Sanjivani, Pal reign supreme amongst Indians

Bengaluru: Sanjivani Jadhav continued her love affair with the TCS World 10K Bengaluru while Abhishek Pal produced a smashing performance in sapping conditions as Indian athletes fought exhaustion and fatigue in style to make a statement of their own.

Competing here less than 72 hours after running both the 5,000 and 10,000m races at the 28th National Federation Senior Athletics Championships in Kochi, the odds were stacked against the majority of the Indian athletes but Abhishek and Sanjivani found that extra adrenaline to lay their hands on the winners cheque of Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2.75 lakh respectively.

Running alongside the Elite International women, a race which turned into a one-horse battle by the spellbinding Sarah Chelangat of Uganda, Sanjivani bossed the competition amongst her compatriots to secure a fourth consecutive triumph in the Garden City after crossing the line in 34:16. Bharti Nain, who gave a good fight till the halfway stage before losing gas, came home second with a timing of 35:36 while Poonam Sonune was third, 21 seconds further.

“I love competing in the TCS 10K Bengaluru,” a delighted Sanjivani said at the post-race press conference. “It was hard because we were all competing in the Federation Cup last week which itself was intense. So I couldn’t go full tilt here but I still wanted to do well. I’m happy to have won for a fourth consecutive time and I hope there’s more to come.”

Railways’ Pal was given a good fight by second-placed Sawan Barwal, the Armyman who took the gold in 10,000m at Fed Cup. But Pal, who exacted a modicum of revenge when he won the 5,000m gold in Kochi on Thursday, seemed determined to add the coveted TCS title to his resume.

The intense push from Barwal, despite his batteries not charged back to full, forced Pal to give it his all. The duo kept going at each other before Pal found that extra wind towards the end to take gold with a new record timing of 29:12 while Barwal settled for silver (29:45). Defending champion Kiran Matre (30:01) was third.

“The Asian Athletics Championships is coming up (in South Korea next month). So we didn’t want to go full tilt. But the race was a fast one and I knew one of could break the record. I’m happy to have done it,” said Pal. 

Results: Indian Elite men: Abhishek Pal (29:12) 1; Sawan Barwal (29:45) 2; Kiran Matre (30:01) 3.

Indian Elite women: Sanjivani Jadhav (34:16) 1; Bharti Nain (35:36) 2; Poonam Sonune (35:57) 3. 

Winners of the Indian Elite Atheles women's.