Ethiopians Jemal Mekonen, Alemaddis Eyayu headline elite list of Delhi Half Marathon

Defending champion Alemaddis Eyayu and Ethiopian teammate Jemal Mekonen will headline the 20th Delhi Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Road race, on October 12.

Mekonen, a key member of Ethiopia’s victorious team at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, will headline the men’s elite line-up at the Delhi Half Marathon. Making his debut on Indian soil, the soon-to-be 29-year-old brings extensive international experience, including multiple sub-60-minute finishes and a personal best of 58:33.

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Twice a fourth-place finisher at the World Half Marathon Championships in 2018 and 2023, Jemal Mekonen is also the 2018 African 10,000m champion and the reigning Seoul Marathon 2024 winner.

“It is my first visit to India. I have heard a lot about the Delhi Half Marathon, which my fellow runners often describe as fast and fabulous,” he said.

The men’s elite line-up includes eight sub-60 runners. Leading the charge from Kenya will be Benard Biwott, fresh from his Paris Marathon victory earlier this year. He will be joined by Paris Olympic 5000m silver medallist Ronald Kwemoi, making his half-marathon debut in Delhi, and their countryman Isaac Kipkemboi, who is poised to mount a strong challenge for a podium finish.

Ethiopia’s Birhanu Legese (2:02:48 marathon PB, two-time Tokyo Marathon champion), Bayelign Teshager, and Melesse Birhan add further strength.

In the women’s race, Eyayu faces Kenya’s Lilian Rengeruk, Paris Olympic 10,000m finalist, and Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh, a former half-marathon world record holder.

“I’m very excited and looking forward to being back in Delhi… I look forward to pushing myself and defending my title,” Eyayu said. Kenyan Catherine Amangole, a 2023 World Half Marathon bronze medallist, is also a strong contender.

With a USD 260,000 prize purse, both men’s and women’s champions will earn USD 27,000, while an event record will fetch an additional USD 12,000 bonus.