East Africans take Delhi half-marathon by storm
2 Oct 2012 3:47 AM IST
Kenya’s Edwin Kipyego clinched the elite men’s title in the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon while Ethiopia’s Yimer Wude won the women’s race here on Sunday. Kipyego, who won the Reading Half Marathon in April, completed the 21.097-km race in 1:00.55 hours to bag the $25,000 winner’s purse. However, he finished 25 seconds behind last year’s winner Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia and 40 seconds behind another Ethiopian Deriba Merga, who set the course record in 2008.
Kipyego’s compatriots Leonard Langat and Silas Kipruto finished second and third, respectively.
Langat, who was close to Kipyego throughout the race, failed to push towards the end, finishing with a timing of 1:01:07. Kipruto, a 5,000-metre specialist, clocked 1:01:57. Defending champion Desisa suffered from an Achilles tendon pain to finish seventh with a timing of 1:02:50. Among the elite women, 2010 World 10,000 metres Bangalore winner Wude emerged victorious with a timing of 1:11.10 while compatriot Waganesh Amare finished two seconds behind for the second place. Kenya’s Helah Kiprop finished third, clocking 1:11.18.
Kipyego said hot and humid conditions made the race tough. ‘I did not expect to win as everyone was running fast. I was keeping the pace with the record till the 14-15 km mark but after that I suffered because of the hot and humid conditions,’ said the winner.
Wude also agreed with Kipyego and said conditions were not favourable for the runners. ‘I am very happy with the race. It was really a good race. The conditions were not really great to race as it became very hot after a while. I ran hard and in the end I managed to sneak past Amare,’ said Wude.
Second placed Amare was also pleased with her performance. ‘I did not expect to win. I am happy with the second place finish and I look forward to come back again next year,’ said Amare.
Aselefech Mergia of Ethiopia, winner in 2008 and 2010, retired from the race because of a leg injury.
Rahul Kumar Pal finished first amongst elite Indian men and 16th overall with a timing of 1:06.12. Nitender Singh and Indrajeet Patel came second and third.
Sudha Singh was the fastest woman among Indians, clocking 1:19.34, followed by 2007 and 2008 winner and course record holder Kavita Raut and last year’s champion Lalita Babbar.
FORMER CHILD WORKERS RUN FOR THE CAUSE
Some 150 children, most of them former child labourers, on Sunday joined the athletes, celebrities and thousands of sports enthusiasts for the Delhi Half Marathon to pledge support to millions of other children still deprived of their rights.
While some were rescued child labourers, some have once been trafficked to neighbouring states to work as bonded labourer. A few are even orphans who wish no one should grow without parents.
Preeti Kumari, a 16-year-old from Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad district, says she used to bunk school as she had to help her family in the bangle making work.
Her friend Akash, 15, adds, ‘We want a strict law against child labour. We are here to demand for that.’
Now with help from the NGO ChildFund India, Preeti was able to continue her studies. “I want no child in the country should be forced to work,” she said.
All these children, who participated in the marathon, were the sponsored children of the NGO. The organisation began work in the country in 1951 and is currently implementing child development projects in 78 districts of 14 states and the union territory of Puducherry.
ChildFund’s national director Dola Mohapatra said, ‘We are running to highlight the cause of children who are still in deprived, excluded and vulnerable condition.’ ‘We also want to highlight the plight of children affected with HIV/AIDS, and those who are unable to enjoy their childhood because of being engaged in child labour.’
Although India continues to record impressive growth rates, poverty remains widespread and disparities deeply entrenched. Sixteen-year-old Sugna Kumari, from Galdor village in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district, said many of her friends were once trafficked to Gujarat to work in the cotton fields. She was lucky not to fall in such a trap.
‘People [human traffickers] come and lure children in the village with money. Many fall in their trap as they are poor. However such cases are not heard in our village any more.’ ‘We have formed a Bal Sangh [children association] in our village to address our issues. We organise meetings with parents and elders to make them aware our needs and problems.’
Kipyego’s compatriots Leonard Langat and Silas Kipruto finished second and third, respectively.
Langat, who was close to Kipyego throughout the race, failed to push towards the end, finishing with a timing of 1:01:07. Kipruto, a 5,000-metre specialist, clocked 1:01:57. Defending champion Desisa suffered from an Achilles tendon pain to finish seventh with a timing of 1:02:50. Among the elite women, 2010 World 10,000 metres Bangalore winner Wude emerged victorious with a timing of 1:11.10 while compatriot Waganesh Amare finished two seconds behind for the second place. Kenya’s Helah Kiprop finished third, clocking 1:11.18.
Kipyego said hot and humid conditions made the race tough. ‘I did not expect to win as everyone was running fast. I was keeping the pace with the record till the 14-15 km mark but after that I suffered because of the hot and humid conditions,’ said the winner.
Wude also agreed with Kipyego and said conditions were not favourable for the runners. ‘I am very happy with the race. It was really a good race. The conditions were not really great to race as it became very hot after a while. I ran hard and in the end I managed to sneak past Amare,’ said Wude.
Second placed Amare was also pleased with her performance. ‘I did not expect to win. I am happy with the second place finish and I look forward to come back again next year,’ said Amare.
Aselefech Mergia of Ethiopia, winner in 2008 and 2010, retired from the race because of a leg injury.
Rahul Kumar Pal finished first amongst elite Indian men and 16th overall with a timing of 1:06.12. Nitender Singh and Indrajeet Patel came second and third.
Sudha Singh was the fastest woman among Indians, clocking 1:19.34, followed by 2007 and 2008 winner and course record holder Kavita Raut and last year’s champion Lalita Babbar.
FORMER CHILD WORKERS RUN FOR THE CAUSE
Some 150 children, most of them former child labourers, on Sunday joined the athletes, celebrities and thousands of sports enthusiasts for the Delhi Half Marathon to pledge support to millions of other children still deprived of their rights.
While some were rescued child labourers, some have once been trafficked to neighbouring states to work as bonded labourer. A few are even orphans who wish no one should grow without parents.
Preeti Kumari, a 16-year-old from Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad district, says she used to bunk school as she had to help her family in the bangle making work.
Her friend Akash, 15, adds, ‘We want a strict law against child labour. We are here to demand for that.’
Now with help from the NGO ChildFund India, Preeti was able to continue her studies. “I want no child in the country should be forced to work,” she said.
All these children, who participated in the marathon, were the sponsored children of the NGO. The organisation began work in the country in 1951 and is currently implementing child development projects in 78 districts of 14 states and the union territory of Puducherry.
ChildFund’s national director Dola Mohapatra said, ‘We are running to highlight the cause of children who are still in deprived, excluded and vulnerable condition.’ ‘We also want to highlight the plight of children affected with HIV/AIDS, and those who are unable to enjoy their childhood because of being engaged in child labour.’
Although India continues to record impressive growth rates, poverty remains widespread and disparities deeply entrenched. Sixteen-year-old Sugna Kumari, from Galdor village in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district, said many of her friends were once trafficked to Gujarat to work in the cotton fields. She was lucky not to fall in such a trap.
‘People [human traffickers] come and lure children in the village with money. Many fall in their trap as they are poor. However such cases are not heard in our village any more.’ ‘We have formed a Bal Sangh [children association] in our village to address our issues. We organise meetings with parents and elders to make them aware our needs and problems.’
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