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SCMP Reporter

Former Hong Kong rugby coach Ian Brownlee, currently the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union's chairman of selectors, took part in his first marathon race last Sunday.

 Brownlee, an avowed sports addict, bravely entered the Standard Chartered New Airport Marathon.

 The race was won by Ethiopian prison guard Belay Wolashe who finished the gruelling 42.2-kilometre course in two hours 13 minutes and nine seconds, a Hong Kong record.

 Sadly, there were no records for Brownlee, other than a personal best of four hours 20 minutes. He came in when just about everyone, including the media, had left the Chek Lap Kok site.

 Talk about a slow coach.

Life after rugby still involves running.

 Apart from Brownlee, another rugby personality spotted on Sunday at Chek Lap Kok was former HKRFU chairman Stuart Leckie.

 Leckie, 52, gave up rugby last season after 40 years in the game. The Scot was not taking part in the marathon, however, but the shorter and understandably more popular 10-kilometre run, which drew a record entry of more than 5,000 runners.

 While thousands were still queueing up to relieve themselves at the dozen mobile toilets, Leckie was at the start when the race began and he finished in a creditable 48 minutes.

 'As long as I finish with a time that is under my age, I will continue to run,' said the former Hong Kong prop forward.

 Running must be a nice change for Leckie - after all those years of rugby.

Russian swimmer Alexander Popov may be a giant in the swimming pool but outside he remains a brash 26-year-old who may have a chip on those wide shoulders.

 Upon his arrival for the Epson World Cup meet last week, the Olympic champion said British rival Mark Foster - the man who beat him in the Sydney leg of the World Cup in the 50 metres last month and who beat him at least twice last year in the same race - 'couldn't swim more than 25 metres'.

 Then he was clearly annoyed when asked whether he trains with Australia's top swimmer Michael Klim.

 'No, Klim trains with me,' said Popov.

 It was clear Popov didn't like being upstaged by anybody. And he was deadly serious about it.

 This arrogance is probably what makes Popov a big fish in the swimming pool.

A recession may be in store for all tennis fans, what with the news that Marlboro have pulled out, leaving one of the territory's top sporting events without a sponsor and in danger of folding.

 Now the news filters through that fans might have to fork out more to watch the finalists at April's Salem Open.

 It is understood that organisers have upped the price of a ticket for the final day of the ATP tournament from $880 (last year's rate) to $1,200 - almost a 40 per cent price hike.

 Salem are hoping that world number one Pete Sampras and Hong Kong favourite Michael Chang will be in the final.

 We wonder if the presence of these two stars will still draw the crowds to Victoria Park considering the current economic climate.

So is Dale Tempest the new Derek Currie of Hong Kong?  The South China forward has revealed that he is set to retire as a full-time soccer player next season and devote more time to working with local brewers San Miguel as marketing relations manager.

 Sounds familiar? Currie, whom adoring local fans in the '70s called Jesus for his flowing locks and miraculous ball skills, made himself synonymous with Carlsberg in recent years.

 Tempest, however, hopes that a 16-year link with soccer, half of them here, will not end soon.

 He wants to continue playing, either with South China or with a lower division side.



Rugby men go distance in the long run