It was a deja vu moment for the defending champion, 37-year-old, Jyoti Shankarrao Gawate at the New Delhi Marathon again. She clocked 2:53:04 to win gold this time.She was beaming with joy because of the cheque of 1.5 lakh INR. She has already made plans for the 1.5 lakh INR.She says, "This is a big amount for me. I have to spend this money on the diet and travel for the next marathon, besides other daily expenses." She adds, "I don't have any job, and now I have very little hope that I will secure a job through my performances in Marathon."
Jyoti started her long-distance running career almost 17 years ago and has been running full marathons since 2010. She has topped these races for the 8th time, and like this time, she has been beating racers half her age. But despite her incessant top-class performances, she is disappointed that she doesn't have a job. She no longer has much hope of getting one.
The New Delhi Marathon provided an opportunity for runners to qualify for the Hangzhou Asian Games, which will be held in China in September-October of this year.
India's elite runners, Man Singh, Belliappa AB and Karthik Kumar clinched the podium positions in the Apollo Tyres New Delhi National Marathon on Sunday and also qualified for the 2023 Asian Games in September.
All three finished under the qualifying time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, much to the delight of cheering fans all along the picturesque route in the heart of the Capital.
Man Singh, who recorded his personal best of 2:16:58 just last month, clocked an impressive 2:14.13 to win the coveted gold medal as well as the cash prize of Rs 1,50,000.
Belliappa (2:14.15), who was breathing down his neck in the final leg, finished just two seconds behind to improve upon his own best by over 2 minutes. He pocketed the silver medal in the process. Karthik Kumar (2:14.19) crossed the line four seconds later to take the bronze.
Evergreen Jyoti Gawate took home the gold medal among elite women but could not book her flight ticket to Hangzhou in China. She, however, managed 2:53:04, while the target for women was 2:47 minutes. Ashvini Jadhav (2:53:06) and Jigmet Dolma (2:56:41) took the other two positions on the podium.
"I was stumped by the enthusiasm among the runners. I couldn't stop myself from cheering as I saw India's top marathoners enter the Nehru Stadium well under the qualifying mark," world record holder and double Olympic champion David Rudisha, the Brand Ambassador of NDM, gushed. "I congratulate the three qualifiers and wish them all the best for the big one in September," he added.
Over 16,000 runners took part in the four categories, making it one of the biggest turnouts in the country. The Elite Marathoners set off on their mission at 5 in the morning, with David Rudisha flagging them off along with other dignitaries.
RESULTS
Marathon (Elite):
Men: 1. Man Singh (2:14.13); 2. Belliappa AB (2:14.15); 3. Karthik Kumar (2:14.19)
Women: 1. Jyoti Gawate (2:53:04); 2. Ashvini Jadhav (2:53:06); 3. Jigmet Dolma (2:56:41).
Half Marathon:
Men: 1. Kiran Matre (1:05.57); 2. Nano Guta (1:06.03); 3. Tirtha Pun (1:06.21)
Women: 1. Neetu Kumari (1:17.14); 2. Bisle Bikaye (1:18.26); 3. Ujala Ujala (1:21.31)
10K:
Men: 1. Rishipal Singh (0:32.56); 2. Abdisa Wolde (0:32.57); 3. Sunny Kumar (0:34.14)
Women: 1. Ekta Rawat (0:38.12); 2. Rozi (0:38.13); 3. Priti Priti (0:39.22)