New Delhi [India], October 19 (ANI): The upcoming edition of the Delhi Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, will feature some globally acclaimed runners clashing for top honours in the national capital on Sunday.
Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, the double Olympic gold medallist, is set to face two-time 5000m World Champion Muktar Edris of Ethiopia. Interestingly, Edris recently defeated Cheptegei in a 10-mile race at Tilburg, which forced the Ugandan to take revenge on the Ethiopian runner in Delhi.
The elite athletes took part in a pre-race press meet here on Friday evening.
Cheptegei, employed with the Ugandan Police Force, spoke about how his first race in India set a benchmark for his career, “India played a huge role for me, especially as it was a big part of my success story. It gave me a real opportunity, and even after ten years, my management team said, ‘If you want to have another 10 years of your career on the roads, you need to go back to India.’ That’s why I’m back to India, to give back to the people.”
An Olympic star, World Champion, and track legend, Cheptegei reflected on his transition to longer races.
He is confident about his Delhi Half Marathon performance, saying, “I hope the Sunday’s race will go well for me. The priority is to keep building towards my next chapter in running,” as quoted by Delhi Half Marathon.
In talking about his recovery from a recent injury, Edris stated, “My injury is nearly 95% healed now, though a minor issue has come up. But it’s manageable. I’m currently at 70-80% of my previous form and improving steadily. I aim to return at full strength, especially for the longer races. My family has been incredibly supportive throughout.”
Reflecting on a challenging race in 2019, the athlete recounted how injury setbacks initially placed them in a difficult spot.
“During the 5000m final in Doha, the heat and humidity were brutal. It was tough, but it worked in my favour. I stayed with the pack until the last 400 meters, and in the final stretch, I managed to surprise the other athletes and myself. No one expected me to win that day,” he added.
The women’s field includes the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion in the 10,000m, Eilish McColgan. However, Kenya’s Cynthia Limo, the 2016 World Half Marathon silver medallist, will set to give the British runner a tough going in the upcoming race.
Having worked hard on her fitness ahead of the Delhi Half Marathon, McColgan said, “Being out of the sport for so long makes it tough. It takes about six months to return and then more time to rebuild fitness. I’m not quite in British record or my Personal Best form yet, but things have come together well. I recently did two half marathons on consecutive weekends, which I usually wouldn’t do. It’s hard to do one, let alone two, but it’s given me confidence that my body is holding up and recovering well,” as per quoted by Delhi Half Marathon.
She will be returning to India for a competition for the first time since 2008 and was looking forward to participating in the Delhi Half Marathon, “My first international competition was at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in India, so I’m excited to race here again. The Delhi Half Marathon is more of a confidence booster, marking my return to professional running. I may not hit my PB, but I’m happy with my progress leading up to this event.”
While talking about the tough times in her career when she had to deal with the loss of her first child, Limo said, “You have to encourage yourself and focus on things. Despite the things that have happened, it has been hard for me, but I always still encouraged myself. I had that spirit inside of me and that’s what helped me to push and keep this strength in everything.”
Limo returns to Delhi for the first time since 2015, having won the race back then. Sharing her thoughts on the road race, and praising her time here, she said, “I’m truly honoured that the organizers have invited me back to India for the Delhi Half Marathon. This is my second time participating; I ran in 2015 when I was transitioning to marathons, and it was an excellent year for me. I performed well then. Returning to run again fills me with a sense of privilege. My hope for Sunday is to perform as well as I did nine years ago in 2015. That’s my goal.”
“I have a deep affection for this country… I’m extremely grateful to the fans. The people here are wonderful, and I appreciate everything about this experience,” she added.
The Delhi Half Marathon, set to kick off from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 20, also boasts a prize purse of USD 260,000. (ANI)
