Adriaan Wildschutt made history on Sunday by becoming the first South African to win the New York City Half Marathon, completing the 21.1km course in 59 minutes and 30 seconds. The Team South Africa Olympian surged ahead after the halfway mark, securing an 11-second lead over American Zouhair Talbi, who finished in 59:41, while India’s Gulveer Singh crossed the line in 59:42 to complete the podium.
Wildschutt, 27, from Ceres in the Western Cape, kept within the lead pack for the first 10 kilometres before making a decisive move shortly after 10km. By 15km, he had taken sole control of the race and maintained his advantage through to the finish line. “I could see I felt really good and I was like, ‘at some point I’m going to get up the bridge and make a big surge down the hill.’ After the downhill, you get a hill again, so I wanted to keep pushing,” he explained after the race. With the victory secured, he had time to punch the air and spread his arms wide as he entered the final 100 metres.
The win adds to Wildschutt’s growing list of achievements on the road and track. He holds the South African records for the 3000m, 5000m, 10,000m, and the half marathon, the latter of which he set in Valencia last October with a time of 59:13, surpassing the previous mark of Stephen Mokoka. He also previously held the 10km national record.
Wildschutt and his older brother, Nadeel, attended Coastal Carolina University in the United States and were coached by former world record holder Zola Pieterse (née Budd). His performance in New York underscores his rising stature in international long-distance running and marks a historic milestone for South African athletics.
In the women’s race, Kenya’s Hellen Obiri claimed victory, defending her title and setting a new course record of 1:06:33. Her win, alongside Wildschutt’s, highlighted a dominant performance by African athletes across both divisions.
