PANJIM: Indian Navy’s Ankit Kumar Yadav and Bengaluru’s Deepika Prakash, a banker by profession, won in the male and female categories, respectively, in the 21-km open event at the Rotary Rain Run 2024, whose 10th tenth edition was held in North Goa on Sunday.
Prem Thakur and Ryohei Takahashi (Japan) were the first and second runners-up in the men’s 21 km timed run category, while Galina Kuzmina (Russia) and Hansine Benoit (France) were first and second runners-up, respectively, in the women’s event in the same category.
Hari Velip (Dharbandora) and Ayan Soares (Margao) topped the male and female categories, respectively, in the Run’s 10-km 18-44 years category.
Over 2,000 athletes, both professional and amateur, participated in the run, organised in Goa by the Rotary Club of Porvorim, which was flagged off from the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) Athletics Stadium in Bambolim, by Col. Rajeev Raghavan, Deputy Commandant, 2 STC.
In the 21 km timed run, winner Ankit Kumar Yadav clocked a timing of one hour, 20 minutes, 31 seconds in the men’s category, and Deepika Prakash emerged victorious in the women’s category, clocking one hour, 43 minutes, five seconds.
In the 10 km timed run category, Hari Velip won the run in the men’s category by clocking a timing of 38 minutes, 57 seconds and Ayan Soares won in the women’s category, with a timing of 52 minutes, 11 seconds.
Other non-timed runs at the event included a five km dream walk, two km fun walk and the newly introduced two km Seniority Walk. Around 25 para-athletes from Goa and Karnataka also participated in the two km fun walk.
The run was supported by volunteers from the Indian Army and the Indian Navy. The Army was instrumental in logistics, offering volunteers and managing the setup of crucial facilities including hydration points, a breakfast counter and a medical room. The Indian Navy also provided assistance to the runners throughout the event.
Rotary Rain Run is a member of the Association of International Marathon and Distance Races (AIMS), which collaborates with World Athletics to ensure that the road races are measured accurately and meet global standards.
