Organisers of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon have announced that Tsehay Gemechu and Andamlak Belihu will defend their titles at the World Athletics Gold Label road race on Sunday 29 November.
The Ethiopian duo will both be aiming for an unprecedented third successive victory in the Indian capital, but both will race strong fields containing world champions.
Last year, Gemechu improved her own course record from 2018 by 50 seconds when she ran a stunning personal best of 1:06:00.
Ideally, Gemechu would like to go even faster this year but, like so many runners around the world, her training and racing this year have been hugely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
&ldquo;Covid-19 is a disaster which has affected everyone's life all over the globe and, definitely, it has affected my training, not least in the early stages of the pandemic when we were all fearful of infection,&rdquo; said Gemechu, who will turn 22 next month.
&ldquo;Later, my coach and I decided to take care of ourselves, taking into account all the advice from the World Health Organization, and I started my own individual training programme with my main goal of coming back to Delhi.&rdquo;
Gemechu will have a host of outstanding rivals in this year's race, arguably the strongest women's field ever seen in the history of the Delhi Half Marathon with seven women having run under 67 minutes.
Among them are two of her compatriots, Yalemzerf Yehualaw and Netsanet Gudeta, as well as world marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich.
The in-form Yehualaw finished second at the 2019 Deli Half Marathon, just one second behind Gemechu, and showed she's a rising star of distance running by finishing third at the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia last month in a personal best of 1:05:19.
Gudeta, the 2018 world half marathon champion, was eighth in Gdynia after falling over mid-race, but helped Ethiopia to team gold.
Chepngetich won the world marathon title in Doha last year, having clocked PBs of 1:05:30 for the half marathon and 2:17:08 for the marathon earlier in the season. More recently, she finished third at the London Marathon in 2:22:05.
Belihu will be aiming to finally go into new territory on the streets of Delhi, perhaps even finishing inside 59 minutes, and confirm his place as the most successful runner in Delhi Half Marathon history after having also placed second in his race debut in 2017.
&ldquo;I have been training well in Addis Ababa for the last couple of months and I am very thankful to have the opportunity to race in Delhi, a city I always enjoy returning to and racing in,&rdquo; said Belihu, who will turn 22 just over a week before race day.
&ldquo;This has been a difficult year, for everyone around the world, not just professional athletes, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and I have been training alone much more than I am normally used to,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;But my fifth place at the World Half Marathon Championships in Poland last month has assured me that I am in good shape and I am confident I can put up a good defence of my title.&rdquo;
Belihu's compatriot Guye Adola still holds the Delhi course record with 59:06 that the latter clocked in 2014 but Belihu has gone very close in the past two years with 59:18 in 2018 and a personal best of 59:10 in 2019.
An unprecedented 13 men in this year&rsquo;s elite field have sub-60-minute PBs, and five of them have actually run faster than Belihu in their careers, including Adola who returns to Delhi for the first time since his record run six years ago.
The fastest man in the field is Bahrain's 2018 world half marathon silver medallist Abraham Cheroben, who holds the Asian record for the distance with 58:40.
Two other men to watch will be the Ethiopian pair of Amdework Walelegn, who was second in Delhi last year and took the bronze medal at World Half Marathon Championships last month, and two-time world 5000m champion Muktar Edris, who will be making his half marathon debut.
The 2020 Delhi Half Marathon will be unlike any previous edition with an estimated 60 elite international and Indian runners in action on the Delhi roads, with the traditional start and finish still in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The event will follow the highest level of safety and hygiene standards with bio-secure zones to ensure a Covid-19-free race.
Organisers for World Athletics
<h3>Elite fields</h3>
Men Abraham Cheroben (BRN) 58:40 Guye Adola (ETH) 59:06 Amdework Walelegn (ETH) 59:08 Leonard Barsoton (KEN) 59:09 Andamlak Belihu (ETH) 59:10 Solomon Berihu (ETH) 59:17 Josphat Boit (KEN) 59:19 Edwin Kiptoo (KEN) 59:26 Stephen Mokoka (RSA) 59:36 Abrar Osman (ERI) 59:47 Aron Kifle (ERI) 59:51 Dawit Wolde (ETH) 59:58 Muktar Edris (ETH) debut
Women Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH) 1:05:19 Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 1:05:30 Netsanet Gudeta (ETH) 1:05:45 Tsehay Gemechu (ETH) 1:06:00 Evaline Chirchir (KEN) 1:06:01 Brillian Kipkoech (KEN) 1:06:56 Irene Cheptai (KEN) 1:07:39 Mimi Belete (BRN) 1:08:16 Failuna Matanga (TAN) 1:09:36 Nazret Weldu (ERI) 1:10:51 Tsigie Gebreselama (ETH) debut Hawi Feysa (ETH) debut Eva Cherono (KEN) debut

