Tsegay creates race record to win Delhi half-marathon

New Delhi: Ethiopia`s Atsedu Tsegay won the men`s elite event with a new race record, while Florence Kiplagat of Kenya finished on top in the women`s category of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon here on Sunday.

Tsegay clocked 59.10 seconds beating the previous record of 59.15 held by Deriba Merga since 2008. "The competition was good as there were some quality athletes. I am happy to be the champion," said Tsegay after the marathon. Meanwhile, Kiplagat finished the race with the timing of 1.07.58. However, women`s elite category saw a relatively slow race as winter of Delhi left an impact on the athletes` timing. "For me it was slow due to the fact that I could not arrive in time due to flight problem. So there was no to time to get used to the weather here," Kiplagat said during the interaction with media. Kiplagat was seen vomiting just after she reached the finishing line. "I was not feeling well. I pushed myself in the last five kilometres of the race. But it was a nice experience for me," she said. In a dramatic turn of events, last year`s winner Edwin Kipyego finished eighth place. Former Junior world champion Geoffrey Kipsang of Kenya came second with the timing of 59:30 while his compatriot Wilson Kiprop finished in third position after clocking 59:49 seconds. In the women`s elite category, it was an all Kenyan affair as Gladys Cherono came second with 1:08:03 and Lucy Kabuu finished third with the timing of 1:08:10. Winners of the elite category pocketed a cool sum of Rs 2.5 lakh (USD 25,000). Among Indian athletes, Preeja Sreedharan was the top finisher after she clocked 1:20:04 in her maiden appearance at the event. Among the men, G Laxman was the top finisher with a timing of 1:04:44. Athletes made a complaint regarding three sharp turns which they believed left affected their pace.