Legendary Australian athlete Cathy Freeman is no stranger to long-distance running. The winner of the gold medal in 400 m at her home event, the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Freeman is the brand ambassador of the 2009 Airtel Delhi Half Marathon.
The soft-spoken athlete, who is aiming to run 15 kms in Melbourne next month, said, “I’d eventually love to run a half-marathon, only not now.”
However, citing cricket as the best example of sports administration, she said, “Athletics can learn much by following Cricket Australia (CA) and fine-tuning its policies.”
The top two finishers from last year's race, Deriba Merga Ejigu and Wilson Kipsang, have also returned to slug it out for the 21 kms half-marathon on Sunday.
Merga, the defending champion, holds the best timing among men in the elite athlete field. “My preparations for the marathon went extremely well.” he said. Merga has been training hard for the Delhi race, clear signals that he is is fitter and faster. Nonetheless, there are no clear favourites for the Sunday marathon.