Returning to India after 10 years, Ugandan Cheptegei wins Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon men's race

NEW DELHI: Long distance running great Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda won the men's elite race at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon on Sunday, his maiden international title over the 21.097km distance and also his first crown in a road race after retiring from the track.

The 28-year-old Cheptegei, who made his international debut in India at the TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2014 where he finished second, clocked an impressive 59 minute 46 seconds to win the race.

Kenyans Alex Matata (59:53) and Nicholas Kipkorir (59:59) were second and third respectively.

Alemaddis Eyayu of Ethiopia won the women's half marathon elite race title, clocking 1 hour 8 minutes and 17 seconds. Cynthia Limo (1:08:27) of Kenya and Tiruye Mesfin (1:09:42) of Ethiopia were second and third respectively.

Sawan Barwal ran his personal best time of 1:02:46 to win the elite race among Indian men while and Lili Das (1:18:12) took the women's title among domestic runners.

Puneet Yadav (1:03:55) and Kiran Matre (1:04:58) were second and third among Indian men while Kavita Yadav (1:19:44) and Priti Lamba (1:20:20) took the second and third places among domestic women runners.

The three podium finishers in both men and women's race take home USD 27,000, USD 20,000 and USD 13,000 respectively. Among the Indian competitors, the top three finishers in both men and women pocket Rs 4 lakh, Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh respectively.

Cheptegei realised his pre-race goal of winning with India yet again providing him the platform for a successful journey in road race after he decided to quit running on track after winning the 10,000m gold in the Paris Olympics.

"This is a very special moment for me, this is my first win in half marathon. My first half marathon was in World Half Marathon in 2020 and I missed the podium (4th with 59:21). My second half marathon was in New York (2nd with 1:02:09).

"India has again turned out to be a special place. This is a special feeling. This win and leading up to my next races next year, I hope to continue like this."

Since making his international debut in Bengaluru 10 years back, Cheptegei, considered one of the best ever long distance runners in the world, has won two Olympic gold medals (5000m in Tokyo and 10,000m in Paris) and three world championships titles (2019, 2022, 2023).

He is the current world record holder in 5000m and 10,000m, though he will no longer run on track.

Cheptegei was behind Matata for most part of the race but came out of nowhere in the final kilometer to surge into lead and win the race.

"In the beginning I was facing some problem on my feet but I persisted. By 16-17km I thought OK it is just 4km left. Then I ran with Nicholas and by 19-20km I went ahead and then in the last kilometer I took the lead again, so it's an incredible race today," Cheptegei, who was sixth at the end of 10km, said.

"I thank the organisers for having a deep field here."

Matata said he thought he was going to win the race before Cheptegei pulled ahead in the final stretch.

"This a rough race and I have come prepared. I thought I was going to win the race, but unfortunately, my senior (Cheptegei) came out of nowhere and surged ahead," he said.

The city was experiencing poor air quality in the last three days but the top runners felt that it was not a cause for concern.

"I have run in different conditions on track. It was not a surprise for me to be honest. It's cold now in Europe, say in Amsterdam and warm somewhere. You have to complete the race irrespective of conditions," Cheptegei said.

Matata also agreed with Cheptegei, saying the air quality was not a big concern.

Men's Indian elite race winner Barwal said there should also be pace-setters for the domestic runners so that they can improve upon their timings.

Meanwhile, Das fell down on the ground after winning the race due to cramp on her left calf.

"It was left calf cramp due to dehydration and I am all right now," she said.

"It's off season for the track. This is my first race in Delhi Half Marathon and the timing I clocked is satisfying."

Das started running half marathon only last year and she said she will continue in future also.

"I started half marathon last year. I will try for half marathon later also, next year. I did not do much training for half marathon and I did not take any pressure as it's not track event, which is my main focus."

The Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, which is into its 19th edition, is a World Athletics gold label road race event. It has a prize purse of USD 260,000 and was flagged off from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.