Top international athletes are set to compete in the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K 2023, with their sights set on the 2024 Paris Olympics. The race, offering a total prize money of $100,000, is set for December 17, with equal awards for men and women winners. The top three finishers in each category will receive $7500, $5000, and $3500, respectively, with an additional $3,000 Event Record Bonus.
Kenya's Leonard Barsoton holds the Men's event record with a time of 1:12:49, while Bahrain's Desi Jisa leads the Women's record at 1:21:04. The race features Ethiopian Yalemzerf Yehualaw, the 10K world record-holder, making her debut in the women's 25K. Yehualaw, who placed second in the world all-time list at the half marathon and won the 2022 London Marathon, aims for victory in Kolkata as a stepping stone to the Paris Olympics.
Yehualaw faces competition from Uganda's Mercyline Chelangat and Kenya's Betty Chepkemoi Kibet. Kibet, a former Kenyan military and police member, is eyeing the 10,000m event in Paris. Chelangat, on her second visit to India, finished third in last year's race and aims to improve her performance.
In the men's category, Kenyan Daniel Simiyu Ebenyo, a two-time world championship silver medallist and winner of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2023, is a key contender. He faces competition from fellow Kenyan Benard Biwott and Ethiopian Haymanot Alew, both aiming for strong finishes and setting their sights on the Paris Olympics.
Elite Field for the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K 2023
Men
Women