Alex Matata won the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon in 2025. On Sunday morning, his twin brother Charles came to Delhi, ran wire to wire and broke a six-year-old course record. The Matata family now owns the fastest time in this race’s history.
Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2026 — Winners at a Glance
- Elite Men: Charles Matata (Kenya) — 58:52 Course Record
- Indian Elite Men: Shailesh Kushwaha — 1:05:05 (debut win)
- Elite Women: Wudinesh Alemu Keneni (Ethiopia) — 1:06:35
- Indian Elite Women: Ankita Dhyani — 1:12:46 (maiden title)
21st Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon · 18 October 2026 · Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.
Charles Matata breaks Delhi’s course record — twin brothers win in consecutive years
Kenya’s Charles Matata controlled the 21st Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon — a World Athletics Gold Label race — from the gun, crossing the line in 58:52 to erase the previous course record of 58:53 set by Ethiopia’s Amedework Walelegn in 2020. One second. Six years. Done.
The story behind it makes it better. Charles and Alex Matata are twins. Alex won this race in 2025 with a time of 59:50, one of the faster times in the event’s history that still fell short of the record. His twin brother came back twelve months later and did what Alex could not. Between them, the Matata brothers now hold both the title and the course record at one of Asia’s most competitive half marathons.
Kenyans dominated the men’s race from start to finish, sweeping all three podium spots. Samwel Nyamai Mailu finished second in 59:24 and Stanley Waithaka Mburu took third in 59:33. Charles Matata’s record earns him an additional USD 12,000 course record bonus on top of the USD 27,000 winner’s purse — a USD 39,000 morning in Delhi.
Ethiopia’s Wudinesh Alemu Keneni won the Elite Women’s title in 1:06:35, with Kenya’s Selah Businei (1:07:01) and Cynthia Chelangat Chepkwony (1:07:32) finishing second and third. The women’s course record of 1:04:46, set by Yalemzerf Yehualaw in 2020, remains untouched.
Shailesh Kushwaha and Ankita Dhyani win Indian Elite titles
The India story ran parallel and was just as compelling. Twenty-year-old Shailesh Kushwaha won the Indian Elite Men’s title on his VDHM debut in 1:05:05, with Gaurav Mathur (1:05:11) and Hemant Kumar (1:05:37) completing a tight podium — six seconds separating all three. For a debutant to beat a field that included established Indian road runners at this level is a result worth marking.
Steeplechaser Ankita Dhyani claimed the Indian Elite Women’s gold in 1:12:46 — her maiden title at the Delhi Half Marathon. The 22-year-old, who has represented India at international championships on the track, finished fifth on her VDHM debut in 2025. Soniya (1:14:56) and Bhagirathi (1:15:51) took second and third. Dhyani’s road racing trajectory since her debut is one of the more interesting sub-plots in Indian women’s distance running right now.
Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2026 — Full Elite Results
| International Elite — Men | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Athlete | Nation | Time | |
| 🥇 1st | Charles Matata | Kenya | 58:52 CR | |
| 🥈 2nd | Samwel Nyamai Mailu | Kenya | 59:24 | |
| 🥉 3rd | Stanley Waithaka Mburu | Kenya | 59:33 | |
| International Elite — Women | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Athlete | Nation | Time | |
| 🥇 1st | Wudinesh Alemu Keneni | Ethiopia | 1:06:35 | |
| 🥈 2nd | Selah Businei | Kenya | 1:07:01 | |
| 🥉 3rd | Cynthia Chelangat Chepkwony | Kenya | 1:07:32 | |
| Indian Elite — Men | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Athlete | Time | |
| 🥇 1st | Shailesh Kushwaha | 1:05:05 | |
| 🥈 2nd | Gaurav Mathur | 1:05:11 | |
| 🥉 3rd | Hemant Kumar | 1:05:37 | |
| Indian Elite — Women | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Athlete | Time | |
| 🥇 1st | Ankita Dhyani | 1:12:46 | |
| 🥈 2nd | Soniya | 1:14:56 | |
| 🥉 3rd | Bhagirathi | 1:15:51 | |
Prize money: The 2026 edition offered a total purse of USD 275,732. Men’s and women’s international elite winners each received USD 27,000, with an additional USD 12,000 course record bonus taking Charles Matata’s total earnings to USD 39,000. Indian Elite top three (men and women both): Rs 3,50,000 · Rs 2,50,000 · Rs 1,50,000. Results as reported by PTI.
For course route, entry fees, race history and everything you need to run the Delhi Half Marathon, see our complete Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon guide.