A strong women’s field, with elite runners from across the globe, has been assembled to challenge Ethiopia’s IAAF World Half Marathon Valencia 2018 winner Netsanet Gudeta at the TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2018 on Sunday 27 May.
Gudeta’s rivals this weekend will include the Kenyan pair of Agnes Tirop and Pauline Kamulu.
Tirop, still only 22, won the 2015 world cross country title and has proven herself to be a formidable competitor on the track as well.
She won the IAAF World Championships 10,000m bronze medal in London last summer and showed she is in excellent form earlier this month when finishing second over 3000m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Doha in a personal best of 8:29.09.
Kamulu, 23, has spent several years based in Japan but this will be her first trip to India. She surprised many when she took the bronze medal at the IAAF World Half Marathon Valencia 2018.
A third Kenya, Caroline Kipkirui, doesn’t have the international championships credentials of her two compatriots but has shown stunning form recently when winning the Doha 3000m in a personal best of 8:29.05.
Kipkirui also ran a 10km best of 30:28 when finishing second in Prague last month, which makes her the fastest woman in Bengaluru and the equal-seventh fastest ever.
Netsanet Gudeta will also have her compatriots Senbere Teferi and Zeineba Yimer to contend with.
Teferi celebrated her 23rd birthday earlier this month and has silver medals from the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and 2015 IAAF World Championships 5000m to her name.
Yimer doesn’t turn 20 until next month but won the high-quality Ethiopian half marathon championships in January and followed up that victory with fifth place in Valencia but this will be her debut over the 10km distance on the roads.
However, while the favourites for the 2018 women’s title appear to be from Ethiopia and Kenya, TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2018 race promoters Procam International have recruited elite athletes from across the world with top runners from Europe, Oceania and South America.
The TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2018, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, has a total prize fund of US$213,000. It risen in prominence every year since it was inaugurated in 2008 and is now one of Asia’s leading races over the distance.
Women’s elite field (with 10km personal best times)
- Netsanet Gudeta (ETH) – 31:35
- Caroline Kipkirui (KEN) – 30:28
- Senbere Teferi (ETH) – 30:38
- Agnes Tirop (KEN) – 31:00
- Daria Maslova (KGZ) – 31:36
- Stella Chesang (UGA) – 31:54
- Ines Melchor (PER) – 33:24
- Camille Buscomb (NZL) – 33:39
- Salome Nyirarukundo (RWA) – debut
- Pauline Kamulu (KEN) – debut
- Zeineba Yimer (ETH) – debut
- Ancuta Bobocel (ROM) – debut
Approximately 27,000 runners will take to the roads for five different races in what has become one of Bengaluru’s most high-profile sporting events.
In addition to the TCS World 10K for elite runners, there is an Open 10K, the Majja Run (6km) the Senior Citizens’ Race and Champions with Disability Race (both 4km).
