Tata Mumbai Marathon: Taluka Sports Officer Jadhav shocks champion Thakor

A delighted Sanjivani Jadhav crosses the finish line in first place. Pic/Satej Shinde

Two-time champion Nirmaben Thakor had to be satisfied with the silver medal as Nashik's Taluka Sports Officer Sanjivani Jadhav clinched gold among the elite Indian women in her maiden 42km run at the Tata Mumbai Marathon on Sunday.

Jadhav secured top position clocking 2:49:02, while Thakor finished in 2:49:13. Sonam won bronze, clocking 2:49:24.

"It's not easy to manage my TSO office [in Nashik] work and also train, but I managed. This was my maiden full marathon, so I was keen to give it my best and win," Jadhav told mid-day on Sunday.

Speaking of her race strategy to compete against a seasoned campaigner like Thakor, Jadhav said: "She [Thakor] was the defending champion and has a lot of experience, but my plan was to keep myself in the race and then push in the end and I'm glad that it worked," said Jadhav, who has been a regular in long distance running since 2017 and has made podium finishes in four half marathons recently. She won the Bengaluru Marathon, while securing second place at the Delhi and Kolkata Marathon respectively. When asked if she's aiming to qualify for the Asian Games in Japan through the upcoming Delhi Marathon (February 22), Jadhav replied: "Earlier, I thought about qualifying for the Asian Games full marathon event through the Delhi Marathon, but I think 2:31:00 will be tough. However, in the 10km and 5km event I can easily qualify so that will be my aim. I feel I can win a medal at the Asian Games."

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This was Sanjivani Jadhav's maiden full marathon

2:49:02
Sanjivani Jadhav's Mumbai Marathon-winning time