Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon: Runners from East African countries set to dominate 

Ethiopia’s former two-time 5000m world champion Muktar Edris is aiming to dominate the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon this weekend. The 28-year-old Ethiopian made an impressive half marathon debut in Delhi in 2020, finishing fourth with a time of 59:04. Last year, he improved his personal best half-marathon time to 58:40.

“Sunday will be only my third half marathon. But I will certainly try for the course record. I am now back in good shape,” Edris said.

Edris couldn’t showcase his potential at the 2022 World Athletics Championships held in July in Oregon, USA.

“I didn’t get a good result at the Eugene World Athletics Championships in July. [But] My fitness is much better [presently],” he added.

The course record of 58:53 was set by Edris' compatriot Amedework Walelegn in 2020.

The winning cheque is $27,000, while there is a $12,000 bonus for breaking the course record.

Other leading names at Delhi Half Marathon

Kenya’s Felix Kipkoech and Ethiopia’s Chala Regasa, the second and third fastest men in the field, could pose a challenge to Edris.

Kenya’s Irine Cheptai will be the favorite to win the women’s 21km race.

“Next year, I want to run my first marathon and so Delhi Half Marathon will be good preparation,” Irine said on Friday.

Irine’s main rival could be Ethiopia’s Lemlem Hailu, the 2022 World Indoor 3000m champion who will be making her debut over the distance.

“I am enjoying training for road racing much more than the track,” Lemlem added.

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, the reigning World Half Marathon champion, has pulled out of the race. Kiplimo posted on Tuesday his withdrawal but didn’t give the reason for skipping the Delhi competition.

The Delhi Half Marathon has been through tough times in the past. In 2017, the problem of smog had caused grave doubts about the event taking place. However, the event is going to go through this year, it seems, without any trouble.