Harpal Singh Bedi / New Delhi
It turned out to be Ethiopia’s day with debutante: Tsehay Gemechu setting up a course record in women’s section while her compatriots Andamlak Belihu and Amdework Walelegn making it 1-2 in the men’s section in the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon on Sunday.
Gemechu in the process stunned favourite and compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba and Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei, .
Running her first half marathon, Gemechu took four seconds off the nine-year-old previous record set by Kenya’s Mary Keitany in 2009 to take the USD$27,000 first prize in the richest half marathon in the world.
In the Indian section ,Abhishek Pal won the the men’s race clocking 1:4:14 seconds. Avinash Sable grabbed the silver with a timing of 1:04:14, while Asian marathon champion Gopi T claimed the third spot on the podium finishing at 1:04:15.
Sanjivani Jadhav was the best Indian in the women’s elite field finishing with a time of 1:13:58
In a race full of drama and surprises, the 20-year-old Gemechu outsprinted the world record holder Jepkosgei in the final few hundred metres, the latter taking second place in 1:06:56, with Ethiopia’s Zeineba Yimer running a strong final five kilometres to take third in 1:06:59.
Put your hands together for Andamlak Belihu who claimed the #ADHM2018 International Elite Men crown with an impressive timing of 00:59:18. #DaudDilli @airtelindia
P.S. Provisional Timings* pic.twitter.com/Vki2veB5wV
— Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon (@DelhiHM_) October 21, 2018
The first shock was the sight of the three-time Olympic champion Dibaba visibly starting to struggle as early as the 5km mark, clinging on to the back of the women’s leading group. She was still hanging on at 10km as a pack of eight, assisted by male pacemaker Timothy Kutto, went through that checkpoint in 31:42 but she soon became detached and ceased to be a factor in the women’s race.
Four women – Gemechu, Jepkosgei, Kenya’s Stacy Ndiwa and Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi – followed Kutto through 15km in 47:51 but Teferi, another half marathon debutante, decided to take off shortly afterwards.
At 19km, Gemechu showed her speed honed over three quick and high quality 10km races earlier in the year and shook off the world record holder for 10km and the half marathon as the finish line in the Jawahrlal Nehru Stadium approached.
“To be honest, I hadn’t changed my training to do this race so I’m surprised that I won and ran so fast,” said the beaming Gemechu. .
In the men section , Adamlak Belihu started the Ethiopian success story in the Indian capital on Sunday with an assured run over the final third of the race, having pushed the pace from just after the halfway point.
At 15km, passed in 42:41, four men were together – Belihu and his fellow Ethiopian Amdework Walelegn, Kenya’s Daniel Kipchumba and Eritrea’s Aron Kifle – but soon Belihu pushed again and only Walelegn could follow him.
Join us in congratulating our top 3 winners from the Indian Elite Men category 🔝 #ADHM2018 #DaudDilli @airtelindia
P.S. Provisional Timings pic.twitter.com/5TdQoKfFbo
— Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon (@DelhiHM_) October 21, 2018
The two 19-year-olds stayed together, although Belihu always looked the more comfortable and confident, until the final 250 metres when the eventual winner turned the screw again and crossed the line in 59:18 with Walelegn finishing four seconds behind him in 59:22.
“After finishing second last year, I came here determined to win and I was looking at the course record (59:06 by Ethiopia’s Guye Adola in 2014) but the pacemakers in the first half of the race didn’t do a good job,” said Belihu, despite the fact that the leaders were taken through 10km in 28:01.
Kipchumba and Kifle also broke the hour in Delhi with 59:48 and 59:50 in third and fourth respectively, to emphasise the depth and quality of the race and potential for running quick times on the course.