Ethiopia’s Azimeraw upset two-time champion Sutume Kebede

Kolkata, December 21, 2025: On a chilly winter Sunday, the Tata Steel World 25K delivered a riveting spectacle as records tumbled, champions asserted their dominance and Indian distance running announced another leap forward. While Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei underlined his mastery of the distance in the international elite men’s race, the day truly belonged to India’s Gulveer Singh and Seema, both of whom rewrote the course records in their respective elite categories.

Cheptegei, the double Olympic champion, stamped his authority early, dictating the pace from the flag-off and never relinquishing control. He crossed the line in 1:11:49 to win is maiden title, finishing ahead of Tanzania’s Alphonce Felix Siumbu (1:11:56) and Lesotho’s Tebello Ramakongoana (1:11:59) in a tightly contested podium finish. Though he fell short of the course record of 1:11:13 set by Daniel Simiu Ebenyo in 2023, Cheptegei’s composed and commanding run reaffirmed his stranglehold over the event. For a major part of the race, the trio kept in a close pack with nothing separating them at the 15 km or 20 km mark. But Joshua, at par with others at 01:00:49 at the 21.1 km half-marathon distance, pulled away the last four kilometres to leave his stamp on the course.

Joshua 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.”

In the international elite women’s race, Ethiopia’s Degitu Azimeraw produced a clinical performance to dethrone defending champion Sutume Asefa Kebede. Running the Kolkata course for the third time, Azimeraw, the winner here in 2017 and a fourth-placer a year later, broke away decisively and led from start to finish, clocking 1:19:36. Sutume settled for second in 1:20:28, while Meselech Alemayehu completed an Ethiopian clean sweep in 1:20:48. Despite Azimeraw’s victory, the course record remained with Sutume. In the women’s race, Degitu showed her intention to grab the course by its scruff and control it from the minute they flagged off. She always led the pack at the 10, 15 and 20 km marks by a good few seconds, but that turned into a minute’s difference by the 22 km mark, and when she won the race, she was a good 500 mts ahead of her closest competitor.

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."

The Indian elite races, however, provided the most compelling narratives of the day. Gulveer Singh delivered a statement run of rare authority, slicing more than two minutes off his own Indian course record. With smooth, fluid strides, 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 01:00:58, to Harmanjot’s 01:03:17.

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 is 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 prepared at another level. Till 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.”

The following are the 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.

Vijay Diwas Trophy:
Indian Navy 1 (Vinod Singh, Prakash Deshmukh, Nitesh Kumar Rathva) 4:00:40; Indian Army 1 (Saroj Kunwar, Shivam Singh, Sandeep Singh) 4:01:15; Indian Army 5 (Jeevan Singh, Anand Singh Rawat, Bheem Singh) 4:03:03.

Police Cup Winners:
Police Cup Men Team 13 (Krishnendu Mondal, Manas Das, Panchanan Datta) 0:37:11; Police Cup Men Team 27 (Prasanta Patra, Md Wazed Ali, Rabindranath Maity) 0:39:23; Police Cup Men Team 28 (Ekbul Saikh, Ardhendu Mallick, Kousik Mondal) 0:40:39.
Police Cup Women Team 14 (Moumita Khamrai, Tanushree Murmu, Puja Biswas) 0:56:39; Police Cup Women Team 11 (Shreya Nandy, Jannatun Khatun, Moumita Pramanick) 0:57:38; Police Cup Women Team 13 (Tusmita Roy, Beauty Roy, Jayashree Hansda) 1:01:32.

RUN In Costume:
SOLO
1st Indrakshi haldar
2nd Soumi Das
GROUP
1st Run for pause
2nd GD Birla

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