Defending champion Abhishek Pal and Sanjivani Jadhav will headline the Indian challenge in the 15th TCS World 10K Bengaluru here on 21 May, which will see record 27,000 participants. Headlining the Indian elite challenge will be defending champion Abhishek Pal who is hoping to clinch the title for the second successive time.

Abhishek, who won the previous edition of the Tata Consultancy Services World 10K Bengaluru, with a time of 30:05, will face formidable competition in the likes of Kartik Kumar and Gulveer Singh, both of whom finished just behind the winner.

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This year, the Indian elite line-up which has a cash purse of INR 2,75,000 each for men’s and women’s winners with a further INR 1,00,000 course record bonus will also see Olympians in contention with in-form T Gopi and Nitendra Singh Rawat lacing up at the start-line.

“I am excited and eagerly looking forward to race day once again this year. It was an enjoyable race last year, and I am hoping to put on a show and defend my title this year. This year with more elite runners added to the line-up, it will be quite a challenging yet exciting race,” Abhishek said.

Both Kartik and Gulveer finished their races with a time of 30:06 and took their places on the podium next to Abhishek, who is an experienced campaigner in the Tata Consultancy Services World 10K Bengaluru. Along with Abhishek, Kartik and Gulveer, there will also be the likes of Pravin Khambal, Harmanjot Singh, Tirtha Pun, Kiran Mathre and Dinesh, all of whom will be eyeing improvements from their timings from last season and also a spot on the podium.

In the women’s field, 2019 champion Sanjivani Jadhav will once again line-up at the starting line, with an eye on another winner’s medal. The Nashik-born athlete will be vying for her third title in this event and has been in good nick after a title win in Procam’s Delhi Half Marathon last year.

“I missed out on the title last year by a small margin, but this year, I have been preparing hard for the race and will absolutely give it my very best to win the race again. Procam International has given us a good opportunity to win cash prizes which are very helpful in sustaining our careers. My aim will definitely be to win the top prize and also break my own course record,” Sanjivani said.

In 2022, Parul was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 34:38 while Sanjivani bagged Silver as she finished moments later, with the clock reading 34:44. Sanjivani will face stiff competition from experienced runners like Kavita Yadav and Preenu Yadav, both of whom finished in the top 10 and will be keen to step up on to the podium this time.