Running News Daily

Japan’s Ichitaka Yamashita produced a composed and resilient performance to win the men’s marathon gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games, mastering a demanding race defined by intense heat and oppressive humidity.

The local Olympian crossed the finish line in 2:10:49, holding his form through the punishing conditions to secure a memorable victory in front of the home crowd.

Yamashita’s triumph was built on patience and endurance as the challenging weather conditions tested the field from the opening stages. Rather than allowing the heat to dictate his race, the Japanese marathoner maintained his rhythm and produced the strength required when the decisive moments arrived.

India’s Sawan Barwal delivered an impressive performance to claim the silver medal in 2:11:37, finishing just 48 seconds behind the champion. Barwal showed considerable resilience throughout the demanding contest, securing India a place on the prestigious continental podium.

China’s Peiyou Feng completed the medal places with a strong bronze-medal performance, stopping the clock at 2:12:13. His run ensured that three different nations were represented on the men’s marathon podium.

The race highlighted just how unforgiving championship marathons can be, with the combination of distance, heat and humidity placing extraordinary demands on the athletes. In such conditions, finishing strongly becomes a test not only of physical preparation but also of tactical discipline and mental resilience.

Behind the leading trio, North Korea’s Han Il finished fourth in 2:12:21, narrowly missing out on the podium. Bahrain’s Elabbassi El Hassan followed in fifth with 2:12:45, while Indonesia’s Raden Syianturi secured sixth in 2:13:12.

Kazakhstan’s Sultan Koech placed seventh in 2:14:07, followed by South Korea’s Park Min in 2:15:35. Uzbekistan’s Sirojiddin Davlatov finished ninth in 2:17:44, while South Korea’s Kim Hyun completed the top 10 in 2:18:27.

Top 10 Men’s Marathon Results

1. Japan — Ichitaka Yamashita — 2:10:49 

2. India — Sawan Barwal — 2:11:37 PB 

3. China — Peiyou Feng — 2:12:13 

4. North Korea — Han Il — 2:12:21

5. Bahrain — Elabbassi El Hassan — 2:12:45

6. Indonesia — Raden Syianturi — 2:13:12

7. Kazakhstan — Sultan Koech — 2:14:07

8. South Korea — Park Min — 2:15:35

9. Uzbekistan — Sirojiddin Davlatov — 2:17:44

10. South Korea — Kim Hyun — 2:18:27

For Yamashita, however, the difficult conditions ultimately became part of a memorable home victory. The Japanese Olympian has now added an Asian Games gold medal to his résumé, delivering when it mattered most and giving the home nation another major athletics moment to celebrate.

The final podium saw Japan’s Ichitaka Yamashita take gold, India’s Sawan Barwal silver and China’s Peiyou Feng bronze — a fitting reflection of the depth and competitiveness of men’s distance running across Asia.

The 2025 edition of the Delhi Half Marathon is set to light up the streets of India’s capital on October 12, with the iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium serving as both the start and finish point. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the event remains one of Asia’s premier road races, having earned World Athletics Gold Label status and certification from the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS).

At Wednesday’s official launch, former Indian men’s hockey captain and current junior team coach PR Sreejesh, a two-time Olympic bronze medallist, helped usher in the milestone edition.

Registration opened July 17 for all race categories—including the Half Marathon, Open 10K, Great Delhi Run, Senior Citizens’ Run, and Champions with Disability—and closes on September 19.

Since its inaugural running in 2005, the Delhi Half Marathon has drawn some of the world’s top distance runners. The 2024 men’s elite title was claimed by Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda, the reigning Olympic 10,000m champion, with a blistering 59:46. On the women’s side, Eilish McColgan of Great Britain took the crown. India’s top finishers were Sawan Barwal and Lili Das, who will likely return with eyes on the national podium.

The course records still stand from a memorable 2020 edition: Amedework Walelegn of Ethiopia set the men’s mark at 58:53, while Yalemzerf Yehualaw, also from Ethiopia, holds the women’s record with 1:04:46.

Even marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge is part of the event’s rich history—he won the men’s elite race back in 2016.

With world-class athletes, enthusiastic local support, and a flat, fast course, the Delhi Half Marathon continues to be a must-run event for elites and amateurs alike.

With World 25K Kolkata becoming the world’s first Athletic Gold Label race at this distance, the Indian elite field has swelled with 27 men and 13 women vying for the honours along the picturesque setting of the Red Road on December 15.

