Ram Singh Yadav misses Olympics cut by three seconds

Mumbai, Jan 20 (UNI) It was a heartbreak for Ram Singh Yadav of the Services, who missed a golden chance by just three seconds at the Mumbai Marathon here today to confirm his qualification for the Beijing Olympics.

The 27-year-old from Varanasi finished first from the Indian contingent in the 42.195 km race, where Kenya's John Kelai defended his crown easily. Yadav clocked 2:18.23, three seconds short of the timing that could have given him an automatic qualification for this year's Olympics in the B-Standard.

The best timing by an Indian is still held by the late Shivnath Singh at 2:12, who represented India at the 1976 Montreal Games and four years later in Moscow.

Incidentally, that was the last time India was represented in the Marathon at Olympics.

Having missed out on his best chance, Yadav may have another shot at the Olympics berth during the Hong Kong Marathon, scheduled on February 17, or in the London Marathon in April.

UNI GS AA/SSS RAR RK2000