Ankita Dhyani leads all-Uttarakhand podium as Shailesh Kushwaha edges Gaurav Mathur at the 21st edition of Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon

New Delhi: Kenya’s Charles Matata lived up to a family tradition by taking the top spot in the 21st edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon (VDHM), setting a new event record. Meanwhile, the women’s crown in this World Athletics Gold Label Road Race was claimed by 19-year-old Wudinesh Alemu from Ethiopia, who pushed aside the challenge of some of the favourite names in her category.

The 2026 edition offered a total prize purse of USD 275,732, with the men’s and women’s winners each receiving USD 27,000. Charles took home USD 42,000 in all: the winner’s prize, a USD 12,000 event-record bonus and an additional USD 3,000 for his sub-60-minute finish. In the Indian Elite categories, the top three men and women received INR 3,50,000, INR 2,50,000 and INR 1,50,000 respectively.

Charles, who has run about a dozen half marathons in his career, cracked the 60-minute barrier for the first time earlier this year when he won the Rimi Riga Marathon in May at 59:15. The 29-year-old Kenyan was also familiar with the Delhi roads, having finished runner-up here in 2023. His twin brother, Alex Matata, won the 2025 edition at 59:50.

A cool early-morning start did the trick as pacer Emmanuel Yegon took the men through the first quarter of the race at a record pace of 13:56. Drawing on his experience, Charles broke away from the rest of the field, which included Ethiopia’s two-time champion Birhanu Legese. The Kenyan passed 10K in 27:41 and 15K in 41:39, signalling a record-shattering performance, and his 20K time of 55:53 confirmed it. Charles finished in a personal best of 58:52, a shade better than the previous event record of 58:53 held by Amedework Walelegn since 2020.

It was a memorable outing for the Kenyans in Delhi, as they swept the men’s podium, with Samwel Nyamai Mailu (59:24) and Stanley Mburu (59:33) taking the next two places. Birhanu Legese’s bid for a third title fell short as he finished fourth, nearly a minute behind Mburu.

An elated Charles said, “I came to Delhi well prepared, having maintained my fitness as I knew I would be racing here. I was hoping to run in the 59-minute range, but the excellent weather and my familiarity with the course from 2023 helped me deliver an even stronger performance and set a course record. I believe no human is limited, and I am ready to push myself further.”

“My comeback was not easy, as I suffered an injury in February that forced me to cancel several races and a marathon. I am grateful to have returned strongly and finished on the podium,” Samwel said during the post-event briefing.

Wudinesh humbles favourites for the women’s crown

Unlike the rest of the field, Wudinesh Alemu Keneni had run just one half marathon before coming to Delhi. Still in her teens, the Ethiopian has mostly been a track runner and finished third in her only road race last year, clocking 1:08:08 at the Oysho Cardiff Half Marathon.

Kenya’s Irine Cheptai took the early lead, taking her compatriots through the first 5K in 15:55. Alemu, running within the lead group, made her move in the last quarter of the race and made her ambitions clear. Kenyans Cynthia Chepkwony and Selah Busienei, along with Cheptai, were about 50 metres behind the Ethiopian and posed a real threat until the last kilometre.

However, Alemu did not look back. She entered the home stretch full of confidence and went on to clock 1:06:35 to take the title. Busienei (1:07:01) and Chepkwony (1:07:32) completed the women’s podium. Pre-race favourite Cheptai made a late effort to overtake Chepkwony in the closing stages but finished fourth (1:07:33).

“I am very happy with my performance. I ran a strong race from the start and maintained my pace throughout. This is only my second international half marathon, and I have improved my personal best by almost two minutes, which makes me very happy,” Alemu said after the race.

“I have been running for only two years, so I am still learning and developing as an athlete. I hope to continue improving, gain more experience and build a strong career in distance running,” she added.

“The race went well, and I am happy with my performance. I didn’t expect to finish in the top three, but I believe mental strength is vital in running, and I was prepared to push myself. I have been training hard, and I am pleased with the result,” said Selah Busienei.

Cynthia stayed with the second group of runners for most of the race to conserve energy. “It helped me save energy and finish the race strongly,” she explained afterwards.

Shailesh Kushwaha and Ankita Dhyani claim Indian Elite honours

The 20-year-old Kushwaha won a closely fought men’s race in 1:05:05. He broke away from a five-man lead pack soon after halfway and held off Gaurav Mathur (1:05:11) by six seconds, while Hemant Singh (1:05:37) finished third.

“I wasn’t happy with how I did at the 65th National Open Athletics Championships 2026, so I was eager to give this run my absolute best. It’s tough to find the confidence to break early and lead for most of the race, but today I was able to do it. I definitely felt the pressure because Gaurav was right behind me all the way to the end,” said Kushwaha.

Dhyani, a World University Games steeplechase silver medallist who trains in the United States, broke clear of the Indian field early and ran among the international elite to win in 1:12:46, more than five minutes inside her previous best. Debutant Soniya (1:14:56) and Bhagirathi (1:15:51) completed the podium, while former champion Lili Das set a personal best of 1:16:20 in fourth.

“I’ve been training well, and to be honest, the way my training has been going, I think I could have done a little bit better. If Indian women focus more on the half marathon, we’ll soon see the national record broken. I’m very happy that all three of us on the podium are from Uttarakhand. The state supports us a lot, and we are happy with the achievement,” said Dhyani.