SPORTS
Mumbai Marathon winner Evans Ruto of Kenya misses course record by a solitary second, Loses out on hefty bonus, blames 'joggers' on the road.
In sport, every second counts. Cliched, isn’t it? Try telling that to Evans Ruto. The Kenyan fell a solitary second short of breaking the course record at the 11th edition of the Mumbai Marathon on Sunday. Ruto won the men’s ‘Elite Marathon’ with a timing of 2:09.33. He will have to wait another year to better 2013 winner, Uganda’s Jackson Kiprop’s, mark.
According to the 30-year-old Ruto, one of the many reasons he could not manage to break the record was the presence of “joggers” on the route. The ‘Amateur Marathon’ started at 5.40 am and hundreds were not even halfway through. It meant the elite marathoners had to avoid many a reveller on the route. And according to Ruto, that is where he lost that split second or two. “Yes, I would’ve broken the record,” Ruto rued. “There were disturbances with the joggers running alongside and it made it a little difficult for me. I’m a little disappointed at not breaking the record, but I’m still satisfied with my timing. I will try and break the record next year,” he added.
Ruto took home a cool purse of $41,000, a figure that is sure to please him, for he has no other job. Had he set the course record, he would have been richer by a further $15,000 All he does is run. As a schoolboy, he used to run six kilometres every day. Married and a blessed with an 18-month-old son, he wants to “use the money for them”. He’ll come back for that record.
Come next year and that will be the challenge, said Jos Hermens of the of Global Sports Communication, the elite athletes’ coordinator. “The crowd was more this year, hence the problem. This issue is not easy to deal with in a city like Mumbai, but you do need cleaner roads for professional runners. It’s a big challenge for the future,” Hermens said.
However, as far as the race was concerned, almost everything went according to the runners’ script. The weather was not too harsh, except towards the end when the sun came out. The pacer-setters, too, did their bit. It wasn’t before the 35th km in the 42.195-km race that Ruto broke from the pack of about 10 runners to take a slender lead.
Keeping him company were compatriots Lawrence Kimaiyo and Philemon Baaru, even as a few others slowed down. The trio ran almost identically, in a triangle, right towards the fag end of the race. But as winners often do, Ruto pushed that little bit hard in the final two kilometres to finish 12 seconds ahead. How he’d have loved it to be 13!.
Maharashtra: Stage set for assembly poll results; Mahayuti, MVA confident of their victories
All set for vote counting in Jharkhand tomorrow; NDA, JMM-led alliances confident of winning
Watch: Australia star inquires Rishabh Pant about his next IPL team, gets 2-word reply
Shah Rukh Khan’s house Mannat was first offered to his industry rival…, but he refused because...
The Visionary Who Promises a Blue Sky for India: Holger Thorsten Schubart’s G20 Climate Speech
The Surge of High-End Living: Luxury Residential Market to Outpace Other Segments
FeFCon 2024 to be Held in Bangalore: A Premier Event on Fever Management
'That’s wild': Noida man turns cigarette butts into teddy bears in viral video, watch
London Airport evacuates passengers over security threat, thousands stranded
The World’s First Innovative Iron Supplement to Combat Iron Deficiency and Anaemia
Meet grandmother who became fashion icon after trying on her granddaughter’s clothes
IND vs AUS: Rishabh Pant joins Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in elite WTC list, becomes 3rd Indian to...
'All scripted drama...': Puneet Superstar allegedly assaulted by influencers in viral video, watch
Actress Ana de Armas caught kissing Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s son in viral photos
Oreshnik's Shadow: Will Russia's hypersonic missile force west to back down?
‘You’re So Beautiful’: World’s tallest woman meets world’s shortest woman over tea, pics go viral
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Consequences of GRAP-4 are drastic, may have adverse effects, says SC
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Schools likely to stay closed till..., check city-wise update
Maharashtra: 3 killed, 9 hospitalised after gas leak at fertiliser plant in Sangli
THIS farm is selling a cup of coffee for Rs 28000, but there's a twist, it is...
Chhattisgarh: 10 Maoists killed after encounter with security personnel in Sukma
Mukesh Ambani's SUPERHIT plan for Jio users, offers unlimited 5G access for 1 year for just Rs...
IND vs AUS 1st Test: KL Rahul's dismissal sparks DRS controversy in Perth Test
Dense fog, heavy rain predicted in these states till November 25; check here
Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile: Which nations are within its range?
Bihar teacher, principal reach school in drunken state; know what happened next
'I have faced a lot of...': Arjun Kapoor REVEALS his biggest fear amid break up with Malaika Arora
How millions of Indians may get affected due to US indictment of Gautam Adani in bribery case
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan says 'missing someone is okay but...'
After Bibles, watches and sneakers, Donald Trump is now selling autographed guitars, price is...
Delhi pollution: Air quality improves to ‘very poor’ category, AQI at...
Vladimir Putin's BIG threat, warns he could strike UK with new ballistic missile if...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 22, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
Somebody misbehaved with Alia Bhatt on Highway sets then Imtiaz Ali had to...
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal reveals twist behind Rs 200000 job fee, closes application window
Days after Ratan Tata's demise, Tata Group's Rs 131000 crore company inks pact with ADB for...
WATCH: Woman makes Biryani with Parle-G biscuits, viral video fumes internet