Cheptegei shines, Eyayu surprises in Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon/India – Ram. Murali Krishnan

Indian Super League 2024-25

New Delhi, 20^th Oct: Olympian Joshua Cheptegei lived up to his billing to take home the men’s crown, while Alemaddis Eyayu pushed pre-race favourite Cynthia Limo behind for a surprise win in the women’s race in today’s Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, at the Indian capital.

Kenya’s Alex Matata (27) led a major part of the race with his teammate Nicholas Kipkorir, who ran his maiden half marathon internationally.   Kipkorir was a bronze medalist in the 5 km World Championships last year.

Matata was unbeaten in all three races he took part in in Europe earlier this year, with two sub-60 minutes clocking in two of them.  That made the race exciting, and everyone was looking for a fast finish timing from the men’s winner.   Matata keeps the lead until the runners turn toward the finish line in the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, where the race commenced less than an hour earlier to decide the 2024 title.  Cheptegei, running seconds behind the Kenyan, realized the now-or-never situation and came from behind to snatch the lead from Matata to win in 59 minutes 46 seconds.      Matata (59:53) and Kipkorir (59:59) complete the podium with the Ugandan.

Incidentally, the Vedanta Delhi half marathon was one of the fastest races in the World and usually saw incredible timings by the participants. Ethiopian Deriba Merga was the first to post a sub-60-minute winning time in 2008 when all the podium finishers dipped under 1 hour. This action was repeated several times in some of the subsequent editions at Delhi, wherein 2014 witnessed a record number of nine runners finishing within 60 minutes.

Former world champion Muktar Edris from Ethiopia, another pre-race favourite, finished fifth (60:52), while Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu (60:40) got the fourth place.

Cheptegei, with multiple world titles on his cap, said that “this win in Delhi was special to me because it is my first-ever victory in a Half Marathon.  India has been important for my career, and this country now means a lot to me.  I felt good throughout the race despite the slow start.  My first aim was to catch up with Nicholas (Kipkorir) and then Alex (Matata) in the final few kilometres of the race.  I am delighted with my performance and hope to continue in the same manner in the future races”.

Thank you, Vedanta Delhi Half, for a wonderful race. This has been a special race that tested my mind.  Initially, I felt some problems in my feet around 16-17 km, but I decided to push and catch up with Nicholas, and then for about two kilometers, we pushed each other.  I took it slow because I didn’t want to burn out, and I wanted to finish strong.  Now I go back home with a feeling to conquer the roads”, he further revealed.

Ethiopia’s Alemaddis Eyayu, crosses the finish line in 01:08:17 to win the overall Women’s title at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2024. The picture also shows Valarie Allman, International Event Ambassador, VDHM 2024 & Adille Sumariwala, President of Indian Athletics.  – Photo: Procam International

Eyayu beats favourite Limo to win the women’s title:

Alemaddis Eyayu extended the Ethiopian winning streak in Delhi.   Kenya’s Cynthia Limo, the pre-race favourite, led the field right from the beginning while Scotland’s Commonwealth Champion Eilish McColgan trailed behind all the time.  McColgan had the fastest and only sub-66 minute timing among the elite women who took the starting lineup today.  However, two Ethiopians, Eyayu and Tiruye Mesfin, stuck with Limo for the entire part.

Cynthia Limo, who won the women’s title here in 2015, had returned to Delhi after nine years.  Following her victory in the Indian capital, the Kenyan runner secured a silver medal in Cardiff’s 2016 World Half Marathon championships.

Eyayu and Limo passed the 10K mark together and remained the sole leaders in the women’s race. However, the Ethiopian runner pulled ahead in the second phase of the race, leaving Limo 10-15 seconds behind.  It was a crucial deciding factor at the end as Eyayu crossed the finish line 68:17 for the top spot, while Limo did so 10 seconds later.  Mesfin clocked 69:42 for third and McColgan 69:55 to finish fourth and outside the podium.

“I had a good race, tried to keep my pace and aimed to finish well.  I am happy to have achieved it” Eyayu said during the post-event press conference.

Limo said she was happy to join the Delhi podium after nine years.  “Securing second place is incredible, one that fills me with pride.  The atmosphere was electric, with people lining the streets and cheering us.  It’s heartwarming to see how the city comes together.  This experience has been truly special; the support from the spectators, their enthusiasm, and the overall energy of the event have made this return to Delhi unforgettable,” was Limo’s reaction to the race.

The total prize purse for the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon is USD 260,000. The podium finishers both men and women will take home USD 27,000, USD 20,000 & USD 13,000 respectively.

SAWAN BARWAL BETTERS PREVIOUS PERFORMANCE, LILI DAS HAS DREAM DEBUT

Sawan Barwal will go home with the gold medal this time around after finishing on the podium of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon for a second straight edition. With a timing of 1:02:46, Barwal finished ahead of Puneet Yadav, bettering his personal best in the process. Kiran Matre grabbed the third spot to complete the podium for the Indian Elite Men’s event.

Barwal, who won bronze in 2023, was behind Puneet at the 10-kilometer mark, but left his best for the final stretch of the race. Taking advantage of an opening, he pushed himself in the final quarter and eventually secured the top spot with a difference of almost 1 minute and 9 seconds.

After the race, an emotional Sawan was ecstatic about turning the bronze to gold as he shed some light on his performance, saying, „It has been a great ride from the last Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon to the current edition. We are nearing the end of the season, and I was happy with the preparations throughout the season, and I used that to my advantage this time around. I did not enter thinking about finishing in 62 minutes, but the way I started and when I settled into the race, I knew I could go all the way.“

In the Indian Elite Women’s category, Lili Das was miles ahead of her competitors, securing the gold with a timing of 1:18:12. Coming in second was last year’s winner Kavita Yadav, who clocked 1:19:44 as she finished in the top 3 for a second straight edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. In third place was 2022 Asian Games bronze medallist Priti Lamba, who crossed the finish line at the 1:20:21 mark.

