Ebenyo eyes new personal best at World Athletics Gold Label Tata Steel World 25K race in Kolkata

World 10,000m and World Road Running Championships silver medal winner, Daniel Ebenyo is aiming to better the 1:11:13 time he ran last year when he won the 25k at the World Athletics Gold Label Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata, when he takes to the road at this year’s edition scheduled to hold on Sunday, 15 December.

Ebenyo’s lifetime best in the event is just five seconds slower than the 1:11:08 his country-mate Eliud Kipchoge ran on his way to setting the world record (2:01:09) in the Berlin Marathon two years ago.

‘The Kolkata roads are fast, and conditions are ideal; it is a perfect opportunity for me to defend my title and better my timing,’ the reigning champion Ebenyo revealed while
confirming his entry for 2024.

Ebenyo will be joined by his country man, Benson Kipruto and Haymanot Alew of Ethiopia in a packed men’s race.

Earlier this year, Kipruto won the Tokyo Marathon with a season-leading time of 2:02:16. While doing so, he was officially timed 1:11:39 at 25K. He went on to win the bronze
medal in the Paris Olympics this summer.

Alew finished just outside the podium in Kolkata last year but was lucky to compensate for it after a month with a second-place finish in the Tata Mumbai Marathon.

The presence of Kipruto and Alew alongside Ebenyo is already suggesting a great race in Bengal’s capital in mid-December, and anticipation is high for some remarkable performances.

Two other notable entries in the men’s section are Stephen Kissa and Diriba Girma. Kissa, the Ugandan, finished fifth in the World Championships Marathon in Budapest last year.

Diriba (21), the younger brother of multiple world championship medalist Lamecha Girma, is expecting a big break on his entry into the road running circuit.

Speaking about the immensely competitive international athlete line-up in the elite category, Vivek Singh, Joint MD, Procam International, said, “The return of the defending champions
and course record holders, Ebenyo and Kebede, augurs well for the world’s first, World Athletics Gold Label 25K race It underscores the event’s growing global stature.

Amateur registrations, across categories have soared as well to new highs with over 20,000 amateurs from India and around the world set to participate in the ninth edition of the Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata.