The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : Delhi marathon: Svetsov, Mutai start favourites

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 12, 2006

Sport

Sport - Athletics

Delhi marathon: Svetsov, Mutai start favourites

Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI: Leonid Svetsov of Russia and John Mutai of Kenya will start as favourites for the Delhi international marathon on Sunday. Ethiopian Worku Bikila, a long-time training partner of Haile Gebrselassie, is another athlete to watch out for. Billed as `The Great India Run', the full marathon is one of the five events in the Delhi international marathon, which includes a half-marathon as well.

Tanzania's Jumaine Bok and England's Kasse Tadessa are the others in the men's section competing for the $ 30,000 top prize. The runner-up will get $ 15,000.

Even though the marathon offers total prize money of $ 2,50,000, it has failed to attract any top athlete at this time of the season. Already, afternoon temperatures in Delhi are touching 30 degree Celsius and for a marathon it could turn out to be too hot, despite a 7 a.m start. There are 23 foreign runners in full marathon and with cash prizes on offer till the 10th place.

In the women's section, Russia's Irina Timofeyeva, the winner of Delhi half marathon last October, is the clear favourite. Monica Samila of Tanzania and Athlin Mathias of Sweden are the other prominent runners in the fray. The women's winner will get $20,000 while the runner-up gets $10,000.

K. Subba Rao, who finished second among the Indians in the Mumbai marathon, leads the Indian challenge. Subba Rao is in best of his form having won the National cross-country title in Pune early this month. The organisers have set aside separate prize fund for the Indian finishers. The Indian winner will get $3,000 while the runner-up settles for $2,000.

Jaganath Lakade, the Indian winner of Delhi half marathon, will try his luck in the shortened race only, which offers $1,500 as top prize.

The marathon will start and finish at the Nehru Stadium and will be run in two loops. Though the organisers claimed it to be one of the richest marathons in the world, there were many loose ends to be tied up on the eve of the event that has had very little build-up.

There was no arrangement till Saturday evening to televise the marathon as Delhi Police was adamant in not allowing an OB van on the route. To expect a media truck to follow the leading pack was out of question. How the timings in various sectors would be kept was another issue on which the organiser could not offer any clue.

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