In the 9th position at the 10-kilometer mark, Lili upped the ante to reach the top spot at the 15th kilometer. She maintained the lead with a massive effort and went on to win the gold by a massive difference of 1 minute and 32 seconds ahead of Kavita.

Lili, who fought cramps on the way to her gold, spoke about the experience of landing on the podium in her very first Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, „It is a very good feeling to win the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon in my very first attempt. I felt a little bit of dehydration during the race which I was worried about, but I am glad that I was able to finish the race. I cramped up around the 19th kilometer and it was a scary moment, but I fought it and worked very hard to finish the final 2 kilometers. After doing well in track and field events, winning gold in a half marathon feels great.“

The people of Delhi came together once again to showcase the spirit of their city and promote healthy lifestyles at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. Thousands of runners, from seasoned athletes to enthusiastic amateurs, took to the streets, turning the event into a vibrant celebration of fitness and community.

The race not only highlighted the city’s commitment to well-being but also raised awareness for various charitable causes, embodying the essence of unity and social responsibility that Delhi is known for.

PROVISIONAL RESULTS:

INTERNATIONAL MEN:

1	Joshua Cheptegei	Uganda	0:59:46
2	Alex Matata	Kenya	0:59:53
3	Nicholas Kipkorir	Kenya	0:59:59
4	Alphonce Simbu	Tanzania	1:00:40
5	Muktar Edris	Ethiopia	1:00:52
6	Ismael Kiprono	Kenya	1:00:53
7	Levy Kibet	Kenya	1:01:29
8	Dinkalem Ayele	Ethiopia	1:02:00
9	Malede Bukayaw	Israel	1:02:43
10	Embay Goitom	Ethiopia	1:02:44
11	Sawan Barwal	India	1:02:46

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN:

1	Alemaddis Eyayu	Ethiopia	1:08:17
2	Cynthia Limo	Kenya	1:08:27
3	Tiruye Mesfin	Ethiopia	1:09:42
4	Eilish Mccolgan	United Kingdom	1:09:55
5	Yalemget Yaregal	Ethiopia	1:10:21
6	Zerihun Alemstsehay	Ethiopia	1:13:41
7	Gelane Getu	Ethiopia	1:14:53
8	Balemlay Shumet	Ethiopia	1:15:25
9	Dibabe Beyene	Ethiopia	1:16:57
10	Lili Das	India	1:18:12

INDIAN MEN:

1	Sawan Barwal	India	1:02:46
2	Puneet Yadav	India	1:03:55
3	Kiran Matre	India	1:04:58
4	Sahil Gill	India	1:06:09
5	Shankar Lal Swami	India	1:06:33
6	Mohd Aleem	India	1:06:34
7	Harish Sheoran	India	1:06:34
8	Kalidas Hirave	India	1:06:59
9	Gagan Singh	India	1:07:33
10	Kartik Jayraj Karkera	India	1:08:08

INDIAN WOMEN:

1	Lili Das	India	1:18:12
2	Kavita Yadav	India	1:19:44
3	Priti Lamba	India	1:20:20
4	Archana Jadhav	India	1:20:21
5	Basanti Kumari	India	1:20:25
6	Jyoti Saroj	India	1:20:38
7	Aradhana Kumari	India	1:21:17
8	Ravina Gayakwad	India	1:21:47
9	Rima Patel	India	1:22:03

ABOUT VEDANTA LIMITED

Vedanta Limited (“Vedanta”), a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading natural resources companies spanning across India, South Africa, Namibia, Liberia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Taiwan and Japan with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, Nickel, Aluminium, Power & Glass Substrate and foraying into electronics and display glass manufacturing. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta’s strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and the environment.

For more information, please visit www.vedantalimited.com

ABOUT IDFC FIRST BANK

IDFC FIRST Bank is a new age Universal Bank in India built on the foundations of Ethical Banking, Digital Banking, and Social Good Banking. We are building a world class bank in India.

As part of the Bank’s ethical banking approach, it applies a „Near and Dear“ Test to its products, so that the employees of the Bank serve only such products they’d want for their own loved ones. It believes income earned unethically is not worth earning.

Therefore, the Bank avoids complicated descriptions, calculations, and legalese that customers don’t understand. It abolished all charges on Savings Accounts including for Debit Cards, IMPS, RTGS, NEFT, Cash Deposit, “Non-Home branch” access, Cash withdrawals at ATMs and at branches, 3rd party transaction charges at branches, SMS Alert, Cheque book, Demand Drafts, Pay-order, duplicate statement, and all such services that are usually charged in the market. It follows the principle that it won’t touch its customers’ bank account for one reason or other. It is the first and only bank in India till date to do so.

ABOUT PROCAM INTERNATIONAL

Since its inception in 1988, Procam International has been the driving force behind the growth and development of sports management in India. Founded by the dynamic Singh brothers Anil and Vivek, Procam is India’s premier sports management company and is involved in live events, sports consultancy, and live television production.

With astute planning and exemplary execution, Procam has a track record of conceptualising and promoting over 100 international events, across the disciplines of Powerboat Racing, Cricket, Football, Tennis, Distance Running, Squash, WWE, Horse Racing, Volleyball, among others. These events have elicited participation of the highest calibre of athletes and huge public interest and attendance.

Pioneers of the distance running movement in India, Procam International’s Big 4 – Tata Mumbai Marathon, Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, Tata Consultancy Services World 10K and Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata — are global leaders in their respective distances. They have ushered in a running revolution that has helped redefine the health, fitness, and ‘giving’ paradigm of our country.

Ram. Murali Krishnan
Running India News Service