JOIN USThere’s no doubt about the quality of the elite international field that will line up for the 10th edition of the TCS World 10K on Sunday. But the same can’t be said about the Indian athletes.
With names like Mohammad Yunus, Balliapa AB, Srinu Bugatha and Monika Athare pulling out of the race due to various reasons, the onus will be on the lesser known athletes to spark excitement on Sunday.
In the men’s section, the line-up includes Army man Deepak Kumbhar and national camper Ranjan Singh.
Kumbhar is coming on the back of a third-place finish at the Mumbai half marathon in January and will be looking to build on that to put up a good show. “It was a good start to the season. I hope I can build on that,” he said.
Challenging Kumbhar will be Ranjan, the winner at the 2016 Vadodara Half Marathon. Ranjan will be looking at the Bengaluru event as an opportunity to test himself ahead of the Federation Cup in two weeks time.
Another runner in fray is Inderjeet Patel, a familiar face in the 10K races. Inderjeet has been training under veteran coach J S Bhatia in Ooty and will be looking for a good show.
“I will aim for a top 10 finish amongst the elite athletes,” Inderjeet said. “I am looking at clocking a personal best on a surface that looks very smooth, even though the humidity and heat will slow my race down.”
In the women’s section, in the absence of champion Gadhave, Monika Raut of the Railways will lead the charge. Raut is returning to Bengaluru after 2014 when she finished a disappointing 10th.
“That was my first time, so inexperience played its part too. I hope this time I can give a good account of myself. The roads looks good. I anticipate a great run but we will really know only tomorrow. I am starting tomorrow with a need to win and to fight off all competitors.”