The USD 142,214 prize money race will witness some of India’s best athletes take centerstage. With equal prize money for the Indian elite men and women winners, the first three in each race stand to win Rs 3,00,000, 2,50,000, and Rs 2,00,000 respectively. The Indian elite men and women runners will also be further incentivised by an event record bonus of Rs 1,00,000 each.

Avinash Sable holds the current event record in the Indian elite men’s category, with a time of 1:15:17, and L Suriya holds the women’s record, with a time of 1:26:53.

The well-stocked men’s field will be led by the current sensation Gulveer Singh, who is in the midst of a purple patch. He is the current 5000 m (13:11:82) and 10,000 m (27:14:88) national record holder, and has also won a gold medal at the 17th Asian Cross-Country Championship 2024 held in Hong Kong recently. He is also the Asian Games 2022 bronze medallist in the 10,000 m.

Sawan Barwal, the defending champion (1:17:49), returns to Kolkata after winning Delhi Half Marathon 2024 along with Abhishek Pal, the winner of the 2022 edition of TSK 25K. He also won a silver medal at the recently concluded Asian Cross-Country Championship and DHM 2023. The men’s challenge will also see Kiran Matre looking to be a dark horse with a top-of-the-podium finish in World 10K Bengaluru 2024 with a new Indian Course Record. He came third at DHM 2024.

While recounting his recent exploits Gulveer Singh said, “The 2024 session was very good for me. I set four national records in this session, and I’m so motivated. International standards are very high as compared to India. We got a pacer there to do our best. This is my first time in World 25K and I will try to finish in the top three.”

Sanjeevani Jadhav will be the pre-race favourite in the women’s field. She recently won the World 10K Bengaluru 2024 and also earned a silver medal at the Asian Cross-Country Championship. She was also the winner of the 2022 edition (1:34:23) of TSK 25K. She is in red hot form, but she will get tough competition from Lilli Das, who won the DHM 2024. Kavita Yadav, winner of DHM 2023 and second at DHM 2024, will be no pushover either.

“I am well prepared for the World 25K Race. The 2024 year was good for me individually, but I am more focused on 2025 because I am preparing for the Asian and World Championships, and I want to do my best in these championships.

“TSW 25K is more important because we get a chance to compete with the world’s best athletes, and it’s a great opportunity to give our best performance individually and do my personal best in the race. This year, I will try to break the course record my senior colleague L Suriya made earlier,” Sanjeevani said.

With a bright line-up of athletes only one can imagine the competition in store when the flag waves on Sunday.

Olympian Joshua Cheptegei lived up to his billing to take home the men’s crown, while Alemaddis Eyayu pushed pre-race favourite Cynthia Limo behind for a surprise win in the women’s race in today’s Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, at the Indian capital.

Kenya’s Alex Matata (27) led a major part of the race with his teammate Nicholas Kipkorir, who ran his maiden half marathon internationally. Kipkorir was a bronze medalist in the 5 km World Championships last year.

Matata was unbeaten in all three races he took part in in Europe earlier this year, with two sub-60 minutes clocking in two of them.  That made the race exciting, and everyone was looking for a fast finish timing from the men’s winner.  Matata keeps the lead until the runners turn toward the finish line in the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, where the race commenced less than an hour earlier to decide the 2024 title.

Cheptegei, running seconds behind the Kenyan, realized the now-or-never situation and came from behind to snatch the lead from Matata to win in 59 minutes 46 seconds. Matata (59:53) and Kipkorir (59:59) complete the podium with the Ugandan.     

Incidentally, the Vedanta Delhi half marathon was one of the fastest races in the World and usually saw incredible timings by the participants. Ethiopian Deriba Merga was the first to post a sub-60-minute winning time in 2008 when all the podium finishers dipped under 1 hour. This action was repeated several times in some of the subsequent editions at Delhi, wherein 2014 witnessed a record number of nine runners finishing within 60 minutes.

Former world champion Muktar Edris from Ethiopia, another pre-race favourite, finished fifth (60:52), while Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu (60:40) got the fourth place.  

Cheptegei, with multiple world titles on his cap, said that “this win in Delhi was special to me because it is my first-ever victory in a Half Marathon.  India has been important for my career, and this country now means a lot to me.  I felt good throughout the race despite the slow start.  My first aim was to catch up with Nicholas (Kipkorir) and then Alex (Matata) in the final few kilometres of the race.  I am delighted with my performance and hope to continue in the same manner in the future races”.  

