Not fully happy despite half marathon win: Kipchoge

He may have won the mens title at the Delhi Half Maratho o n Sunday, but Eliot Kipchoge is not fully satisfied with his performance.

Kipchoge, the gold medal winner at the Rio Olympics last August, won his final race of 2016 here on Sunday to end the year on a high note.

The 32-year-old from Kenya crossed the finish line in 59 minutes and 44 seconds to claim the top spot on the podium.

Yigrem Demelash of Ethiopia took silver with a time of 59:48 while Augustine Choge clocked 1hr:01min to finish with the bronze medal.

"I wanted to set a new personal best time. But I was not able to do it today. But still, I am satisfied with my performance," the Kenyan told IANS.

"The course here is really flat and the weather conditions early in the morning were perfect for setting a good time."

"My primary target was to go below 60 minutes and I was able to do that. Yigrem was with me for almost the entire race and that helped me to maintain a good pace," he added.

Much had been made about the high levels of pollution in the city and there were apprehensions that it may affect the athletes' performance.

Kipchoge however, asserted that the pollution issue was never a problem.

"We did not face any problem due to pollution. I want to inspire millions of Indians that you can run and follow physical activities despite all the pollution," he said.

"Running everyday is like eating a fruit daily. It helps to keep the doctor away," he added.

--IANS

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