Eilish McColgan finishes fourth within the ladies’s race in 69:55 in India on Sunday morning
Joshua Cheptegei cruised to males’s victory whereas Alemaddis Eyayu took a shock win within the ladies’s race forward of Cynthia Limo within the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon on Sunday (Oct 20).
Alex Matata, 27, led for a giant a part of the lads’s race with fellow Kenyan Nicholas Kipkorir, who ran his maiden half marathon internationally. Matata was unbeaten in all three races he took half in in Europe earlier this 12 months, with two sub-60 minutes clocking in two of them.
Matata maintained the lead till the runners turned towards the end within the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium. It was there that Cheptegei of Uganda, operating just a few seconds behind the Kenyan, got here from behind to grab the lead from Matata to win in 59:46.
Matata (59:53) and Kipkorir (59:59) accomplished the rostrum.
Former world champion Muktar Edris from Ethiopia, one other pre-race favorite, completed fifth (60:52), whereas Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu (60:40) was fourth.
Cheptegei mentioned: “This win in Delhi was particular to me as a result of it’s my first-ever victory in a half marathon. India has been essential for my profession, and this nation now means quite a bit to me. I felt good all through the race regardless of the gradual begin.
“My first purpose was to meet up with Nicholas (Kipkorir) after which Alex (Matata) within the remaining few kilometres of the race. I’m delighted with my efficiency and hope to proceed in the identical method sooner or later races”.
Alemaddis Eyayu (Procam Worldwide)
Within the ladies’s race Eyayu prolonged the Ethiopian successful streak in Delhi. Kenya’s Cynthia Limo, the pre-race favorite, led the sphere proper from the start whereas Eilish McColgan was chasing onerous behind.
McColgan had the quickest and solely sub-66 minute timing among the many elite ladies who took the beginning lineup in the present day. Nonetheless, two Ethiopians, Eyayu and Tiruye Mesfin, caught with Limo for your entire race.
Limo, who received the ladies’s title right here in 2015, had returned to Delhi after 9 years. Following her victory within the Indian capital, the Kenyan runner secured a silver medal in Cardiff’s 2016 World Half Marathon championships.
Eyayu and Limo handed 10km collectively and remained the only leaders within the ladies’s race. Nonetheless, the Ethiopian runner pulled forward within the second a part of the race, leaving Limo 10-15 seconds behind.
It was a vital deciding issue on the finish as Eyayu crossed the end in 68:17 to win, with Limo 10 seconds behind.
Mesfin clocked 69:42 for third and McColgan 69:55 to complete fourth.
“I had an excellent race, tried to maintain my tempo and aimed to complete effectively. I’m completely happy to have achieved it,” Eyayu mentioned.
Limo mentioned she was completely happy to hitch the Delhi podium after 9 years. “Securing second place is unimaginable, one which fills me with pleasure. The ambiance was electrical, with folks lining the streets and cheering us. It’s heartwarming to see how town comes collectively. This expertise has been actually particular; the assist from the spectators, their enthusiasm, and the general vitality of the occasion have made this return to Delhi unforgettable,” she mentioned.
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