Delhi Half Marathon: Cheptai returns as Legese targets third title; India's hopes on Kiran Matre, Lily Das

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Ethiopia's Birhanu Legese, a two-time winner of the Delhi Half Marathon, will be among the favourites for the 21st running of the World Athletics Gold Label Race scheduled to take place on Sunday. 

Legese is aiming to reclaim the title and secure his third victory at the event.

On Friday, he, along with some of the world’s leading international distance runners, expressed confidence, outlined their preparations and shared their ambitions at the pre-race press conference for the 21st Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon.

The 2026 edition will offer a total prize purse of USD 275,732, with the men's and women's winners each receiving USD 27,000. An additional event-record bonus of USD 12,000 will be awarded to any athlete who breaks the course record.

Ethiopia's Legese said he is in good shape and confident of winning on Sunday. “I am in good shape and have trained well, and we will see on Sunday. I like Delhi; it is almost like a second home. I have come here many times, and I like the people and the organisers,” he said.

Reflecting on his preparations, Legese added that he had been training in Kaptagat with Eliud Kipchoge, citing the traffic and other challenges in Addis Ababa. Despite missing the podium last year, he said he remained hungry and motivated, with a clear goal in mind.

Kenya's Charles Matata, who works with the Kenyan police, is also confident of challenging for the title. Earlier this year, he won the Riga Half Marathon in Latvia in 59:15. 

“I personally love half marathons. I am also good at speed work, and I believe my consistency comes from training with strong teams. We always approach races with a winning mentality, and that mindset has helped me consistently finish among the top two in most of my half marathons,” he said.

Matata's compatriot Irine Cheptai, the 2022 Delhi champion, has enjoyed a strong season, winning the Dubai Half Marathon in February before finishing second at the Sydney Marathon in August. However, she is still recovering from the marathon.

“After the Sydney Marathon, I decided to take a two-week break before returning to training. I am still recovering, and I wouldn't say I am in top shape at the moment, but I will do my best on Sunday. India feels like my second home, and I am always happy to come here and compete,” said Cheptai, who is affectionately known as the ‘Queen of India’ in Kenya.

Another major contender in the women's field is Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, the Kenyan-born Israeli athlete who won a bronze medal in the marathon at the World Championships four years ago. Proud to represent Israel, Salpeter has spent much of her training time in Iten, Kenya. She will be making her first visit to India as she continues her return from a hamstring injury sustained in May.

“I am proud to represent Israel. People there have embraced me and are always proud of me. This is my first visit to India, and I am looking forward to Sunday, although I am still coming back from an injury. I will see how things go on race day,” she said.

Indian elite runners look to raise the bar

The Indian elite field will feature the likes of last year’s runners-up Kiran Matre, 2024 Indian Elite Women's champion Lily Das, rising distance runner Ankita Dhyani and Dr. Kartik Karkera, all looking to deliver strong performances on home soil.

Matre, who clocked a personal best of 1:04:57 last year, will be looking to build on his second-place finish despite recovering from a hip injury that disrupted his preparations earlier this year. “My preparation is good, and I am looking forward to the race. I will definitely try to achieve my best timing,” he said.

Das, who won the Indian Elite Women's title in 2024, finished fourth last year in 1:16:27 despite improving her previous years' time by two minutes. With the women's field growing increasingly competitive, she sees Dhyani as a strong rival.

“I think it's getting very competitive. I improved my 2024 time by two minutes last year and still missed the podium. Ankita is a fierce competitor, and hopefully, we can push each other to deliver a strong finish,” she said.

Dhyani, who brings a strong track-running background to the roads, made her half marathon debut at the event last year and finished fifth among Indian elite women in 1:17:52. “My experience is less, but I will be smart in the race. I am hoping to do my best,” she said.

Dr. Karkera has made steady progress at the event, finishing last among the Indian elite athletes on his debut before placing 10th in 2024 and third in 2025. Having made his international debut representing India at the Asian Games earlier this year, he is looking to build on that progress.

“I feel like I'm on the right track. I try to focus on consistent progression over perfection. I still feel the half marathon is one of my favourite distances,” he said.

The top three finishers in the Indian Elite Men’s and Women’s categories will receive prize money of INR 3,50,000, INR 2,50,000 and INR 1,50,000, respectively. An additional INR 1,00,000 incentive is also up for grabs for setting a new Indian Elite record at the marquee event.

--IANS

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