Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, the reigning Olympic 10,000m champion, secured victory in the men’s elite race at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon (VDHM) on Sunday.
Cheptegei, who recently shifted his focus to marathon after retiring from track events, clocked 59 minutes and 46 seconds to win the World Athletics Gold Label Road Race.
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Ethiopia’s Alemaddis Eyayu produced a stunning upset in the women’s section, pushing pre-race favourite Cynthia Limo of Kenya into second place.
The 19th edition of the VDHM saw new champions in all four categories, with Cheptegei, Eyayu, Sawan Barwal (Indian men’s elite), and Lili Das (Indian women’s elite) claiming top honours.
Cheptegei’s victory marked his first-ever half marathon win. “This has been a special race that tested my mind,” he said. “I decided to push and catch up, and I overtook Matata in the final lap.”
Kenya’s Alex Matata finished second (59:53s), with Nicholas Kipkorir taking third (59:59s).
In the women’s section, Eyayu led from the start, outpacing Limo (68:27s) by 10 seconds. Tiruye Mesfin (69:42s) and Eilish McColgan (69:55s) finished third and fourth, respectively.
The total prize purse for the VDHM was $260,000, with the top three finishers in each section taking home $27,000, $20,000, and $13,000.
Results:
Men’s Elite:
- Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda) – 59:46
- Alex Matata (Kenya) – 59:53
- Nicholas Kipkorir (Kenya) – 59:59
Women’s Elite:
- Alemaddis Eyayu (Ethiopia) – 68:17
- Cynthia Limo (Kenya) – 68:27
- Tiruye Mesfin (Ethiopia) – 69:42
