Mumbai Marathon: OP Jaisha Qualifies for Beijing WC By Setting New National Record
In the process, Jaisha – the best Indian woman finisher in the event – also comfortably dipped under the 2:44 qualifying mark set by Athletics Federation of India for the IAAF World Championships in Beijing.
Indian runner O P Jaisha, an Asian Games medallist in 1,500m and 5,000m events, made a memorable marathon debut on Sunday by breaking the 19-year-old national mark of Vally Satyabhama to qualify for the World Championships in Beijing later this year. Jaisha clocked 2 hours, 37 minutes and 29 seconds in the 12th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon to better the nearly two-decade-old national mark of 2:39:10 set by Satyabhama from December 21, 1995, in Chennai.
In the process, Jaisha - the best Indian woman finisher in the event - also comfortably dipped under the 2:44 qualifying mark set by Athletics Federation of India for the IAAF World Championships in Beijing in August. Apart from Jaisha, who finished 8th overall in the race which was won comfortably by defending women's champion Dinknesh Mekash who led a 1-7 Ethiopian finish, Lalita Babar (2:38:21, 9th) and Sudha Singh (2:42:12, 11th) also dipped under the qualifying mark for the Beijing World Championships.
Significantly, both Jaisha and Lalita, coached by national middle and long distance coach Dr Nikolai Snesarev, finished higher than even Kenya's Monica Wangari who finished 10th in 2:42:12, just edging out Sudha Singh. Lalita also cut 12 seconds from the time she had clocked last year while finishing as the leading Indian woman runner. Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2015: Tesfaye Abera and Dinkesh Mekash clinch top award in full marathon
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Asked which race would she concentrate on now that she has qualified for both 5,000m and marathon in Beijing, Jaisha said "I don't know. The coach (Snesarev) will decide on it."
Snesarev said that Jaisha will run in the 5,000m and 10,000m at Beijing while Lalita would take part in the 5,000m and her pet event 3,000m steeplechase. On the other hand, none of the Indian male runners could attain the AFI-set qualifying standard of 2:18.
While top Indian finisher Karan Singh, of Army Sports Institute, Pune, clocked 2:21:35 to finish 11th overall, his teammate Arjun Pradhan - who was the leading Indian runner till the last few kilometres - clocked 2:22:22 to finish 12th. Kumaon Regiment runner Bahadur Singh Dhoni was the third fasted Indian at 2:22:41 that fetched him the 13th spot overall. The race was won by marathon debutant Tesfaye Abera of Ethiopia in 2:09:46.
Coach Snesarev pointed out the excellent performance put up by Jaisha in her maiden attempt and said that the Sports Ministry should provide better facilities to these top Indian women runners in the run-up to the Rio Olympic Games. While praising the Sports Authority of India and the Athletics Federation of India for creating opportunities for various athletes to come up, he said from among those the topmost ones deserved better diet and accommodation which was not happening in the case of Jaisha or Lalita.
"I raised this point in October (soon after returning to India to take up his job) but did not receive any reply in November or December and then got a letter saying this is not possible. We need quality and not quantity to excel at the highest levels. We did not have enough time to prepare (after he took over) before the Asian Games, otherwise we would have returned with 7-8 medals. But we have sufficient time now before the 2016 Olympic Games," remarked the Belarussian coach who was hailed by both Jaisha and Lalita after their bronze medal winning efforts at the Incheon Asiad.
"I know I will not be popular after what I am saying to you people here today. I am willing to forego a part of my salary towards helping these two athletes. I came in 2005 to India for the first time and I love this country," Snesarev said.
He also hinted he may ask Kerala-born Jaisha to switch over to the marathon for the Rio Olympics.
"She will be 33 then, and would not have the speed required for middle distance running," said Snesarev, adding that all these things would be discussed post the National Games commencing on January 31 in Kerala.