Date:14/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/14/stories/2008071456561900.htm

Sport - Athletics

Surendra qualifies for Olympics

Sinimole Paulose won the women’s 1500 metres
K.M. Binu was fourth in the men’s 400 metres

NEW DELHI: Surendra Singh qualified for the Olympics in brilliant fashion on Saturday, clocking an incredible 28:02.89 for the 10,000 metres in the Spanish Olympic trials at Vigo, Spain.

On way to his new National record that bettered his mark of 28:22.79 clocked at Watford, England, on June 14, Surendra reached the Olympic qualifying standard of 28:10.00 that he had been aiming for several months.

“I couldn’t believe I had made it,” the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) quoted Surendra as saying after his fourth-place finish. The top three places went to the Spaniards, all of them bringing in sub-28 timings.

Paced by Kenyan Silas Kipruto, the runners went through the first kilometre in 2:49.1, 3000m in 8:19.1, 5000m in 13:48.2, 7000m in 22:03.9 and 9000m in 24:46.1.

Hard work pays off

“It has been two years since I have preparing for the Olympics and finally all my hard work has paid off,” said the 29-year-old Surendra, who hails from Ghandiyal, Chamoli District, Uttarakhand.

An Armyman, who made his mark only in the 2003 National cross-country championships in Shimla, Surendra will become the first athlete from the Garhwal Rifles to compete in an Olympics.

He had clocked 28:57.90 last year and improved upon it while bettering Hari Chand’s 32-year-old National record (28:48.72) at Watford last month.

Surendra joins 10 other athletes who have attained either an ‘A’ norm or a ‘B’ standard.

One of them, heptathlete Susmita Singha Roy will need an ‘A’ standard if she has to be chosen along with J.J. Shobha while the two women 400m runners, Mandeep Kaur and Manjeet Kaur, will also require ‘A’ norms if both are to be fielded in the individual event.

Even as Surendra performed with distinction in the Spanish city, the middle distance runners once again struggled in cold and wet conditions, while failing to reach Olympic qualifying standards in the Cork City Sports meet at Cork City, Ireland, on Saturday.

Sinimole falls short

Sinimole Paulose won the women’s 1500 metres in 4:16.79 to pocket the first prize of 2000 euros but would have been happier had she touched the qualifying mark of 4:08.00.

Sushma Devi finished third in 4:19.15 behind Russian Olesia Tyurina who timed 4:18.06.

Chatholi Hamza, despite a fairly fast race in the men’s 1500 metres, could manage only the sixth place in 3:42.36.

He has been looking for the standard of 3:39.0 for the past five months.

Pritam Bind, the second Indian, came 12th in 3:48.83. The winner, Bernard Kiptum of Kenya timed 3:38.70.

K.M. Binu, specially flown in from Bangalore for the Irish meet, could manage only the fourth place in the men’s 400 metres.

Binu, aiming for a standard of 45.95 seconds, timed 46.99 seconds. Greg Nixon of the U.S. won in 45.59.

Binu has a season best of 46.32 and holds the National record at 45.48 seconds.

The middle and long-distance runners are expected to return home now at the end of their 45-day training-cum-competition programme in England.