Roba set to emulate Bikila in marathon

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Sydney: Fatuma Roba was a virtual unknown when she lined up for the Olympic marathon in Atlanta. On Sunday, as defending champion, the Ethiopian will start the race accompanied by high expectations.

Roba emulated her compatriot Abebe Bikila in Atlanta. He had been the first black African to win the marathon in 1960 and her 1996 victory was the first by an African woman.

In 1964, Bikila won further acclaim by becoming the first man to retain his title and Roba, her fans urging her on, finds herself following in his footsteps once again. "I know they expect it," said Roba. "If I can do what he did, I will be very happy."

Roba had won lower-profile marathons in Rome and Marrakesh before Atlanta, but since then she has won the prestigious Boston race three times, making her a top contender for the title in Sydney.

Roba, however, who just missed out on a medal at last year's world championships when finishing fourth, is not troubled. "There are others being watched, there's even the world record-holder," she said, referring to Kenyan Tegla Loroupe, who set the world mark of two hours 20 minutes 43 seconds in Berlin last year.

Loroupe was more specific. "There are the Romanians and the Japanese," she said, "and of course, the defending champion."

Loroupe, a repeat champion at the New York and Rotterdam marathons, showed her current form by taking this year's London marathon ahead of training partner and fellow-Kenyan, Joyce Chepchumba, who is also in the Olympic line-up.

The field, in addition, includes Japanese national record-holder and Asian Games champion Naoko Takahashi, who ran 2:22:19 in March to win in Nagoya, Japan.

Loroupe, who also plans to contest the 10,000 metres in Sydney, added, "We have the best athletes in the world running this race and watching one another, so the time will not be a good one." Sydney's course also mitigates against it.

"It has a lot of uphills and downhills," said Ethiopian Athletic Federation marathon coach Yilma Berta. "Some of the other competitors are concerned about that but I don't think it will be a problem for our athletes."

Roba, the only Ethiopian woman to qualify for the 1996 Olympic marathon, was one of five who met the entry standard for this Olympics, with Elfenesh Alemu the quickest with two performances under 2:25.00. The squad trains on hills outside Addis Ababa and Roba's four major victories have all come on undulating courses.

"Our training for the Olympics has been even better than my training for Boston," she said. "We have trained as a team and worked very hard."But she added, "More than the hills, I'm getting concerned about the weather, because the heat can bother me."

It was in Atlanta's heat and humidity, however, that Roba won in 2:26:05, two minutes ahead of her nearest rival, Russian Valentina Yegorova. Ethiopians celebrating their September 11 New Year in the Newtown area of Sydney last Saturday made plans to be out on the marathon course on Sunday.

Haile Kiros, who works in a Sydney store, was hopeful. "I have made a vow with three of my friends that I will buy them all pizzas if Fatuma wins," he said.



(c) Reuters Limited.