Eilish McColgan finishes fourth in the women’s race in 69:55 in India on Sunday morning
Joshua Cheptegei cruised to men’s victory while Alemaddis Eyayu took a surprise win in the women’s race ahead of Cynthia Limo in the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon on Sunday (Oct 20).
Alex Matata, 27, led for a big part of the men’s race with fellow Kenyan Nicholas Kipkorir, who ran his maiden half marathon internationally. 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.
Matata maintained the lead until the runners turned toward the finish in the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium. It was there that Cheptegei of Uganda, running a few seconds behind the Kenyan, came from behind to snatch the lead from Matata to win in 59:46.
Matata (59:53) and Kipkorir (59:59) completed the podium.
Former world champion Muktar Edris from Ethiopia, another pre-race favourite, finished fifth (60:52), while Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu (60:40) was fourth.
Cheptegei said: “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”.
Alemaddis Eyayu (Procam International)
In the women’s race Eyayu extended the Ethiopian winning streak in Delhi. Kenya’s Cynthia Limo, the pre-race favourite, led the field right from the beginning while Eilish McColgan was chasing hard behind.
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 race.
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 10km together and remained the sole leaders in the women’s race. However, the Ethiopian runner pulled ahead in the second part of the race, leaving Limo 10-15 seconds behind.
It was a crucial deciding factor at the end as Eyayu crossed the finish in 68:17 to win, with Limo 10 seconds behind.
Mesfin clocked 69:42 for third and McColgan 69:55 to finish fourth.
“I had a good race, tried to keep my pace and aimed to finish well. I am happy to have achieved it,” Eyayu said.
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,” she said.
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