Mekonen, Eyayu star attractions at Delhi Half Marathon

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New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) Defending champion Alemaddis Eyayu and compatriot Jemal Mekonen will headline the 20th Delhi Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race here on October 12.

Mekonen, who was part of Ethiopia's gold medal-winning team at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, will lead the men's field in his first race in India.

The 29-year-old has multiple sub-60-minute finishes to his credit with a personal best of 58:33, and also won the 2024 Seoul Marathon.

"It is my first visit to India. I have heard a lot about the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, which my fellow runners often describe as fast and fabulous," Mekonen stated in a release.

Kenya's Paris Marathon champion Benard Biwott, Olympic 5000m silver medallist Ronald Kwemoi, who will be making his half-marathon debut, and Isaac Kipkemboi are also in the men's line-up.

Among Ethiopia's other entries are Birhanu Legese, a two-time Tokyo Marathon winner with a personal best of 2:02:48, Bayelign Teshager and Melesse Birhan.

In all, eight sub-60-minute runners will take the start line, promising a thrilling contest.

In the women's race, Eyayu will face a strong challenge from Kenya's Lilian Rengeruk, a multiple world cross-country medallist who finished fifth in the 10,000m at the Paris Olympics.

"I'm very excited and looking forward to being back in Delhi for the 20th edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2025. Although it will by no means be an easy race, I look forward to pushing myself and defending my title," Eyayu said.

Other contenders include Ethiopia's former half-marathon world record holder Ababel Yeshanesh, with a personal best of 64:31, and Kenya's Catherine Amangole, the 2023 World Half Marathon bronze medallist.

The event carries a prize purse of USD 260,000, with USD 27,000 each for the men's and women's champions.

Additionally, the runners breaking the event record stand to earn an additional USD 12,000, added the release. PTI TAP ATK