New Delhi [India], September 12 (ANI): Defending champion Alemaddis Eyayu, along with her Ethiopian teammate Jemal Mekonen, will headline the 20th edition of the Delhi Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, scheduled to flag off on Sunday.

Jemal Mekonen, a key member of Ethiopia's victorious team at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, will headline the men's elite line-up at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. Making his debut on Indian soil, the soon-to-be 29-year-old brings extensive international experience, including multiple sub-60-minute finishes and a personal best of 58:33, as per a press release from Delhi Half Marathon.

Twice a fourth-place finisher at the World Half Marathon Championships in 2018 and 2023, Jemal Mekonen is also the 2018 African 10,000m champion and the reigning Seoul Marathon 2024 winner.

Voicing his excitement for the upcoming race in October, Jemal Mekonen said, 'It is my first visit to India. I have heard a lot about the Delhi Half Marathon, which my fellow runners often describe as fast and fabulous.'

In the men's category, leading the charge from Kenya will be Benard Biwott, fresh from his Paris Marathon victory earlier this year. He will be joined by Paris Olympic 5000m silver medallist Ronald Kwemoi, making his half-marathon debut in Delhi, and their countryman Isaac Kipkemboi, who is poised to mount a strong challenge for a podium finish.

Among Ethiopia's other notable entries is Birhanu Legese, who boasts a marathon personal best of 2:02:48 and back-to-back Tokyo Marathon titles in 2019 and 2020. A familiar name to Indian fans, Legese has previously secured podium finishes in Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Delhi. Strengthening Ethiopia's challenge further are Bayelign Teshager and Melesse Birhan, both eager to make their mark in Delhi.

The elite men's field boasts as many as eight sub-60-minute runners, promising a thrilling contest at the 20th edition of the Delhi Half Marathon.

In the women's category, defending champion Alemaddis Eyayu will face strong competition from Kenya's Lilian Rengeruk, a multiple world cross-country medallist who finished fifth in the 10,000m at the Paris Olympic Games. Rengeruk is among the top women runners with personal bests faster than the Delhi course record of 1:04:46.

'I am very excited and looking forward to being back in Delhi for the 20th edition of the Delhi Half Marathon 2025. Although it will by no means be an easy race, I look forward to pushing myself and defending my title,' Alemaddis Eyayu said.

Former half-marathon world record holder and Gold Label athlete Ethiopia's Ababel Yeshanesh, the second-fastest in the women's field with a personal best of 64:31, will be a key contender, along with Kenyan Catherine Amangole, the 2023 World Half Marathon bronze medallist.

With a total prize purse of 260,000 USD, the Delhi Half Marathon will witness some of the world's finest athletes competing for top honours. Offering equal rewards for men and women, the champions in both categories will take home 27,000 USD, while the second and third-place finishers will earn 20,000 USD and 13,000 USD, respectively. Additionally, an event record bonus of USD 12,000 awaits any athlete who sets a new benchmark.

'It looks as if yesterday, but we already turned 20', Vivek Singh, the Joint Managing Director of Procam International, referring to the twentieth edition of the top half-marathon race in the country.

'We wish to thank all our sponsors, past and present, and the supporters who made this possible, as well as the athletes who were taking part here for raising their achievement graph constantly upwards, as always', he added further. (ANI)