On a flatter course and in cooler weather, a competitive field including in-form defending champions Daniel Ebenyo and Sutume Kebede pose a threat to the records of the Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata to be held here on Sunday.
Ebenyo and Sutume are looking to run fast and improve on their records in the men’s and women’s races of 1:11.13 and 1:18:47, respectively, as well as pocket the winner’s purse of $15,000 each in addition to the record-breaking bonus of $5,000 .
In addition to the return of the defending champions to the richest 25km race in the world, with a total prize money of $142,214, the participation of Olympic bronze medalist Benson Kipruto raised the profile of the first World Athletics Gold Label event.
The competition in India also looks competitive with the presence of title holder Sawan Barwal, 5,000 m and 10,000 m national record holder Gulveer Singh, former men’s champion Abhishek Pal and TCS World 10 km winner Sanjivani Jadhav and winner of the Delhi Half Marathon and local winner girl Lili Das in the women’s category.
Indian winners will receive ₹3 lakh each. The event record will bring in an extra £1m.
The Indian records are held by Olympic steeplechase athlete Avinash Sable (1:15:17) and L. Suriya (1:26:53) in the men’s and women’s categories respectively.
20,537 runners registered for the competition.
