New Delhi Marathon: Man Singh, Appachangada Belliappa, Karthik Kumar make Asian Games cut

New Delhi [India], February 26 (ANI): Indian runner Man Singh won the men's elite race at the New Delhi Marathon 2023 on Sunday with a personal best timing of two hours, 14 minutes and 13 seconds. Besides winning the top prize, Man Singh also breached the entry standard set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for the upcoming Asian Games.
The Asian Games entry standard for Indian men's marathoners is 2:15:00.
On Sunday, several Indians exceeded the standard needed to compete in the Asian Games, including Man Singh. With times under 2:15:00, Appachangada Belliappa and Karthik Kumar both qualified for the 2018 Asian Games, which will take place in Hangzhou, China in September-October of this year.
Appachangada Belliappa won the silver medal in a time of 2:14:15, beating his previous best by more than two minutes. At a time of 2:14:19, Karthik Kumar finished four seconds after Belliappa to win third place.
Jyoti Gawate successfully defended her title in the elite women's marathon, crossing the finish line in 2:53:04. She was unable to surpass the women's entry mark for the Asian Games, which is 2:37:00.
Jyoti Gawate was followed by Ashvini Jadhav on the podium with a time of 2:53:06, while Jigmet Dolma won third place with a time of 2:56:41.
The New Delhi Marathon 2023 started and ended at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and covered key landmarks of the city. Kenyan legend David Rudisha, a two-time Olympic and world champion in 800m, flagged off the elite race at 5 AM IST on Sunday.
Over 16,000 runners participated in the New Delhi Marathon 2023 on Sunday across different categories. (ANI)