New Delhi, October 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Debutant Shailesh Kushwaha clinched the Indian Elite Men’s title, while Ankita Dhyani claimed her maiden gold in the Indian Elite Women’s category at the Delhi Half Marathon on Sunday.
The 20-year-old Kushwaha won a closely contested men’s race in 1:05:05. He broke away from a five-man leading pack shortly after the halfway mark and held off Gaurav Mathur, who finished in 1:05:11, by six seconds. Hemant Singh secured third place with a time of 1:05:37.
In the Indian Elite Women’s category, Dhyani took the top spot in 1:12:46. Soniya finished second in 1:14:56, while Bhagirathi claimed third place in 1:15:51.
Kushwaha said he was determined to deliver a strong performance after being dissatisfied with his showing at the 65th National Open Athletics Championships 2026.
“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,” he said.
Dhyani, a silver medallist in the steeplechase at the World University Games who trains in the United States, broke clear of the Indian field early in the race and ran alongside international elite competitors. Her winning time of 1:12:46 was more than five minutes faster than her previous personal best.
Debutant Soniya and Bhagirathi completed the podium, while former champion Lili Das finished fourth with a personal best of 1:16:20.
Reflecting on her performance, Dhyani said her training had been going well and believed she could have produced an even better result. She also highlighted the potential for Indian women to make further progress in the half marathon.
“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,” she said.
The top three finishers in both the Indian Elite Men’s and Women’s categories will receive prize money of Rs 3.5 lakh, Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh, respectively. An additional incentive of Rs 1 lakh was also on offer for setting a new Indian Elite record at the event.
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