2012 London Olympic marathon gold medallist Stephen Kiprotich will miss this year's Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (ADHM) after the Ugandan long-distance runner was today forced to pull out of the event due to the death of his father.
Kiprotich conveyed his regrets and said he was looking forward to running in India soon.
"Kiprotich is one of the friendliest athletes on the distance running circuit. He rewrote history in 2012 when he won gold at the Olympics in London, becoming the first in 40 years to win gold for Uganda. We offer our heartfelt condolences to Stephen on his loss. Our prayers and support are with him and his family during this tough time. We will certainly miss him at ADHM this year," said Dilip Jayaram CEO of Procam International, promoters of ADHM
Come Sunday, the USD 270,000 event will witness more than 34,000 participants across different race categories.
In addition to Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, the event will witness a stellar starting line-up that includes Worknesh Degefa, a specialised half marathoner who has ran 22 half marathons in the past four years, with 15 podium finishes; Rising Tanzanian runner Alphonce Sambu who was placed fifth at Rio Olympics; Gladys Chesir, who finished third at ADHM last year; and Tesfaye Abera winner of Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2015.
With one of the best fields so far at ADHM, the starting line will have 13 athletes who competed at Rio Olympics 2016.
Runners at ADHM will have none other than Asafa Powell to cheer for them, as they cross the starting line at the ninth edition of the event.
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