Cheptegei and Edris lead the battle for Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon title on Sunday

Cheptegei and Edris lead the battle for Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon title

Sunday’s Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, will feature some globally acclaimed runners clashing for top honours in the Indian capital with Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, the double Olympic gold medalists, 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 pressured the Ugandans to take revenge on the Ethiopian runner in Delhi.
Cheptegei leads in head to head races between the two in the 5000m (5-3), 10,000m (1-0_ and the 15km road race while thenEthiopian has also betaen the Ugandan in a Cross Country senior race while they are even (1-1) in the 3000m.

At the pre-race press meet Friday evening, Cheptegei is confident of winning on Sunday and revealed 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,’ said the athlete.

An Olympic star, World Champion, and track legend, Cheptegei reflected on his transition to longer races, ‘Right now, I’m still figuring out the longer distances, even though I’ve had some experience.

‘Muktar has already run a couple of marathons, so he has the edge with more experience. In Eindhoven, when he beat me, it was because I’m still learning the dynamics of these races.’

He is confident about his Vedanta 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.’

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.’

Elite Athletes: (men)

1. Joshua Cheptegei UGA/1996 59:21

2. Muktar Edris ETH/1994 58:40

3. Dinkalem Ayele ETH/2000 59:30

4. Alex Matata KEN/1997 59:37

5. Alphonce Simbu TAN/1992 60:03

6. Ismael Kiprono KEN/1995 60:46

7. Levy Kibet KEN/2003 61:37

8. Asmamawu Diro ETH/2000 61:42

9. Malede Bukayaw ISR/1997 62:45

10. Yitayew Abuhay ISR/1996 64:21

11. Moogas Tesama ISR/1988 65:33

12. Nicholas Kipkorir KEN/1998 59:06

13. Embay Goitom ETH/2002 Debut

14. Emmanuel Kibet UGA/2004 PACER

15. Amos Langat KEN/2005 PACER