Charles Matata sets event record at Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon; Wudinesh Alemu claims women’s title

Kenya’s Charles Matata lived up to a family tradition by taking the top spot in the 21st edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon (VDHM), setting a new event record. Meanwhile, the women’s title in this World Athletics Gold Label Road Race went to 19-year-old Ethiopian Wudinesh Alemu, who overcame challenges from several pre-race favourites.

The 2026 edition offered a total prize purse of USD 275,732, with the men’s and women’s winners each receiving USD 27,000. Charles took home USD 42,000 in total: the winner’s prize, a USD 12,000 event-record bonus and an additional USD 3,000 for breaking the 60-minute barrier. In the Indian Elite categories, the top three men and women received INR 350,000, INR 250,000 and INR 150,000, respectively.

Charles, who has competed in about a dozen half marathons during his career, broke the 60-minute barrier for the first time earlier this year when he won the Rimi Riga Marathon in May in 59:15. The 29-year-old Kenyan was also familiar with Delhi’s roads, having finished runner-up at the event in 2023. His twin brother, Alex Matata, won the 2025 edition in 59:50.

A cool early-morning start proved ideal as pacemaker Emmanuel Yegon led the men through the first quarter of the race at a record pace, reaching the 5K mark in 13:56. Drawing on his experience, Charles broke away from the rest of the field, which included Ethiopia’s two-time champion Birhanu Legese. The Kenyan finished the 10K in 27:41 and the 15K in 41:39, signalling a record-breaking performance. His 20K split of 55:53 confirmed that he was on course to set a new event record.

Charles finished in a personal best of 58:52, narrowly bettering the previous event record of 58:53, which Amedework Walelegn had held since 2020.

It was a memorable outing for the Kenyans in Delhi, as they swept the men’s podium. Samwel Nyamai Mailu (59:24) and Stanley Mburu (59:33) took the next two places. Birhanu Legese’s bid for a third title fell short as he finished fourth, nearly a minute behind Mburu.

An elated Charles said, “I came to Delhi well prepared, having maintained my fitness as I knew I would be racing here. I was hoping to run in the 59-minute range, but the excellent weather and my familiarity with the course from 2023 helped me deliver an even stronger performance and set a course record. I believe no human is limited, and I am ready to push myself further.”

“My comeback was not easy, as I suffered an injury in February that forced me to cancel several races and a marathon. I am grateful to have returned strongly and finished on the podium,” Samwel said during the post-event briefing.

Wudinesh overcomes favourites to claim the women’s title

Unlike most of the field, Wudinesh Alemu Keneni had competed in just one half marathon before arriving in Delhi. Still in her teens, the Ethiopian has primarily been a track runner. She finished third in her only previous road race last year, clocking 1:08:08 at the Oysho Cardiff Half Marathon.

Kenya’s Irine Cheptai took the early lead, guiding her compatriots through the first 5K in 15:55. Alemu remained within the lead group before making her move in the final quarter of the race and making her ambitions clear. Kenyans Cynthia Chepkwony and Selah Busienei, along with Cheptai, trailed the Ethiopian by about 50 metres and remained a threat until the final kilometre.

However, Alemu did not look back. She entered the home straight full of confidence and went on to clock 1:06:35 to claim the title. Busienei (1:07:01) and Chepkwony (1:07:32) completed the women’s podium. Pre-race favourite Cheptai made a late attempt to overtake Chepkwony in the closing stages but finished fourth in 1:07:33.

“I am very happy with my performance. I ran a strong race from the start and maintained my pace throughout. This is only my second international half marathon, and I have improved my personal best by almost two minutes, which makes me very happy,” Alemu said after the race.

“I have been running for only two years, so I am still learning and developing as an athlete. I hope to continue improving, gain more experience and build a strong career in distance running,” she added.

“The race went well, and I am happy with my performance. I didn’t expect to finish in the top three, but I believe mental strength is vital in running, and I was prepared to push myself. I have been training hard, and I am pleased with the result,” said Selah Busienei.

Cynthia said she had stayed with the second group of runners for most of the race to conserve energy. “It helped me save energy and finish the race strongly,” she explained afterwards.

Shailesh Kushwaha and Ankita Dhyani claim Indian Elite honours

Twenty-year-old Kushwaha won a closely contested men’s race in 1:05:05. He broke away from a five-man lead pack shortly after halfway and held off Gaurav Mathur (1:05:11) by six seconds, while Hemant Singh (1:05:37) finished third.

“I wasn’t happy with how I did at the 65th National Open Athletics Championships 2026, so I was eager to give this run my absolute best. It’s tough to find the confidence to break early and lead for most of the race, but today I was able to do it. I definitely felt the pressure because Gaurav was right behind me all the way to the end,” said Kushwaha.

Dhyani, a World University Games steeplechase silver medallist who trains in the United States, broke clear of the Indian field early and ran among the international elite to win in 1:12:46, more than five minutes faster than her previous best. Debutant Soniya (1:14:56) and Bhagirathi (1:15:51) completed the podium, while former champion Lili Das set a personal best of 1:16:20 to finish fourth.

“I’ve been training well, and to be honest, the way my training has been going, I think I could have done a little bit better. If Indian women focus more on the half marathon, we’ll soon see the national record broken. I’m very happy that all three of us on the podium are from Uttarakhand. The state supports us a lot, and we are happy with the achievement,” said Dhyani.

Results

TOP RESULTS WOMEN’S HALF MARATHON ELITE