Strong field for Comrades 2006
2006-06-07 21:32
Pietermaritzburg - The Comrades Marathon Association announced on Wednesday there would be a top-class field of South African and international athletes for this year's Comrades Marathon on June 16.
Missing from the women's field in 2006 will be two top competitors of recent years.
One is three-times winner Maria Bak, who at the age of 47 did not submit an entry this year.
The other is Olesya Nurgalieva, one of the famous Russian twins who have so dominated the race for the past thee years, who has decided to concentrate on the standard marathon distance.
The Nurgalieva's race tactics of running together have been seen as intimidating to other competitors.
So, it should be interesting to see whether Olesya's absence has a significant impact on race tactics in 2006. The top eight women competitors for 2006 are:
Elena Nurgalieva - twice winner and up-run record holder, the 30-year-old Mr Price athlete must clearly be tipped as the favourite woman competitor for the 2006 up run.
Farwa Mentoor - favourite among the South African female competitors is the Harmony Gold GN athlete from Mitchell's Plain who has been the first South Africa woman to finish for the past four years.
In the 2004, up run she bravely challenged the Russian twins and, in doing so, dramatically improved her own best time. She is 33 years old.
Tatyana Zhirkova - last year's winner has run only three Comrades Marathons, earning gold medals on all three occasions. She is one of only three women (together with Ann Trason and Frith van der Merwe) to have run under 6 hours in Comrades.
Marina Bychkova - experience counts at Comrades and although she is yet to crack a win, the 30-year-old Mr Price Russian athlete has earned gold medals in the last six Comrades.
Marina Myshlyanova - in great Russian tradition, she burst into her first Comrades last year, earning a gold medal for her efforts.
With experience under her belt, the Harmony Gold athlete will be looking to improve on her placing this year.
Yolande Maclean - she will be running her fourth Comrades Marathon for Mr Price CG. She is 28 and has three gold medals to her credit.
Although once tipped to replace Frith van der Merwe, Maclean has yet to produce a top-five finish.
Grace de Oliveira - the popular 44-year-old Mr Price CG athlete from KwaZulu-Natal is a perennial Comrades gold medallist.
Lyudmila Kalinina - this Russian athlete will be running in the colours of Harmony Gold and taking part in her first Comrades Marathon. Watch this space.
The top male competitors are:
Vladimir Kotov - even at 48, the winner of the last three up runs must be regarded as favourite for the 2006 up run.
A Belarussian citizen and SA permanent resident, Kotov holds the up-run record and is definitely the man to beat. He will be running in the colours of Mr Price.
Andrew Kelehe - the most-consistent performer of recent years, he has earned gold in the past nine Comrades Marathons.
The 41-year-old policeman from Mafikeng has run 10 Comrades Marathons, every one of them in under six hours.
His times, however, indicate a preference for the down run which only Bruce Fordyce has run in a faster time. He will be running for Liberty Nike CG.
Fusi Nhlapo - the 2003 winner missed out on the 2004 Comrades Marathon because of injury, and the 35-year-old Mr Price athlete has set his sights on achieving a second win. In five starts, he's earned five gold medals.
Oleg Kharitonov - the world record holder for 100 miles has already earned five Comrades gold medals.
The strong Russian athlete will be running his sixth Comrades in the colours of Harmony Gold and is 38 years old.
Jaroslaw Janicki - the Polish runner was the surprise winner of the 1999 Comrades Marathon, and has a Comrades CV that shows a distinct preference for the down run.
The 39-year-old Mr Price athlete will be competing for the eighth time, however, in a race in which experience counts.
Willie Mtolo - the sub-2:10 marathon runner and former New York Marathon winner is a perennial favourite.
He has waged epic battles for top honours in the last two up runs with Kotov, as well as back in 1989 when he finished second to Sam Tshabalala.
The popular Harmony Gold GN athlete is now 42 years old, but the local hero would dearly love to add Comrades Marathon winner to his list of achievements.
Sipho Ngomane - he was not only the surprise winner of the 2005 Comrades Marathon, but also the winner of the young runner competition.
At 24 years of age, the Harmony Gold athlete has the potential to make a tremendous mark on the race, if he is able to repeat last year's performance.
Simon Hlonepha Mphulanyane - he is running for Mr Price CG.
A former Two Oceans winner, he has a PB marathon 2:10:56 set in the 1999 London Marathon and, together with Mtolo, is one of the two fastest men in the field.
Johan Oosthuizen - the 33-year-old Liberty Nike athlete ran himself into the golds for the first time on the last up run, having finished just outside in the 2003 down run. He will be looking to improve on his position of ninth.
Albe Geldenhuys - consistently in the top 20, the 30-year-old Harmony Gold GN athlete has twice clinched gold - in 2002 and 2005.
- SAPA