NEW DELHI: Sawan Barwal will return home with a gold medal dangling around his neck after finishing on top of the podium of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon (VDHM) in the Indian men’s elite category here on Sunday. Barwal had won bronze last year.
In the women’s section, Lili Das had a dream debut as she was miles ahead of her competitors, securing the gold with a timing of 1:18:12s.During her blistering run, Das was hardly challenged by last year’s winner Kavita Yadav, who clocked 1:19:44s to finish in the top three for a second straight edition of the VDHM. In third place was Hangzhou Asian Games 2023 bronze medallist Priti Lamba, who crossed the finish line in 1:20:21s.
Barwal, with a timing of 1:02:46s, finished ahead of Puneet Yadav (1:03:55s), bettering his personal best in the process. Kiran Matre also secured his PB timing after clocking 1:04:58s for the third spot.
Barwal was behind Yadav at the 10km-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.
“It has been a great ride from the last edition to the current one. We are nearing the end of the season, and I was happy with the preparations for this event. I didn’t enter this race 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,” he said.
In the women’s race, Das was in the ninth position at the 10km-mark but reached the top spot at the 15km-mark. She maintained her lead thereafter and won the gold by a big margin of 1 minute and 32 seconds ahead of Yadav.