Kenyans Matata and Rengeruk take home memorable title wins in Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon

Kenyan athletes Alex Nzioka Matata and Lilian Kasait Rengeruk delivered commanding performances to clinch the men’s and women’s titles respectively at the 20th edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race.

Their victories marked only the second time in the event’s history that Kenyan runners have swept both elite international titles in the same year, a feat previously achieved by Francis Kibiwott and Lineth Chepkurui in 2006.

Matata, who finished second in last year’s race behind Ugandan star Joshua Cheptegei, ran a solo race this time, breaking away from the pack after the 10K mark. With a personal best of 59:20 from the RAK Half Marathon earlier this year and seven sub-60 minute finishes to his name, Matata was in top form.

He crossed the finish line in 59:50, securing his fifth half marathon win of the season.

Ethiopia’s Bayelign Teshager followed in second place with a time of 1:00:22, while fellow Kenyan James Kipkogei claimed third in 1:00:25. Pre-race favourite Birhanu Legese of Ethiopia finished fourth in 1:00:54.

‘I’m very thrilled about the race. Last year I was number two, so my goal was to do better than that. I know the course, which is an advantage, and the weather was on my side. We had a nice cool start. At the 10K mark, I felt I had a good chance of winning. This might be my best race of the season,’ Matata said after his win.

In the women’s race, Lilian Kasait Rengeruk employed a more tactical approach, staying with a lead pack that included Ethiopians Mulat Tekle and Melal Siyoum Biratu.

The trio passed the 10K mark in 32:10 and were joined briefly by Kenya’s Catherine Amangole, the 2023 World Half Marathon bronze medalist.

As the runners neared the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Rengeruk surged ahead in a thrilling sprint finish to win in 1:07:20, just one second ahead of Biratu. Tekle completed the podium in third with a time of 1:07:29.

‘The race was tough and everyone was strong. I just told myself to do my best because I had the strength to finish. I’m happy with my time today, especially since I’ve just come back from an injury. This was my third race of the year, and my strategy was to stay patient, take the lead, and fight till the finish,’ Rengeruk said.

Among the Indian elite runners, Abhishek Pal and Seema emerged victorious in their respective categories. Pal, who clocked 1:04:17, claimed his third title at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, while Seema impressed on her debut with a winning time of 1:11:23.

Pal led from the start, running solo for most of the race and pulling away from Kiran Matre, who finished second in 1:04:57. Kartik Karkera secured third place in 1:05:16 after a late surge in the final kilometer.

Seema, meanwhile, dominated the women’s field, steadily increasing her lead throughout the race. Ujala finished second in 1:15:41, narrowly ahead of Sanjivani Jadhav, who clocked 1:15:52 to take third. Defending champion Lili Das placed fourth in 1:16:27.

The winners each earned US$27,000 from a total prize pool of US$260,000, while the top Indian finishers took home INR 4,00,000 each.