Thank you, Vedanta Delhi Half, for a wonderful race. This has been a special race that tested my mind.  Initially, I felt some problems in my feet around 16-17 km, but I decided to push and catch up with Nicholas, and then for about two kilometers, we pushed each other.  I took it slow because I didn’t want to burn out, and I wanted to finish strong.  Now I go back home with a feeling to conquer the roads”, he further revealed.

Eyayu beats favourite Limo to win the women’s title:Alemaddis Eyayu extended the Ethiopian winning streak in Delhi.   Kenya’s Cynthia Limo, the pre-race favourite, led the field right from the beginning while Scotland’s Commonwealth Champion Eilish McColgan trailed behind all the time.  McColgan had the fastest and only sub-66 minute timing among the elite women who took the starting lineup today.  However, two Ethiopians, Eyayu and Tiruye Mesfin, stuck with Limo for the entire part.        

Cynthia Limo, who won the women’s title here in 2015, had returned to Delhi after nine years.  Following her victory in the Indian capital, the Kenyan runner secured a silver medal in Cardiff's 2016 World Half Marathon championships.Eyayu and Limo passed the 10K mark together and remained the sole leaders in the women’s race. However, the Ethiopian runner pulled ahead in the second phase of the race, leaving Limo 10-15 seconds behind.  It was a crucial deciding factor at the end as Eyayu crossed the finish line 68:17 for the top spot, while Limo did so 10 seconds later.  Mesfin clocked 69:42 for third and McColgan 69:55 to finish fourth and outside the podium.  

“I had a good race, tried to keep my pace and aimed to finish well.  I am happy to have achieved it” Eyayu said during the post-event press conference.

Limo said she was happy to join the Delhi podium after nine years.  “Securing second place is incredible, one that fills me with pride.  The atmosphere was electric, with people lining the streets and cheering us.  It’s heartwarming to see how the city comes together.  This experience has been truly special; the support from the spectators, their enthusiasm, and the overall energy of the event have made this return to Delhi unforgettable,” was Limo’s reaction to the race.

The total prize purse for the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon is USD 260,000. The podium finishers both men and women will take home USD 27,000, USD 20,000 & USD 13,000 respectively.

Sawan Barwal betters previous performance

Sawan Barwal will go home with the gold medal this time around after finishing on the podium of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon for a second straight edition. With a timing of 1:02:46, Barwal finished ahead of Puneet Yadav, bettering his personal best in the process. Kiran Matre grabbed the third spot to complete the podium for the Indian Elite Men's event.

Barwal, who won bronze in 2023, was behind Puneet at the 10-kilometer mark, but left his best for the final stretch of the race. Taking advantage of an opening, he pushed himself in the final quarter and eventually secured the top spot with a difference of almost 1 minute and 9 seconds.

After the race, an emotional Sawan was ecstatic about turning the bronze to gold as he shed some light on his performance, saying, "It has been a great ride from the last Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon to the current edition. We are nearing the end of the season, and I was happy with the preparations throughout the season, and I used that to my advantage this time around. I did not enter thinking about finishing in 62 minutes, but the way I started and when I settled into the race, I knew I could go all the way."

Lili Das has dream debut

In the Indian Elite Women's category, Lili Das was miles ahead of her competitors, securing the gold with a timing of 1:18:12. Coming in second was last year's winner Kavita Yadav, who clocked 1:19:44 as she finished in the top 3 for a second straight edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. In third place was 2022 Asian Games bronze medallist Priti Lamba, who crossed the finish line at the 1:20:21 mark.

In the 9th position at the 10-kilometer mark, Lili upped the ante to reach the top spot at the 15th kilometer. She maintained the lead with a massive effort and went on to win the gold by a massive difference of 1 minute and 32 seconds ahead of Kavita.

Lili, who fought cramps on the way to her gold, spoke about the experience of landing on the podium in her very first Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, "It is a very good feeling to win the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon in my very first attempt. I felt a little bit of dehydration during the race which I was worried about, but I am glad that I was able to finish the race. I cramped up around the 19th kilometer and it was a scary moment, but I fought it and worked very hard to finish the final 2 kilometers. After doing well in track and field events, winning gold in a half marathon feels great."

The people of Delhi came together once again to showcase the spirit of their city and promote healthy lifestyles at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. Thousands of runners, from seasoned athletes to enthusiastic amateurs, took to the streets, turning the event into a vibrant celebration of fitness and community. The race not only highlighted the city's commitment to well-being but also raised awareness for various charitable causes, embodying the essence of unity and social responsibility that Delhi is known for.