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Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo emerged as the gold medalist in the 18th edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, which took place on Sunday.

In the men’s race, a group of approximately eight Kenyan runners, along with Ethiopian athlete Addisu Gobena, initially led the pack.

Daniel Ebenyo and co

The group of runners remained closely bunched until the 13th kilometre, at which point Ebenyo and his teammate Charles Matata began to break away from the rest of the competitors.

Matata, who had finished as the runner-up in this year’s Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon in Madrid, pressed Ebenyo for another five kilometres.

However, it was Ebenyo, the Silver Medalist in the World Half Marathon earlier in the year, who managed to increase his pace at the right moment, establishing a lead of at least half a minute over Charles.

Daniel Ebenyo’s time

Ebenyo clinched victory with a finishing time of 59 minutes and 27 seconds. Matata secured the silver medal with a time of 60 minutes and 5 seconds, while Ethiopian athlete Addisu Gobena arrived 46 seconds later to bring joy to the Ethiopian team. The reigning champion, Chala Regasa, withdrew from the race midway.

In the women’s race, Almaz Ayana, the 2016 Rio Olympics Champion and former winner of the Delhi Half Marathon, came close to her winning time from 2017.

She was joined by her Ethiopian compatriots Aberash Minsewo and Dessie Anchinalu, as well as Kenyan Viola Chepngeno and Uganda’s Stella Chesang.

They covered the first quarter of the race in times ranging from 15 minutes and 45 seconds to 15 minutes and 47 seconds, with Kenyan runner Vivian Cheruiyot, the Rio Olympics 5000m victor, slightly trailing. Although Ayana maintained her 16-minute pace for each of the five-kilometre intervals, she slowed down in the final stages of the race, ultimately securing first place with a time of 67 minutes and 58 seconds.

Uganda’s Stella Chesang finished 28 seconds later, claiming second place, while Viola Chepngeno from Kenya completed the podium with a time of 69 minutes and 9 seconds. For Chesang, this was an improvement from her position in Delhi in the previous year.