The 10th edition of the Tata Steel World 25K witnessed a comeback victory from Ethiopian Degitu Azimeraw and a diligent win from Olympic and World champion Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda on his 25K debut.
The women’s race
The Sunday morning race, run under cool conditions, saw four Ethiopian women cross the first 5K mark together. Kebede, who won the Tokyo Marathon earlier this year, was the most experienced among the four, having secured two back-to-back victories, including the last two editions here.
Azimeraw earlier won a title in Kolkata way back in 2017, when the race became international, and finished fourth the following year. She remained with the leading pack alongside Kebede and Meselech Alemayehu. Incidentally, Alemayehu was slightly ahead of the rest at the 15K mark, but Azimeraw increased her pace thereafter.
Kebede, however, was trailing in third spot until the waning stages of the race. She did start kicking her way to match the leader, but it was already too late to catch up with Azimarew, who logged her second win here after eight years in 1:19:36. With her dream of achieving a hat-trick of victories shattered, Kebede settled for a second place in 1:20:28, 20 seconds ahead of teammate Alemayehu.
After the race, Degitu said, “It wasn’t the plan before for me. It was a little crazy. My legs were a little stiff, so I just focused on going strong. But after 10km, my legs got better, and then I continued to build my race and speed, and with that, I won. I am very happy.”
A victory for world record holder Cheptegi
The World and Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda) faced a stiff challenge in the men’s race. Lesotho’s Tebello Ramakongoana led the fray most of the time. Tanzanian Alphonce Simbu and Cheptegei followed closely on his heels.
Tebello remained in command even when the runners passed the halfway mark, and together they went past the 20K (57:34) and the half-marathon distance (60:49).
Cheptegei made a move, broke away from the others, and gained a lead thereafter.
Simbu, the reigning World Champion in Marathon, made a desperate effort to catch up with the leader. However, fatigue took its toll, and he could not finish better than a second-place finish.
Cheptegei registered his first-ever 25K victory in 1:11:49 while Simbu (1:11:56) and Ramakongoana (1:11:59) completed the podium.
However, both Azimeraw and Cheptegei missed out on the world best and the course record, and thus a chance to win USD 25,000 and a 5000 bonus.
Cheptegei said, “Winning mattered more than the record for me. Coming back to Kolkata and winning is special for me. I have won in Bangalore, and this was a big race with world-class athletes. This victory gives me confidence and positivity as I prepare for my next marathon.”
Gulveer and Seema were the top Indians
Gulveer Singh, one of the rapidly improving distance runners in India in recent times, made his mark as he finished a creditable sixth place in the elite race for men. In the process, he pushed several acclaimed international runners far behind.
Seema, the top Indian finisher among the women, was already an Asian Cross-country Champion (2024) and a silver medallist in this year’s World University Games.
Both of them rewrote the Indian Bests for 25K today in their respective categories.
The Indian elite races, however, provided the most compelling narratives of the day. Gulveer delivered a statement run of rare authority, slicing more than two minutes off his own Indian course record. Gulveer surged to the front of the Indian pack early, briefly mixing it with the international elite before powering home in 1:12:06. He eclipsed the previous mark of 1:14:10, set by himself in 2024, underlining the remarkable progress he has made over the past two seasons. Harmanjot Singh (1:15:11) and Sawan Barwal (1:15:25) followed him onto the podium. Gulveer ran the race on a different level from the beginning. He always had a minute over his closest competitor from the 15 km mark; it steadily progressed to a difference of two minutes, and by the time he crossed the 21.1 km mark, he was at 1:00:58, to Harmanjot’s 1:03:17.
Talking about the win, the Asian long-distance double gold medallist Gulveer Singh said, “Records aren’t created just like that. They come from consistency. With strong support, dedicated coaches, and relentless training, the only goal is to be better than yesterday. I don’t believe in fixing ceilings for myself. Diet, workout, and rest are all I do.
Nothing else matters. Progress takes time. There are no shortcuts. India is rising, step by step, race by race. The journey is long, and I’m just getting started.”
Equally emphatic was Seema’s triumph in the Indian elite women’s category. Running with controlled aggression and visible confidence, the last year’s Asian Cross-country Champion and a silver medallist in the World University Games this summer, stopped the clock at 1:26:04, breaking the long-standing Indian course record of 1:26:53 set by Suriya L in 2017. The margin of victory told its own story as Sanjivani Jhadav finished second in 1:30:34, more than four minutes adrift, with Nirmaben Thakor third in 1:32:02. Seema appeared so composed at the finish that she still had energy to spare, a testament to her preparation and technical superiority. From the word go, she seemed to have been prepared at another level. Until the 10 km mark, she led Sanjivani by a minute, but after that, she pulled away. By 15, she led the pack by a minute and a half and by the 20 km mark by over two minutes. By the 21.1 km mark, the difference between her and the second-placed was three minutes. After that, it was her sight on the goal, and she cantered home, erasing an eight-year-old record.
Talking about the race, Seema said, “The course route has been changed, and it has now become a more challenging course. But I had come here with the mindset of winning. I am very happy to have been able to set the course record here, but had the course been like it was previously, I think I could have done better. To win needs a lot of discipline and sacrifice, and as an athlete, I have been doing it. Now my target is to qualify for the Asian and Commonwealth Games next year.”
Provisional results
Overall International Men:
Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda) 1:11:49
Alphonce Felix Simbu (Tanzania) 1:11:56
Tebello Ramakongoana (Lesotho) 1:11:59
Collins Kipkorir (Kenya) 1:12:02
Gulveer Singh (India) 1:12: 06
Fikadu Liche (Ethiopia) 1:12:09
Wisley Yego (Kenya) 1:12:12
Haymanot Alew (Ethiopia) 1:14:35
Niguse Abera (Ethiopia) 1:14:38
Harmanjot Singh (India) 1:15:11.
Overall International Women:
Degitu Azimeraw (Ethiopia) 1:19:36
Sutume Asefa Kebede (Ethiopia) 1:20:28
Meselech Alemayehu (Ethiopia) 1:20:48
Kuftu Tahir (Ethiopia) 1:23:32
Demilew Zemenaw (Ethiopia) 1:23:34
Netsanet Tafere (Ethiopia) 1:23:56
Rediet Daniel (Ethiopia) 1:24:18
Aberash Minsewo (Ethiopia) 1:24:48
Ergat Heshe (Ethiopia) 1:24:59
Seema (India) 1:26:04.
Indian Men:
Gulveer Singh (India) 1:12:06 (New Event Record)
Harmanjot Singh (India) 1:15:11
Sawan Barwal (India) 1:15:25
Kartik Karkera (India) 1:16:48
Abhishek Pal (India) 1:17:55
Hemant Singh (India) 1:18:53
Gaurav Mathur (India) 1:19:29
Puneet Yadav (India) 1:22:00
Shankar Swami (India) 1:24:00
Aneesh Chandel (India) 1:26:15.
Indian Women:
Seema (India) 1:26:04 (New Event Record)
Sanjivani Jadhav (India) 1:30:34
Nirmaben Thakor (India) 1:32:02
Ujala (India) 1:32:49
Bhagirathi (India) 1:33:23
Aarti Pawara (India) 1:36:43
Phoolan Pal (India) 1:41:18.
