New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) The Delhi Half Marathon 2024 set to take place on Sunday will feature two-time Olympic gold medallist Joshua Cheptegei, two-time 5000m World Champion Muktar Edris, in the men’s race, and 2022 Commonwealth Games champion in the 10,000m, Eilish McColgan in women’s race at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Fresh from his victory in the 10,000m at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Uganda’s Cheptegei is poised to make his debut in the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon and has been a three-time World Champion in the 10,000m and boasts a personal best of 59:21 in the Half Marathon. His stellar career also includes a 5,000m gold and 10,000m silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Ahead of the race, Cheptegei said: “I’m incredibly excited to debut at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. This race is known for its energetic atmosphere, fast course, and unmatched Hospitality. I can’t wait to soak it all in and push myself to deliver a memorable performance. With such a competitive line-up, it will be an exciting challenge, and I’m aiming for nothing less than the top spot.”
Cheptegei will face formidable opposition from Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris, who will be returning to the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon after 2022. A star of the sport at the junior level, Edris finished fourth on debut in the Delhi Half Marathon in 2020 with an impressive run of 59:04. Before that, he won two world championship titles in the 5,000m during 2017 and 2019.
Eilish won gold in the 10,000m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, setting a new Games record, and settled for silver in the 5000m.
McColgan holds the European record for the 10 km road race and British records for multiple distances. She has also represented Great Britain in four Olympic Games (2012-2024) and Scotland in three Commonwealth Games (2014-2022).
She holds Scottish records in multiple events and has claimed seven national championships, cementing her status as one of Scotland’s most accomplished runners. Last year, she won the Berlin half-marathon with a personal best 65:43.
Several top athletes, including Kenya’s Cynthia Limo (66:04), Ethiopia’s Yalemget Yaregal (66:27) and Tiruye Mesfin (66:31), and Tanzania’s Magdalena Shauri (66:37), are joining McColgan in the women’s race. With five women having clocked times under 67 minutes, the competition promises to be thrilling and fast-paced.
Ethiopians Amdework Walelegn (58:53) and Yalemzerf Yehualaw (64:46) have held the Course Records in the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon since 2020.
The Delhi Half Marathon will feature a prize pool of USD 260,000.
–IANS
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