New Delhi Marathon 2023: Find out who qualified for Asian Games

Man Singh, an Indian runner, claimed the men’s elite event in the New Delhi Marathon 2023 with a personal best time of two hours, 14 minutes, and 13 seconds. Man Singh not only won the top award, but also exceeded the Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) entry criterion for the upcoming Asian Games. According to the standards set by AFI,  Indian men’s marathon runners must finish in under 2:15:00 to qualify for the Asian Games. Man Singh wasn’t the only Indian to surpass the Asian Games qualification mark on Sunday. Both Appachangada Belliappa and Karthik Kumar ran faster than 2:15:00 to breach the mark set for the next edition of the Asian Games.

An athlete’s inclusion in the Indian team for the 2018 Asian Games is, however, not assured by just failing to meet the entry criterion.  The entrance standard was only the minimum need for selection. The AFI would choose the squad on the basis of a variety of criteria, including the probability that they will win medals. The Asian Games are slated to take place in Hangzhou, China in September-October of this year.

Jyoti won the women’s race in 2:53:04, falling short of the Asian Games entrance mark of 2:37:00. The remaining two podium spots belonged to Ashvini Jadhav (2:53:06) and Jigmet Dolma (2:56:41). Nonetheless, Jyoti’s timing was substantially better than the 3:01:20 she had recorded the previous year. More over 16,000 runners competed in the four categories, marking it one of the country’s largest marathon attendees. The other divisions included 5K, 10K, and half marathon races. The AFI acknowledged the New Delhi Marathon as a National Marathon Championship.

Legendary Kenyan middle-distance runner and New Delhi Marathon brand ambassador David Rudisha flagged off the race. Rudisha is a two-time Olympic and World Champion in the 800 meters. In an interview, he stated, “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.”

Read more: Indian windsurfer Ishwariya Ganesh qualifies for Asian Games 2022

New Delhi Marathon 2023: Find out the full results

Full Marathon

Men: 1. Man Singh – 2:14:13, 2. Appachangada Belliappa – 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 – 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 – 0:39:22

Read more: Asian Games 2022: Ram Baboo and Manju Rani qualify for the mega event