Home | Recommend Us | Contact us | Make NK your default homepage
TOP NEWS
BREAKING NEWS
HOME | ASTROLOGY | CHINESE ASTROLOGY | NUMEROLOGY | RECIPES | SELF HELP | PHOTO GALLERY | YOGA | TRAVEL | EDUCATION | PINCODES | BABY NAMES
NEWS CHANNELS
  • Kerala News
  • India News
  • World News
  • Business India
  • Sports News
  • Cricket News
  • Travel News
  • Health News
  • Technology
  • Literature News
  • Education News
  • NRI News
  • Spec. Features
Entertainment News
  • Bollywood News
  • Hollywood News
  • Malayalam Film
  • Tamil Film
  • Kannada Film
  • Telugu Film
Regional News
  • Andhra Pradesh
  • Gujarat News
  • Karnataka News
  • Maharashtra
  • Orissa News
  • Punjab News
  • Rajasthan News
  • Tamil Nadu
  • West Bengal
  • More India News
Best Of NewKerala

  • Festivals of India
  • Self Help
  • India Travel Maps
  • Temples of India
  • Kerala Info
  • Indian Dance Forms
  • Music of India
  • Bollywood Photos
  • Make Up Lessons
  • Weight Loss Tips
  • Top Destinations
  • World Travelogues

Home > News > sports-india-news

Indian marathoners upbeat despite bottom-half finish

New Delhi, Nov 1 : They lag behind the foreign athletes but Indian marathoners are a motivated bunch and say they can challenge the world's best if provided with proper resources.

Deepchand Saharan (64 mins) and Sukanya Mall (80:11 sec) were the first Indians to cross the finishing line in the men's and women's section of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon Sunday.

While Deepchand was 17th overall, 4 mins and 6 seconds slower than the winner Deriba Merga of Ethopia, on the 21-km track, Mall finished 22nd, 13 mins and 17 seconds behind world champion Mary Keitany of Kenya, who set a new record for that distance.

Santhosh Kumar (65:10) and Soji Mathews (65:18) were the second and third placed Indians in the men's section while Anuradha Singh (82:07) and Kamlesh Baghel (83:23) followed Sukanya in the women's section.

All of them are training for the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.

"We are training at the national camp in Bangalore and this was a test event for us. It will help us to see how much we have progressed. Our aim is to perform well at the Commonwealth and Asian Games," said Deepchand, who shaved off 48 seconds from the existing Indian mark of 64.48.

Santosh Kumar, who hails from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, says they need more help from the government.

"It's a very tough sport. We all have jobs and it's not possible for us to concentrate alone on the sport. You can't expect us to do the work in office and then train for 3-4 hours everyday. It demands complete dedication," Santosh says.

"This is a sport where if you don't train for a month or two, then you have to begin from the scratch. It's not like cricket or football where you can quickly get back to form after some games. But we are slowly improving. If we want to see Indian athletes perform, then the juniors need to be given proper enviornment to train so that they can match the international athletes."

Incidentally, all the three women were from Uttar Pradesh, two of them - Sukanya and Anuradha - hail from Gorakhpur.

"I took to the sport while I was in school. There is no sponsor and I do not have a job. But running is my passion and I will continue to pursue it."

There were separate prizes for the top 10 Indian finishers.

The top three won $4,000, $3,000 and $ 2,000.

--IANS

Post your comment

Read other sports-india-news stories

Visit Home Page for fresh content


 

PHOTO GALLERY
  • Bollywood Photos
  • Hollywood Photos
  • Fashion Photos
  • More Headlines:
    BJP wants Liberhan probe into Babri demolition in parliament
    Karthik sent in as cover for injured Dhoni
    Leaked documents reveal shortcomings of British army in Iraq war
    Crorepatis and the paupers: Jharkhand polls lay open state's disparities
    Butterfly inspired tool to probe fluids inside cells
    Speak to employees before selling any state-owned firm: Mamata
    Abrar Alvi- A Life Lived In Guru Dutt's Shadows
    Government to help obese woman in Malaysia
    Diaspora in US has changed image of India: PM
    Federer, Murray open with wins in London year-ender
    Three-Mile-Island nuclear plant leaks radioactivity
    Mizoram rejects autonomous council demand for Reang tribals
    Death toll in China coal mine blast rises to 104
    Sensex opens in the green, up 0.46 percent
    Pakistani groups behind Mumbai attacks off scene but active
    No Sarkar 3 for Ranbir says Ramu
    Shahid and Vidya clash
    Hindus ask new Sofia mayor to urgently improve Roma plight.
    Gwyneth Paltrow recommends 'sloooow roasted turkey' to 'nourish the inner aspect'
    Karishma gaming for reality shows only
    Ashita rushes to mandap!
    Jimmy and Harsh at loggerheads
    Director Pandiraj wins ICFF awards for 'Pasanga'
    360 degree turn in life of Shraddha
    India favours legally-binding outcome at Copenhagen
    People-to-people contact has helped Indo-US relations: PM
    Sasikumar and Mysskin in 'Maathiyosi'
    Daniel Radcliffe defended by co-star Tom Felton in cannabis row
    India will not redraw borders in Kashmir: Manmohan Singh (Part-III)
    Security increased around JNU after campus violence
    India will not redraw borders in Kashmir: Manmohan Singh (Part-II)
    India divided over inter-regional marriages: Chetan Bhagat
    India and China are not in competition: Manmohan Singh
    India will not redraw borders in Kashmir: Manmohan Singh (Part-I)
    Today's music has no content: Pankaj Udhas
    Pakistan army will never take on Afghan Taliban: Manmohan Singh
    Common pain relief drugs promote cancer growth
    I don't know who to deal with in Pakistan: Manmohan Singh
    No fear of ties suffering under Obama: Manmohan Singh
    US Congress adopts bipartisan resolution to honour Manmohan Singh
      Home | Recommend Us | Contact us | Make NK your default homepage
      © 2001-2008 NEWKERALA.COM. All Rights Reserved.