Kenya’s Charles Matata and Ethiopia’s Wudinesh Alemu won the men’s and women’s elite races, respectively, at the Delhi Half Marathon 2026 on Sunday.
Matata clocked 58:52 to better the previous men’s course record of 58:53, set by Ethiopia’s Amedework Walelegn in 2020, by one second.
The Kenyan, who finished runner-up at the Delhi Half Marathon in 2023, led a clean sweep of the men’s elite podium for his country. His twin brother, Alex Matata, won the 2025 edition at 59:50.
Samwel Mailu finished second in 59:24 while Stanley Mburu took third place in 59:33.
In the women’s elite half marathon, 19-year-old Wudinesh Alemu crossed the finish line in 1:06:35 to claim the title.
Kenya’s Selah Businei finished second in 1:07:01 while compatriot Cynthia Chelangat Chepkwony completed the podium with a time of 1:07:32.
Indian runners at Delhi Half Marathon 2026
Olympian Ankita Dhyani topped the Indian elite women’s race with a time of 1:12:46. She finished 15th overall.
Soniya finished second (and 19th overall) in 1:14:56 while Bhagirathi Bisht (20th) was third after clocking 1:15:51 ahead of former champion Lili Das (21st), who timed 1:16:20.
In the Indian elite men’s race, Shailesh Kushwaha claimed the top spot after clocking 1:05:05. He finished 14th overall.
Gaurav Mathur (16th) finished second in 1:05:11 and Hemant Singh (17th) took third place with a time of 1:05:37.
Kartik Karkera, who represented India in the men’s marathon at the Asian Games 2026, finished with a time of 1:07:05. He was seventh among Indians and 23rd overall.
The Indian elite event records remained intact. Avinash Sable holds the men’s mark of 1:00:30, set in 2020, while Loganathan Suriya’s women’s record of 1:10:31 has stood since 2017.
Sunday’s race was the 21st edition of the Delhi Half Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race.
More than 40000 participants took to the streets of the national capital across the various race categories.
The 21.097km half marathon featured a revised route, with the race starting and finishing at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/delhi-half-marathon-2026-race-results-times-winners-list
