Maharashtra's Chhagan Bombale and Andhra Pradesh's Kavitha Reddy clinched the coveted titles in the Mumbai Half Marathon 2022 here at the Bandra Kurla Complex here on Sunday.
On a cloudy and slightly wet morning, with overcast skies but no rain, Bombale comfortably won the 21k event that started and ended at the Jio Gardens, in 1:16:11. He shook off his challengers one by one, leaving second place finisher Bhagatsing Valvi trailing over a minute behind at 1:17:51. Anil Jindal settled for the third place in 1:18:20.
The women's event was also a one-sided affair as Kavitha Reddy opened up a decent gap against the chasing pack and breasted the tape in 1:37:03, leaving her nearest rival Tanmaya Karmarkar over three minutes behind at 1:40:18. Ketaki Sathe came in third, a further four minutes down the clock in 1:44:55.
Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, the brand ambassador of the Mumbai Half Marathon, flagged off the races and also felicitated the winners later.
"It has been very challenging for everybody over the last two years because of the pandemic but I am overwhelmed to see so many lines up for the city's first biggest run since then," Sachin Tendulkar said while interacting with the media.
"We are delighted to kick off the running season in such a big way. Mumbaikars have once again shown their indomitable spirit by turning up in such large numbers," Karthik Raman, Chief Marketing Officer, Ageas Federal Life Insurance, said.
The men's 10k saw a neck and neck battle all the way between the leading pack of runners before ending in a thrilling climax. Amit Mali crossed the finish line in 0:33:42, just a couple of seconds ahead of the tenacious Karan Sharma, who was timed at 0:33:44. Sanjay Zakane claimed the third spot in 0:33:50.
In the keenly contested women's 10k event, Rohini Maya Patil clocked 0:41:32 to wrest top honours while Priyanka Paikarao took silver in 0:42:26 and Priyanka Kailash the bronze in 0:43.51.
Organised by NEB Sports, over 13,500 runners from all walks of life took part in the race in three different categories - the half marathon, Timed 10k and 5k.
( With inputs from ANI )
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