New Delhi [India], October 8 (ANI): The Delhi Half Marathon on Thursday announced the Indian Elite field for the 21st edition of the World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, scheduled to be held in New Delhi on Sunday, October 18.
The field comprises 22 men and 20 women, led by Harmanjot Singh and Kiran Matre in the men’s category, as per a press release.
Harmanjot, the reigning World 10K Bengaluru 2026 Indian Elite champion and silver medallist at the 2026 Asian Cross Country Championships, will make his Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon debut on 18 October. With a personal best of 1:01:46 at the Alwar Tiger International Half Marathon, the fastest in the Indian Elite field, he enters the race as a strong contender.
“Winning in Bengaluru and taking silver at the Asian Cross Country this year has given me a lot of confidence going into Delhi. The Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon is one of the toughest races in the country, with a field that pushes you to your limit, and I am looking forward to testing myself against the best elite runners over the half marathon distance. I will give it everything on race day,” said Harmanjot Singh.
Kiran Matre, who finished second among the Indian Elite men at last year’s Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon and set his half marathon personal best of 1:04:57 in that race, will look to build on that performance on home roads. He is also a former winner of the Indian Elite race at the TCS World 10K Bengaluru (2024), where he clocked a personal best of 29:32.
The pair will face strong competition from Kartik Karkera, winner of the Indian Elite men’s race at the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2026 and second runner-up at last year’s Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon.
Also returning to the half marathon circuit after a long hiatus is track star Prince Kumar of Uttar Pradesh, who won the 5,000m and 10,000m titles at the 2025 Open National Athletics Championships and the 5,000m gold at the 2025 South Asian Athletics Championships.
Asian Games 2023 steeplechase bronze medallist Priti Lamba, who already knows what it takes to reach the Indian Elite podium in Delhi, will add further depth to the field. Former Indian Elite champions lead the women’s charge.
In the Women’s Elite field, former VDHM Indian Elite champions Lili Das and Kavita Yadav will lead the charge. Lili Das won the Indian Elite women’s category in 2024, while Kavita Yadav emerged victorious among the Indian women in 2023. Their pursuit of another podium finish will be fiercely tested by Olympic and World Championship steeplechaser Ankita Dhyani, who impressed on her half marathon debut in 2025, finishing fifth among the Indian Elite women.
Asian Games 2023 steeplechase bronze medallist Priti Lamba, who already knows what it takes to reach the Indian Elite podium in Delhi, will add further depth to the field.
The 21st edition also marks the launch of PRIDE (Procam Rewards for Indian Distance Elites), a merit-based rewards framework designed to recognise, incentivise and empower Indian elite athletes competing at its flagship events. PRIDE offers India’s top distance runners transparent, performance-driven, premium benefits, celebrating excellence and encouraging the growth of elite distance running in the country.
The framework applies to all verified Indian elite distance athletes registering for all Procam International events.
Prize money and Indian Elite event record incentive
The top three finishers in the Indian Elite Men’s and Women’s categories will receive a prize money of Rs 3,50,000, Rs 2,50,000 and Rs 1,50,000, respectively. An additional Rs 1,00,000 incentive is also up for grabs for setting a new Indian Elite record at VDHM. The current Indian Elite records stand at 60:30, set by Avinash Sable in the Men’s category in 2020, and 70:31, set by L. Suriya in the Women’s category in 2017. (ANI)
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