Organisers of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon have announced that Tsehay Gemechu and Andamlak Belihu will defend their titles at the World Athletics Gold Label road race on Sunday 29 November.

Defending champions Gemechu and Belihu set to face tough opposition at Delhi Half

The pre-race publicity for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2018 focused on a duel between Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tirunesh Dibaba and Kenya&rsquo;s Joyciline Jepkosgogei, quite rightly considering their careers and 2018 racing records, but Dibaba&rsquo;s compatriot Tsehay Gemechu hadn&rsquo;t read the script and flew to a course record of 1:06:50 on Sunday (21).
Gemechu, running her first half marathon, took four seconds off the nine-year-old previous record for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race, set by Kenya&rsquo;s Mary Keitany in 2009, to take the USD$27,000 first prize in the richest half marathon in the world.
In a race full of drama and surprises, the 20-year-old Ethiopian outsprinted the world record holder Jepkosgei in the final few hundred metres, the latter taking second place in 1:06:56, with Ethiopia&rsquo;s Zeineba Yimer running a strong final five kilometres to take third in 1:06:59.
The first shock was the sight of the three-time Olympic champion Dibaba visibly starting to struggle as early as the 5km mark, clinging on to the back of the women&rsquo;s leading group. She was still hanging on at 10km as a pack of eight, assisted by male pacemaker Timothy Kutto, went through that checkpoint in 31:42 but she soon became detached and ceased to be a factor in the women&rsquo;s race.
Four women &ndash; Gemechu, Jepkosgei, Kenya&rsquo;s Stacy Ndiwa and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Senbere Teferi &ndash; followed Kutto through 15km in 47:51 but Teferi, another half marathon debutante, decided to take off shortly afterwards.
At 19km, Teferi had a 12-second advantage over the chasing pair of Gemechu and Jepkosgei who seemingly were battling for second place.
However, with little more than one kilometre to go, Teferi started to slow dramatically and was soon barely raising her gait above walking pace.
Teferi drifted to the side of the road and with about 700 metres to go almost came to a halt as Gemechu and Jepkosgei sped past her before she dropped out due to dehydration, although she recovered quickly after getting treatment.
Gemechu then showed her speed honed over three quick and high quality 10km races earlier in the year and shook off the world record holder for 10km and the half marathon as the finish line in the Jawahrlal Nehru Stadium approached.
&ldquo;To be honest, I hadn&rsquo;t changed my training to do this race so I&rsquo;m surprised that I won and ran so fast,&rdquo; said the beaming Gemechu. &ldquo;When we went past Teferi, I actually thought it was a tactic, that she was slowing and was going to run with us before sprinting,&rdquo; she added.
