Bengaluru witnessed a grand spectacle as Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei and Sarah Chelangat delivered masterful performances at the TCS 10K Bengaluru on Sunday morning.
Cheptegei, the Olympic and three-time world 10,000m champion, lived up to his billing, unleashing a powerful sprint in the final two kilometres to clinch the men’s elite title. Despite being shadowed by a strong pack for most of the race, the seasoned Ugandan pulled away late to clock 27 minutes and 53 seconds, celebrating a special win in the city where he made his international debut back in 2014.
Seventeen-year-old Saymon Tesfagiorgis of Eritrea put up an impressive fight to grab silver in 27:55, while Kenya’s Vincent Langat finished third at 28:02.
In the women’s elite race, it was all about Sarah Chelangat. The 22-year-old executed a flawless start-to-finish dominance, sprinting ahead from the flag-off and maintaining her lead despite the humid conditions. She crossed the finish line in a superb 31:07, leaving the favourite Cintia Chepngeno of Kenya to settle for silver at 32:04, just ahead of Ethiopia’s Guteni Shanko at 32:06.
Cheptegei expressed his joy after the win, calling India “a land where dreams are achieved,” and vowed for an even stronger career ahead as he shifts focus to marathons.
The morning in Garden City proved that when grit meets glory, history is made!
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