Athletics: How Nepal will fare?

-By Our Correspondent

Marathoner Ganesh Rai, silver medalist in the 7th SAF Games in Madras, could give Nepal the first gold. Marathon, to be held in the morning of September 26, will be the first medal event after the Opening Ceremony the earlier evening.

In the 7th SAF Games Nepal’s Tika Bogati had won the gold in marathon. Bogati is not here this time, still Rai and another Nepalese, Purna Bahadur Adhikary, may run the 42 kilometres ahead of others.

If Nepal has its way and with some luck, other Nepalese men, too, may find themselves in the medal list on track.

Senior coach for athletics Mohan Bahadur Ghale says the preparation for both the track and field events are going on well. It is actually better than in the previous Games, he says.

There, now, is no problem of equipment, so is with the physical fitness of the players and training, and Nepal may find an unexpected ally in the altitude. Altitude makes athletics, especially runners, tire quickly unless they acclimatize.

However, Nepal will have to fight it out with Indian and Sri Lankan runners, some of whom are among the best in Asia.

Still, Ghale hopes Nepal may win a medal in the men’s 100 m, the fanciest of all the track events. Nepal’s Ram Krishna Chaudhary and Lila Shrestha are only slightly outside the last SAF medal winning timing of 10:35 secs. Similar is the case in men’s 800 metres. The timing of Gyan Bahadur Bohara just outside the last SAF’s bronze medalist. ÒHere too Nepal stands a chance to win the bronze,Ó Ghale says.

In 5,000 metres Yam Bahadur Pudasaini had won bronze in the SAF Championship in New Delhi two years back.

Ghale is also very optimistic in the relays. The team for 4x100m relay is better than the one in the last SAF Games. Nepal now has several sprinters who can run 100 metres well below 11 secs.

Even in 4x400m with the practice timing of about 3:18 minutes, Nepal stands a good chance to clinch a medal.

Ghale says if Nepalese sprinters can have a smooth exchange of batons, we stand a good chance.

He recalled the famous American quatro involving the famous Carl Lewis, who lost because they had sloppy baton-exchange.

Still, fighting it out with athletics of India, Sri Lanka and even Bangladesh and Pakistan is a tall order.

But the absence of Sugath Tilakratne of Sri Lanka in men's sprint gives other some chance.

But chances are not so bright in the men's field events. Only Khurshid Ahmed Khan, the SAF silver medalist, has a chance. In other events such as high jump, long jump, shot put, hammer throw Nepalese jumpers and throwers are far below their South Asian contestants.

Similar is the case for Nepalese women. They are rank outsiders in both track and field. With the presence of Sri Lankan’s Susantika Jayasinghe and India’s Jyotirmaye Sikdhar, these two countries may dominate the track in the women’s section.

In the field events Nepalese women's participation will only be a token one. In discus and hammer throws, Nepal even do not have women’s participation.