Jepkosgei confessed that she had not even noticed Teferi as she went past her, focusing on her immediate Ethiopian rival Gemechu and thinking that they were battling for second place.
&ldquo;I was just focusing on my own race and I didn&rsquo;t notice her (Teferi),&rdquo; said the Kenyan. &ldquo;I may not have won but I&rsquo;m happy with my race and the time,&rdquo; she added.
<h3>Confident Belihu takes men's race</h3>
Preceding his compatriot across the line, Andamlak Belihu started the Ethiopian success story in the Indian capital on Sunday with an assured run over the final third of the race, having pushed the pace from just after the halfway point.
At 15km, passed in 42:41, four men were together &ndash; Belihu and his fellow Ethiopian Amdework Walelegn, Kenya&rsquo;s Daniel Kipchumba and Eritrea&rsquo;s Aron Kifle &ndash; but soon Belihu pushed again and only Walelegn could follow him.
The two 19-year-olds stayed together, although Belihu always looked the more comfortable and confident, until the final 250 metres when the eventual winner turned the screw again and crossed the line in 59:18 with Walelegn finishing four seconds behind him in 59:22.
&ldquo;After finishing second last year, I came here determined to win and I was looking at the course record (59:06 by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Guye Adola in 2014) but the pacemakers in the first half of the race didn&rsquo;t do a good job,&rdquo; said Belihu, despite the fact that the leaders were taken through 10km in 28:01.
&ldquo;As for next year, I&rsquo;m not going to move up to the marathon just yet. I have the World Cross Country Championships and 10,000m on the track at the world championships next summer as my targets,&rdquo; he added.
Kipchumba and Kifle also broke the hour in Delhi with 59:48 and 59:50 in third and fourth respectively, to emphasise the depth and quality of the race and potential for running quick times on the course.
Phil Minshull (organisers) for the IAAF
<div>Leading results: MEN - 1. Andamlak Belihu (ETH) 59:18 2. Amdework Walelegn (ETH) 59:22 3. Daniel Kipchumba (KEN) 59:48 4. Aron Kifle (ERI) 59:50 5. Aweke Ayalew (BRN) 1:00:09 6. Leonard Korir (USA) 1:00:12 7. Abdallah Mande (UGA) 1:00:34 8. Betesfa Getahun (ETH) 1:00:47 9. Emmanuel Bett (KEN) 1:00:48 10. Alfred Ngeno (KEN) 1:04:07</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>WOMEN - 1. Tsehay Gemechu (ETH) 1:06:50 2. Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 1:06:56 3. Zeineba Yimer (ETH) 1:06:59 4. Stacy Ndiwa (KEN) 1:07:15 5. Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 1:07:49 6. Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) 1:08:36 7. Worknesh Degefa (ETH) 1:11:04 8. Tejitu Daba (BRN) 1:12:49 9. Failuna Matanga (TAN) 1:12:51 10. Sanijvani Jadhav (IND) 1:13:58</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>

