Rio gold medallist Eliud Kipchoge has his eyes set on Delhi Half Marathon

Rio Olympics marathon gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge, who clocked his personal best (59:25 seconds) in his debut half marathon at Lille, will face tough competition on Sunday from his compatriot Augustine Choge whose best timing is 63:24 and Yigrem Demelash whose best timing is 59:49 in the Delhi Half Marathon 2016.

Rated as one of the best long distance runners, Kenya’s Kipchoge was confident of his preparations for Delhi Half Marathon and targets to finish the race in under 60 minutes. While addressing the media, he said, “Through Delhi half marathon I hope to inspire millions and ignite in them a passion for distance running. I believe preparation and planning is key to  to deliver a great performance during race."  When asked about the changes which have occurred in his life after wining Rio gold earlier this year, he stated, "The status changed but I am still the same. I am thankful to my coach Patrick Sang and I am still learning and have a long way to go.   Like Kipchoge, Choge will also be running in Delhi Half Marathon for the very first time. He has thanked Kipchoge for being a great mentor and a motivator. Both of them will be competing against each other but their friendship will be intact both on and off the track. Patrick Sang, the former athlete is back in India after 29 years, but this time he will be coaching Kipchoge to win his first title in the capital city of India. He takes pride on Eliud’s consistency and performance and feels guiding a athletes depends on the percentage of calibre they have in running. The marathoners will be chasing men’s and women’s first prizes of US$27,000, with a total prize fund of US$270,000.