India’s Sanjivani Jadhav extended her dominance at the World 10K with a third consecutive title, while Harmanjot Singh emerged as the fastest Indian in the men’s race, headlining the home contingent’s performances at the 18th edition of the prestigious World Athletics Gold Label event on Sunday.
Among the international elites, Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera delivered on a long-standing promise, storming to victory in the men’s race with a new event record of 27:31. Having narrowly missed out on the title in a photo finish three years ago, Kwizera made his move after the 8km mark and never looked back, bettering the previous course record by seven seconds.
Kenya’s Stanley Wafula Kibet finished second in 27:39, while compatriot Gilbert Kipkosgei Kiprotich secured third place in 27:43 in only his second international 10K appearance.
“I am very happy to have won the race. The conditions were challenging due to the heat, but I planned my push after 5K and again in the final kilometre,” Kwizera said after pocketing USD 34,000, including the event record bonus.
In the women’s race, Rwanda’s Florence Niyonkuru marked a stunning debut over the distance, clinching the title in 30:45. Despite facing stiff competition from Kenya’s Brenda Jepchirchir and Ethiopia’s Chaltu Dida Diriba, Niyonkuru held her nerve to seal victory.
Jepchirchir (30:59) and Diriba (31:03) completed the podium after a closely contested finish.
“The conditions were tough, but I focused on the race. I missed the event record, but I hope to come back stronger next year,” said Niyonkuru.
For India, Harmanjot Singh delivered a standout performance, clocking 29:13 to finish as the fastest Indian, missing the event record by just one second. His effort earned him the top domestic honour and a prize purse of INR 3,00,000.
Karnataka’s Shailesh Kushwaha (29:21) and Deepak Bhatt (29:52) followed closely to complete the Indian podium.
“I wanted to stay with the international elite pack as long as possible, which I managed till 5K. After that, I trusted my own pace,” Harmanjot said.
In the women’s category, Sanjivani once again underlined her consistency, clinching her fifth overall title at the event with a time of 35:01. Her hat-trick of wins further cements her status as one of India’s most reliable distance runners.
Soniya (35:31) edged past Bhagirathi (35:32) in a thrilling battle for second place, improving significantly on her performance from last year.
“This is my third consecutive win here and I’m proud of it. I was aiming for the event record as well, but I’m happy with the result,” Sanjivani said.
Reflecting on her run, Soniya added, “I came in much better prepared this year. I tried to catch Sanjivani but couldn’t close the gap.”
With strong performances across categories and a continued streak of dominance from Sanjivani, India signed off with plenty of positives from one of the country’s premier road races.