Aselefech Mergia and Geoffrey Mutai to claim the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon
Aselefech Mergia, the Ethiopian runner recaptured her title at the sixth edition of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon held on Sunday, while on men’s side Geoffrey Mutai from Kenya managed to have a narrow victory to claim the title.
The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon which is regarded as an IAAF Gold Label Road Race was not Mergia’s first race in Delhi. She participated into the event in 2006 for the first time where she had ended at the seventh place. However, two years later the girl
managed to claim the title for crossing the finishing line in one hour, eight minutes and seventeen seconds. She had narrowly beaten her countrywoman Genet Getanah. But the athlete could not keep the bar of her performance last year where she clocked one hour,
ten minutes and two seconds and ended the race for ninth position. Last year the title of the race had been claimed by Mary Keitany from Kenya.
To claim her lost glory all over again, Mergia ran rather a tactical race right from the beginning. Following the lessons learnt during last few years, the girl allowed a group of 12 athletes to run together. This was the leading pack of the race which crossed
the 7.5 km mark in twenty four minutes and three seconds while it touched the half way mark in no later than thirty three minutes and thirty seconds. This proved to be the point where the race started changing its pattern as Doris Changeiywo from Kenya who
had won silver medal in 10,000m race held last month at the Delhi commonwealth games and who was participating into her debut half marathon, started to slow down. She was soon followed by Belaynesh Jemama from Ethiopia.
From rest of the athletes of the leading pack, Merima Mohammed, the 18-years old runner who had depicted her personal best of two hours, twenty three minutes and six seconds at the Scotiabank Toronto Marathon about two months ago took lead of the race. Closely
following her, the leading pack crossed the 15km mark in forty eight hours, and forty five minutes.
This was the point where traditional Kenyan and Ethiopian rivalry came to play its role as having Yimer Wude, the last year’s runner up for the race hanging on the shoulders; the Ethiopian women increased the pressure on Kenyan side by significantly increasing
the pace.
As soon as the final phase of the race approached, Mergia took decisive strides and went on to breaking the tape in mere one hour, eight minutes and thirty five seconds. With a difference of mere one second, Merima finished second. For crossing the finishing
line in one hour, eight minutes and thirty six seconds Wude ended up third; she was one place down from the last year.
Looking quite contended with her performance and talking to the news reporters Mergia said that it was a great race for her as she really enjoyed it. “Before the race I was not sure of a podium finish, but it (the win) made me happy as I struggled in
the last four months injury” concluded the girl.
On men’s side, Deriba Merga, the defending champion of the event pulled out of the race at the eleventh race amid the back injury which had been affecting his performance for past couple of months. The void left by Merga was filled by the emphatic win of
Mutai from Kenya who also happened to be the winner of Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon of this year.
Mutai started the race as the favourite for the event. Right from the gun, he was there in the lead group of fifteen athletes when the race began on a cool early morning at Delhi. With a large number of local spectators observing the race and playing the
traditional Banghra dance for the Punjabi music, the Indian capital seemed enjoying the race. The event turned up to be rather thrilling when Mutai, the pre-favourite for the event grabbed the title for finishing in fifty nine minutes and thirty eight seconds.
Among Indian athletes, Irappa Akki and Lalita Babar managed to finish the race. Both of them were awarded US $ 4000 each for their efforts.
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