Fierce contest among Indians

NEW DELHI: The parallel competition at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon will see India’s best athletes vying for top honours among themselves on Sunday. Most have limited means of training available to them but an added motivation is the handsome $4,000 awarded to the Indian winner, both in the men’s and women’s categories.
‘‘It hurts when foreigners come and beat us.I think the difference lies in the training. They train throughout the year but we get only a couple of weeks to prepare before an event and then we have to go back to our jobs,’’ said Railwayman Santosh Kumar. Kumar came second in 2009 and will be challenging last year’s winner Deepchand and Ram Singh. Kashinath and Irappa D Akki are also among the favourites.
Another Railwayman, Soji Mathews, is also in the reckoning this year after having finished third the last time around. ‘‘In the 2009 edition, I just missed breaking the 65-minute barrier. But this time, I hope to cut down nearly 30 seconds from my personal best of 1:05.15. Somehow this event gets the best out of me,’’ said Mathews.
The women’s category features many long-distance runners whose main event is not the half marathon, so they find it easier. ‘‘With the kind of training I’ve done, I’m sure of a podium finish,’’ said Kiran Tiwari, a 3,000m steeplechase specialist.
Known names like Preethi L Rao and Sukanya Mall have also registered and will be making a comeback.