The pre-race publicity for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2018 focused on a duel between Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba and Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgogei, quite rightly considering their careers and 2018 racing records, but Dibaba’s compatriot Tsehay Gemechu hadn’t read the script and flew to a course record of 1:06:50 on Sunday (21).

Debutante Gemechu clocks 1:06:50 course record at Delhi Half Marathon

Kicking away from a lead group of four with just over half a lap to go, Jemal Yimer Mekkonen cruised to victory in the 10,000m at the 21st edition of the African Athletics Championships which began today in Asaba, Nigeria.
Yimer bided his time in the early stages before finally making his decisive move on the final lap to cross the line, arms held wide, in 29:08.01.
&ldquo;This wasn&rsquo;t easy,&rdquo; said Yimer, who was fourth at these championships two years ago and fifth over the distance at the World Championships last year. &ldquo;There was a lot of competition from my teammates and the humidity made it difficult.&rdquo;
The 21-year-old has kept busier on the roads this year than on the track, finishing a strong fourth at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in March and improving his lifetime best over that distance to 59:00 in February. But he's hasn't fully put his track ambitions behind him, finishing third in the 10,000m at his national championships in April.
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Near capacity crowd at Stephen Keshi Memorial Stadium in Abasa for the opening day of the 2018 African Championships</div>
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&ldquo;My secret is just to work tirelessly,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;My wish now is continue winning gold medals.&rdquo;
Time-wise, it was a modest performance, nearly two minutes slower than Kenneth Kipkemoi&rsquo;s 27:19.74 championships record set in Porto-Novo, Benin, six years ago. But given the 28 C temperatures and humid conditions, along with unanticipated fatigue that followed several of his competitors to Asaba this morning, the times were never expected to be fast. But the racing, especially in the second half, was fierce. And that suited the near capacity crowd at the Stephen Keshi Memorial Stadium just fine.
After a lumbering 76-second opening lap, Yimer&rsquo;s teammate Andamlak Belihu Berta decided to shake out the cobwebs by taking off midway through the second lap to open a massive gap on the rest of the field. They reeled him in less than two laps later with Kenyan Vincent Kipsang taking to the front.
Kipsang, the national champion over the distance, shared much of the leading over the next ten laps with Belihu, Ibrahim Ismael of Djibouti and Ali Mahamat of Chad also chipping in with the pacing chores. Little changed until the 16th lap when the field was finally reduced to six.
Transportation and logistical challenges in recent days forced a massive revision of the competition timetable, this morning reduced to just three events in total for the opening day to allow time for the last remaining athletes who were stranded in Lagos Airport --some for nearly three days-- to be transported the final 450 kilometres to the capital of Nigeria&rsquo;s Delta State. That group included the Kenyan 10,000m trio of Kipsang, Josphat Bett and Kipsang Temoi, who finally arrived at their hotel just three hours before the gun sounded.
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The men's 10,000m final at the 2018 African Championships in Asaba</div>
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That wait took its toll.
Bett was the first to drop off the pace, leaving his teammates, the Ethiopian pair, Uganda&rsquo;s Timothy Toroitoch and Awet Habte of Eritrea to duke it out in the late afternoon heat. That sextet remained largely intact until five laps remained, when Habte was the next to fall back. Three laps later, Temoi faded out of contention.
Kipsang continued to control the pace but was clearly labouring when the bell sounded. When Yimer made his break, Belihu and Toroitich followed. The last battle of the day witnessed the 19-year-old Belihu, who was tenth at the World Championships last year, hold off the Ugandan to secure an Ethiopian 1-2.
Belihu clocked 29:11.09, Toroitich 29:11.87. Kipsang was fourth in 29:14.52, 11 seconds ahead of Temoi, who held on for fifth.&nbsp;
<h3>100m action gets underway</h3>
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Seye Ogunlewe in the opening round of the 100m at the 2018 African Championships</div>
&nbsp;
The only other events on the abbreviated opening day timetable were the opening rounds of the men's and women's 100m. Few surprises emerged. Favourite Marie Josee Ta Lou was the fastest on the women's side with 11.25 while Ben Youssef Meite of Ivory Coast edged South African Simon Magakwe by a scant 0.01 in 10.41, the fastest on the men's. The loudest roar of the afternoon? When Nigerian Ogunlewe Adeseye blitzed to victory in the sixth heat.
<h3>Looking ahead</h3>
Both finals will take place tomorrow afternoon, the women's at 14:55 local and men's at 15:10.
Champions will also be crowned in the shot put, discus, and long jump on the men's side and the hammer throw, pole vault, 100m hurdles and 5000m on the women's.
Day two begins with the men's decathlon 100m at 9:00.
NOTE: Results link to follow when available.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

Kicking away from a lead group of four with just over half a lap to go, Jemal Yimer Mekkonen cruised to victory in the 10,000m at the 21st edition of the African Athletics Championships which began today in Asaba, Nigeria.

Defending champions Gemechu and Belihu set to face tough opposition at Delhi Half

Debutante Gemechu clocks 1:06:50 course record at Delhi Half Marathon

Yimer takes 10,000m crown as African Championships begin in Asaba