Paris Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegai to headline in Delhi Half Marathon

Paris Olympic 10,000 m champion Uganda's Joshua Cheptegai and Kenya's former world record holder Peres Jepchirchir will headline a strong elite field in the men's and women's events at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon on October 20 here.

Cheptegai is the current world record holder for both the 5000 meters and 10,000 meters and holds the world's best time over the 15km distance. A three-time world champion in the 10,000 meters, he made his international debut in India at the TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2014, finishing second.

"This country holds a special place in my heart, as it’s where I made my international debut in 2014. It’s been a good season for me, and I am certainly looking at a course-record timing at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon," Cheptegai said.

Three-time world half-marathon winner Jepchirchir will lead the women's contingent. She won the London Marathon with a time of 2:16:16s, breaking the women’s only marathon world record. She also won the 2021 New York City and 2022 Boston Marathons.

Among the other notable participants, Asian Championship bronze medallist and former champion Sanjivani Jadhav stands out in the women’s category.

Jadhav, who won the 10,000 meters at the Portland Track Festival in the USA with a personal best of 32:22:77, recently claimed a silver medal at the 5000 meters event at the National Open Athletics Championships in Bangalore.

She has previously won gold at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon in 2018 and 2022 and took silver in 2016 and 2020.

Defending champion Kavita Yadav will provide Sanjivani with tough competition in pursuing the title.

"This will be my third Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, and my aim will be to win this race once again. I have been training hard and I will try my best to break and create as many records as I can," said Sanjivani.

In the men’s category, defending champion and Abhishek Pal, who recently won the 10,000 meters title in the National Open Athletics Championships in Bangalore, will take the lead.

He will face tough competition from Asian Games silver medallist in the 10,000 meters, Kartik Kumar, who recently triumphed at the 10,000 meters USA Championship Track Fest 2024 with a remarkable time of 28:07:66.

The World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, with a prize money of USD 260,000, will be flagged off from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium .