Sanjivani sets Indian best

Sanjivani Yadav’s excellent form fetched her another moment of joy here on Sunday. The emerging star of women’s distance running in the country overhauled some big names to be the best Indian runner at the World TCS 10K Bengaluru on Sunday. 

Sanjivani, who had bagged the 10000M silver at the 29th World University Games in Taipei, clocked 33:38 to bag the gold in the Indian Elite Women category.

The 20-year-old from Nashik had more reasons to rejoice as her effort had overhauled the previous Indian women’s course record of 34:32 set by Kavita Raut in 2009.

Sanjivani finished 10th overall, ahead of some of the foreign athletes. The seasoned Swati Gadhave came second in 35:08 while Kiranjeet Kaur was third in 35:25. 

“I am extremely happy today. Kavita is my senior in Ekalavya Athletics and Sports Institute and to break her record is a proud feeling. Ahead of the race, I was positive of setting a record but wasn’t sure of being the best Indian. I thank my coach Vijender Singh for his support,” said Sanjivani, who had won a bronze in 5000M in the Asian Athletics Championship in Bhubaneswar last year. Sanjivani won a prize money of Rs 2,75,000 plus an additional course record bonus of Rs 2,00,000. 

Vijender, who saw his ward script another victory, said: “Her rhythm has improved over the course of one year. That’s one of the reasons behind her success not just nationally but at international events also.” 

The battle for the best Indian male athlete turned out to be a thriller. Favourite Suresh Kumar and Man Singh produced an exciting dash much to the delight of the crowd at the Sree Kanteerava stadium. The close contest ended in a photo finish and Suresh had the last laugh. Shankar Man Thapa (30:41) was third. 

“It would have helped if the race was advanced by an hour. The humidity was difficult to handle. Otherwise, I feel I met my expectations,” said Suresh Kumar. 

Over 15,000 runners participated in the Open 10K, the first race of the day, while there was encouraging numbers in other categories like Majja Run, Champions With Disability and Senior Citizen’s run. 

Results: Men: Suresh Kumar (30:12), 1; Man Singh (30:12), 2; Shankar Man Thapa (30:41), 3. Women: Sanjivani Jadhav (33:38), 1; Swati Gadhave (35:08), 2; Kiranjeet Kaur (35:25), 3.