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Athlete Lili Das on Sunday expressed happiness at becoming the fastest Indian runner at the Delhi Half Marathon, saying that she was expecting a podium finish but not a first position.
Lili emerged as the women's champion with timings of 1:18:12 hours. Kavita Yadav, who had secured a win in the women's race last year, finished at second spot with timings of 1:19:44 hour and at third was Priti Lamba 1:20:20 hour. Speaking to ANI, Lili said, "The experience was nice. It was my first marathon. The Delhi Marathon is big. A lot of competitors are gold medalists. I just expected myself to be at the podium, not at the first spot. It was my first marathon. I faced difficulties in between, but I handled them somehow." She said that she faced a cramp when she was done covering 19 kilometres worth of distance. "I faced a cramp. I felt it and slowed down my pace so that it would not get worse. Near the finishing line, I was looking behind and trying to finish as quick as possible and seek treatment. I was about to cry. It was getting too much," added Lili. Lili was not satisfied with her timing, saying that other players have done the race way faster. "Maybe in coming times, I will improve my timing," she added. Lili said that she was not facing any breathing issues, pollution-related problems or dehydration while running but she was strongly advised by her competitors to run carefully in order to stay safe from these things. "The players were advising me to run carefully as players face issues due to hydration, cramps and pollution. I did not face any breathing issues though. The cramp was the only issue, it came out of nowhere. I had quickened my pace and I continued on it till the 19th km and a cramp happened. Had I done it (kept her pace high), I would not have finished the marathon," she concluded. Also, the winner of the men's race among Indian competitors, athlete Sawan Barwal, expressed satisfaction with his performance while talking to ANI. "The main players had gone for other competitions, there was not much competition. I tried to settle my pace in the first half. When my body felt settled, I tried to be as quick as possible. I did not have any target in my mind when it came to timing. The overall timing I feel is great," said Barwal. He also said that he did not think about the weather and pollution while running. "My next goal is Asian Championships (taking place in 2025," added Barwal while asked about his next goal. At the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, Barwal improved on his last year's third-place finish to reach the top spot (with timings of (1:02:46 hour), ahead of Puneet Yadav (1:03:55) and Kiran Matre (1:04:58). (ANI)
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