar Sonune, Ekta Rawat, Ujala, Preenu Yadav, Phoolan Pal, Bharti Nain, Chavi Yadav, and Seema.
Meanwhile, the Indian men’s line up will feature the likes of last year’s runner up, Harmanjot Singh who finished with a timing of 30:00 to clock his personal best and the promising Sawan Barwal. While this edition of the TCS World 10K Bengaluru features a slightly modified route that comprises the Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw Parade Ground as the new start and finish line, Harmanjot Singh opined that it would not impact his approach to the run.
“Strategy is important especially when you are competing in multiple domains, however my mindset this year will be the same, it is still a route that I am mostly familiar with, so I am motivated to do well”, He said.
Echoing Sanjivini Jadhav’s sentiments about beating the course record, Sawan Barwal said, “Definitely, we will try to go for the course record. However, the weather could be a challenge for us.” He further remarked, “Since the season has just started and with the Federation Cup around the corner, this event is very important for us.”
Expressing confidence in his preparations, Sawan Barwal said, “Preparations have been very good. I have been logging over 200 kilometers a week, so I am feeling confident.”
The TCS World 10K Bengaluru is poised to welcome over 30,000 participants across on ground and virtual categories. On the resounding response for the event, Sawan Barwal said, “It is great to see the growth of running in India. I am happy that people are starting to believe that health is wealth and are choosing to run.”
Amongst the other Indian male athletes competing in the race are, Uttam Chand, Nitendra Singh Rawat, Dharmendra, Vivek Singh More, Sandeep Singh, Dinesh, Deepak Bhatt, Mohan Saini, Amrti Singh Bohra and Sandeep Devrari.
While the women’s World 10K race will begin at 06:40 Hrs. IST, the men’s event will be flagged off at 07:30 Hrs. Meanwhile, the Open 10K race is going to begin at 05:10 Hrs. from the Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw Parade Ground and finish at Army Public School, Bengaluru.