News08 May 2017


Geremew and Cheptai lead entries for World 10K Bengaluru

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Mosinet Geremew winning the TCS World 10K in Bengaluru (© TCS World 10K Organisers)

Ethiopia’s defending champion Mosinet Geremew will return to the TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2017 with the aim of acquiring his third successive victory at the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race on Sunday 21 May.

The 25-year-old Geremew will arrive in Bengaluru in good form on the evidence of his 1:00:56 win over a strong field at the Yangzhou International Half Marathon in China last month but he will still have his work cut out in his bid for a hat-trick of titles as he will line up against world record-holder Leonard Komon from Kenya.

Komon clocked his time of 26:44 in Utrecht back in 2010 and he started this year in good form, his results including a 12th-place finish at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships Kampala 2017.

Among the other runners expected to challenge Geremew are two men who have run faster than the defending champion’s personal best of 27:36, New Zealand’s Zane Robertson and Ethiopia’s Birhanu Legese.

Robertson, an Olympic 10,000m finalist last year, clocked a world-leading PB of 27:28 when winning in Berlin last October.

Legese has 10km personal best of 27:38 and is no stranger to Indian road races. He was an impressive winner of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon in 2015 when he clocked 59:20.

Kenya’s Edwin Kiptoo and Ethiopia’s Guye Adola are also worth keeping an eye on. Neither man has yet run faster than 28 minutes for 10km on the roads but both of them have already run within 60 minutes for the half marathon this year and will be out to substantially revise their personal bests over the shorter distance in Bengaluru.

The target time for all the top runners is the men’s course record of 27:44, set by Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor in 2014.

The women’s course record also belongs to a Kenyan, Lucy Kabuu, who clocked 31:48 in 2014.

That time looks well within the grasp of world cross-country champion Irene Cheptai, also from Kenya, who has only had a handful of road races but can boast of a best of 31:45 set at altitude in Nairobi.

Cheptai is one of five women who have PBs faster than course record, including her compatriot Gladys Chesir. Chesir is also the fastest woman in the field with 30:41 from when she won in Berlin two years ago.

Among the Kenyan pair’s rivals will be Ethiopia’s Wude Yimer, who won this race in 2010 and was placed second and third in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Approximately 24,000 runners will take to the roads of Bengaluru for the five different races in what has become an annual event on the third Sunday in May.

Organisers for the IAAF

Elite field

Men
Leonard Komon (KEN) 26:44
Zane Robertson (NZL) 27:28
Birhanu Legese (ETH) 27:34
Mosinet Geremew (ETH) 27:36
Mumin Gala (DJI) 27:51
Mule Wasihun (ETH) 27:57
Abrar Osman (ERI) 28:05
Solomon Deksisa (ETH) 28:14
Bonsa Dida (ETH) 28:16
Edwin Kiptoo (KEN)28:20
Abdallah Mande (UGA) 28:20
Guye Adola (ETH) 28:22
Paul Kipsiele Koech (KEN) 28:25
Hiskel Tewelde (ERI) debut
Onesphore Nzikwinkunda (BDI) debut

Women
Gladys Chesir (KEN) 30:41
Wude Yimer (ETH) 31:07
Sofiya Shemsu (ETH) 31:23
Helah Kiprop (KEN) 31:44
Irene Cheptai (KEN) 31:45
Worknesh Degefa (ETH) 31:53
Failuna Matanga (TAN) 32:48
Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 33:04
Nazret Weldu (ERI) 33:22
Desi Jisa (BRN) 33:35
Mimi Belete (BRN) debut

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