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Amdework Walelegn and Yalemzerf Yehualaw from Ethiopia respectively won the men’s and women’s half marathon in Delhi, taking away anxiety about Covid-19 and the toxic air of the Indian capital.
The no-spectator race in Delhi was India’s first significant international sporting event since the South Asian country imposed a nationwide virus lockdown in March.
The cash-rich Indian Premier League cricket tournament moved from India to the United Arab Emirates in September due to the health crisis.
Half marathon results
Defending champion Andamlak Belihu of Ethiopia was denied in his attempt by a winning hat-trick by fellow countryman Amedework Walelegn, who won the 21.09km race in a record time of 58.53 seconds.
Walelegn, 21, beat the field record of 59:06, held by another Ethiopian, Guye Adola, set in 2014.
Belihu, winner in 2018 and 2019, settled for the silver medal in a time of 58.54 in the 21.09km.
Uganda’s Stephen Kissa was third among elite runners in 58.56 seconds. The women’s edition was won by Yalemzerf Yehulalaw from Ethiopia, ahead of Ruth Chepngetich from Kenya.
Ababel Yeshaneh from Ethiopia was third. Defending champion Tsehay Gemechu, also from Ethiopia, finished in fifth place, surprising many.
In total, 5,020 runners participated in the different categories of the last Indian edition of the half marathon.
Avinash Sable of India, who has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, was the winner among the elite Indian runners, clocking in at 1: 00.30 and in 10th place overall.
The stale air of Delhi
There were health concerns as smog-laden Delhi is also home to at least 550,000 coronavirus cases.
But strict pre-race protocols that included four tests and training in isolation resulted in an event without incident.
City authorities cleaned the route with chemicals as air pollution in Delhi was nearly five times higher on Sunday than is considered safe, according to a national monitoring agency.
A steady breeze throughout the night helped reduce pollution that suffocates the city of 20 million people in winter.
“The gods smiled as the sun shone through the haze just after the men’s event started,” said an amateur athlete who ran a course away from the elite group according to strict health plans for the event.
Television footage showed dozens of people participating “virtually” in the long-distance event in other cities in India.
Covid free route
This year’s route in Delhi for elite runners was different from the last two years.
The runners covered an initial stage from the starting point at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the city center and then covered two laps of approximately six kilometers.
The athletes then returned to the start and finish line by the same route, guarded by an army of masked police and volunteers, some of whom were guarding stray dogs.
Nostalgia for Delhi
Over the years, the ADHM, as the Delhi race is called, has attracted top runners, including former half marathon world record holder Zersenay Tadese from Eritrea, Florence Kilpagat from Kenya and Tirunesh Dibaba from Ethiopia.
Among the men, past participants have included 2012 London Olympic marathon gold medalist Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda, world marathon record holder and London marathon winner Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya.
For Sunday’s event, organizers used world sports icons to endorse the race, labeled by many health experts as “suicidal” and “irresponsible.”
