Kochi: Keralites shone in the Kochi Navy Marathon, which turned out to be a resounding success. Mohammad Sabeel from Malappuram claimed the first prize in the 21 km open category of the event, which began on Sunday from the Sagarika Cruise Terminal in Wellington. Senegal's Collins Kipkirui Sang and Gilbert Kipkoge secured the second and third positions, respectively, in the marathon that showcased remarkable talent.

In the 21 km women's category, Soumya from the Indian Navy emerged as the winner, while Bismi Agustin and A.K. Rema finished in second and third places, respectively.

In the 10 km open category, K. Ajith clinched the top spot, followed by Hemant Kumar from the Indian Navy and Subhashish Manna from the Indian Army. In the women's category, G. Jinsi secured first place, with Femina Treesa and Anouska Yadav taking second and third positions, respectively.

The 21 km race was held under the banner "Venduruthy Run," while the 10 km race was named "Dronacharya Run." A 5 km race titled "Garuda Run" was also organised, where Rohan Menon from Palakkad emerged as the winner.

The Garuda Run was flagged off by Vice Admiral V. Srinivas, Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command. The Dronacharya Run was inaugurated by Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Upal Kundu, and the Venduruthy Run was flagged off by CSO (Training) Rear Admiral Satish Shenoy. Prizes were distributed to the winners during the closing ceremony.