The occasion was also used by the promoters to declare its preparedness to present an improved seventh edition of the World’s Premier 10K run that presents itself as a classical synthesis of track & field and road running and offers many of the world’s fastest track athletes and their road-running counterparts an opportunity to come together and vie for glory. The seventh edition of the unique run will be flagged off from Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Sunday, May 18 2014.
Present on the occasion were Shri R. Roshan Baig, Hon’ble Minister, Infrastructure, Information & Haj, Govt. of Karnataka, Patron of TCS World 10K Bangalore, Shri K. Abhayachandra, Hon’ble Minister, Youth Services & Fisheries, Govt. of Karnataka & Patron of TCS World 10K Bangalore Mr. Nagaraj Ijari, TCS, Mr.Sandeep Juneja, Vice President Commercial, DHL, Mr.Avinash Pant, Marketing Head, Nike India Mr. P.N. Sankaran, Director Operations, Procam International, Mr. Vivek B Singh, Jt. Managing Director, Procam International.
Commenting on the preparations for the Tata Consultancy Services World 10K Bangalore 2014, Nagaraj Ijari Vice-President & Global Head Hi-Tech & Professional Services Business Segment, TCS, “Today we stand on the threshold of yet another edition of the TCS World 10K Bangalore 2014, an event that continues to change the way the world looks at 10K runs. We are glad to present improved events each year and look forward to welcoming top track & field and roadrunners from across the world, within India, and from Bangalore to the run. We wish them the very best as they train for the run.”
Strong response from Bangalore city: It has been a momentous seven-year journey for the World 10K Bangalore since its inception in 2008, with the event setting benchmarks in terms of elite athlete participation, the involvement of the city and the amount of money raised for charity. For the seventh year, the total participation in the event has crossed 24,800. This commitment from the participants propels Procam International to deliver superior events year after year.
The Open 10K Run, which also includes contests ‘Nike - The Young and The Fast’ and the ‘DHL Corporate Champions’, has received around 13200 entries, a whopping 2500 more than last year, while the Majja Run 10,600. The Senior Citizens’ Run will have over 750, while the event for the Champions With Disability will see 250 participants. Besides these races, the feature events of the day will be the World 10K for elite men & women.
Track athletes and their road-running counterparts to come together in a superfast elite athlete field: Global Sports Communication (GSC), the event’s elite athlete coordinator has put together a highly competitive field of elite athletes for the TCS World 10K Bangalore 2014, with an aim to lower existing course records.
The men’s record stands at 27.51 minutes, set by Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadese in 2008, while the women’s mark stands at 31.58, set by Ethiopian Yimer Wude in 2010. An added incentive of USD 7500 is up for grabs for the new course record.
Leading the field at the stadium’s start line on Sunday, May 18 will be world famous Alex Oloitiptip among men, and winner of a stunning seven medals at World Championships, Linet Masai on the women’s side.
Bringing out the true character of the event as a leading track & field and road-running event, the 10K Bangalore will bring together top road racerunners such as Alex Oloitiptip, Geoffrey Kipsang Kamworor, Lucy Kabuu and Meselech Melkamu and their track & field counterparts Moses Kipsiro, Vincent Chepkok, Linet Masai and Ababel Yeshaneh. Each of the runners has highly impressive qualifications. While Alex is the event’s defending champion, Geoffrey ran the fastest half marathon of 2013, Lucy is among the world’s leading female distance runners, and Meselech is one of the fastest debutants in marathon in 2012.
Among the track & field experts, Moses won the 5000m and 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. Vincent was the 8th fastest athlete in 10,000m in 2013, Linet has won several medals at the World Championships in different events, and Ababel was the 5th fastest female runner over 10,000m in 2013. This proves that the event presents itself as an extraordinary platform where the world’s finest runners come together and strive for victory.
