Soji Mathew an experienced runner in the men's field will face stiff competition from fellow Indian Nitender Singh Rawat and Kheta Ram. All three competed against each other few months back at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2014 where Nitender Singh was 1st runner up whilst Kheta Ram and Soji Mathew came 3rd and 4th respectively.
Representing the Railway, Soji Mathew said, "I feel great about the concept of 25K which is different and is taking place for the first time in India. I have not participated in a 25k run before and I really look forward to put up good timing at this event, and hope to complete the race in approximately 1 hr 18 minutes."
Nitender Singh Rawat is well aware of the tough competition and is confident to win the title having defeated both the top contender Kheta Ram and Soji Mathew few months back in Delhi.
Speaking at the press conference on his preparation, Rawat stated, "I have participated in Kolkata before, but this a new distance for me too and am excited to see how I perform in this race. If the weather conditions remain the same, it will certainly be a good race."
In the challenging Women's field, Kavita Raut will compete with the confident Sudha Singh, a strong contender for the title.
Bronze medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Kavita Raut said, "Procam has been really supportive and has always been caring towards the athletes. The reason we succeed is because we perform with a free mind without worrying about our necessities and this is only possible due to the elaborate facilities provided by Procam International."
Sudha Singh has participated last year in the10K in Kolkata and this time has geared up with doubled confidence for the race. Commenting at the press conference she said, “I would like to thank Procam for this change and opportunity, participating in this event would actually prepare me for the full Marathon in Mumbai which I am preparing for. It is a pleasure for us to participate in Procam events since they are so professionally managed and organised. They know exactly what an athlete wants before a race, leaving us to put up a good performance at the race."
Other athletes part of the impressive line-up at the inaugural editon of the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K are Kheta Ram, Sanvroo Yadav, Javid Iqbal, Arvind Kr.Patel, Hari Shankar Sharma, Vikas Kumar, Chandra Prakash, Yogi, Shander Singh in the men’s category and Monika Raut, Vijaymala Patil, Manisha Salunkhe, Priyanka Singh Patel, Rooma Devi, Sindhu Yadav, Jyoti Singh in the womens’ field.
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