World record holders Brigid Kosgei, Ababel Yeshaneh join the Delhi Half Marathon field

Marathon runner Brigid Kosgei from Kenya will participate in the 2020 Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. Image: Procam International

New Delhi: The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon announced on Saturday the entries of world record holders Brigid Kosgei and Ababel Yeshaneh for the upcoming event, adding sparkle to an already star-studded field.

The event is part of the countdown to the World Athletics Gold Label Race.

At the Chicago Marathon in October 2019, Kenya’s Kosgei stunned the world when she broke the long-standing women’s world marathon record by more than a minute, clocking 2:14:04.

Yeshaneh was a distant second on that occasion, but still posted an excellent personal best of 2:20:51.

However, the tables turned at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in February this year when a competition between the pair in the final stages of the race saw Yeshaneh of Ethiopia prevail in a world record of 64:31 with Kosgei second in 64:49.

In his most recent outings last month, 26-year-old Kosgei won the rescheduled London Marathon at 2:18:58, while 29-year-old Yeshaneh had to deal with misfortune and fell in the World Middle Championship. Athletics Marathon in Poland. , with just over three kilometers remaining, which took her out of contention for the medal although she quickly recovered to finish fifth.

While the elite runners will be on the starting line at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, fans from all over the world will join the event using the new Airtel Delhi Half Marathon mobile app.

Participants can run from the comfort of their own location, anytime between November 25-29.

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said: “We extend our full support to this event that is the pride of India and welcome the best athletes in the world to our capital.”

Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra is the event’s brand ambassador.

“The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon is a historic moment after the start of the pandemic. This is a very important event. Little by little we have seen sports resume in different parts of the world and now it is wonderful to see that we will have ADHM in Delhi.

“This event will be the benchmark for all the tournaments that will take place in the future,” said Bindra, who claimed the gold medal in 10-meter air rifle shooting at the 2008 Beijing Games.

The event will follow the highest level of safety standards, with biosecurity zones to ensure a COVID-free race for elite runners.

All the mandatory protocols according to the notice issued by the Government of India have been established for the event team, vendors and suppliers, elite athletes, the media and all guests.