The 20th Vedanta Delhi Half-Marathon is set to showcase India’s top long-distance talent, with Gulveer Singh and Abhishek Pal leading the men’s challenge, and Sanjivani Jadhav and Lili Das headlining the women’s field.
Scheduled to kick off from the iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 12, this prestigious event boasts an impressive prize purse of $260,000. Both the men’s and women’s champions will take home a significant $27,000 each. Adding to the excitement, a special performance bonus of Rs. 2 lakh awaits any Indian athlete who breaks a new event record, with an additional $2,000 for a sub-60-minute finish.
Gulveer Singh, a national record holder in both 5k and 10k distances and the reigning Asian champion in these categories, will make his first road race appearance of the year. This will be only his third road event overall, following his participation in the Tata Steel 25k last year and the TCS World 10K in 2022.
Abhishek Pal, who was the top Indian finisher in the 2023 edition, arrives in excellent form. He recently clinched the 10k title in April and achieved an impressive 5k-10k double at the National Inter-State senior athletics championships last month.
Lili Das. | Photo Credit: File Photo: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
Among the women, defending Indian champion Lili Das is eager to retain her title. However, she faces formidable competition from Sanjivani Jadhav, a two-time former champion and this year’s World 10K Bengaluru winner, as well as Kavita Yadav, who triumphed in 2023.
The international field is equally strong, featuring Ethiopian athletes Alemaddis Eyayu and Jemal Mekonen as prominent contenders in the women’s and men’s categories, respectively. Alemaddis will be striving to defend her title, which she secured last year with a time of 1:08:17.
Mekonen, a 29-year-old Ethiopian with a personal best of 58:33, is making his debut in the Delhi Half-Marathon and will be aiming to break the one-hour barrier. He will compete against a strong lineup that includes Kenya’s Benard Biwott and Olympic 5,000m silver medallist Ronald Kwemoi, who is also making his half-marathon debut. The men’s race will see a total of eight runners with sub-60-minute personal bests.
Alemaddis will also face tough opposition from her compatriot Ababel Yeshanesh, a former half-marathon world record holder, and Kenyans Lilian Rengeruk and Catherine Amangole.