Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], December 22 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu congratulated Seema for winning the gold medal at the Tata Steel World Kolkata 25K 2025 marathon competition held in Kolkata.
Seema, a resident of Reta village in Chamba district, also set a new national record in the 25,000-meter race. The Chief Minister stated that athlete Seema has brought laurels to the state at the national level. He added that her remarkable achievement serves as an inspiration to aspiring athletes across the country.
Seema delivered a commanding performance in the Indian elite women's category, showcasing controlled aggression throughout the race. The reigning Asian Cross-country Champion and World University Games silver medallist from last summer clocked an impressive 1:26:04, eclipsing the long-standing Indian course record of 1:26:53 set by Suriya L in 2017.
Her dominance was underlined by the winning margin, with Sanjivani Jhadav finishing a distant second in 1:30:34, over four minutes behind, while Nirmaben Thakor took third in 1:32:02. Seema looked composed at the finish, appearing to have plenty left in reservea clear reflection of her preparation and technical edge.
From the outset, she raced at a level above the rest. By the 10 km mark, she had already built a one-minute lead over Sanjivani. That advantage grew steadily: a minute and a half by 15 km, more than two minutes by 20 km, and three minutes by the halfway point of 21.1 km. From there on, Seema ran unchallenged, striding confidently to the finish and wiping out an eight-year-old course record with ease.
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."
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor