Matolo's turn of fortune

Last-minute entry Benjamin Matolo of Kenya snatched a narrow three-second victory in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon yesterday, cashing in on fellow-African Johannes Maremane taking a wrong turn 400 metres from the finish. Matolo continued the reign of runners out of Africa in Hong Kong as he finished first in two hours, 16 minutes and seven seconds. Afterwards, both the winner and the runner-up said faster times had been prevented by traffic jams caused by competitors from the half-marathon and 10km races. A record 13,000 runners took part yesterday turning sections of the race into a game of dodgem cars. Zimbabwean Elijah Mutandiro finished third from the 2,284-strong marathon field. The 31-year-old Matolo lost a tenuous lead to South African Maremane as the pair emerged from the Pedder Street underpass in Central. With just over 1km left in the 42.19km race, Maremane seemed to have the 2002 edition in the bag, but in the shadows of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre he took a wrong turn and saw his dream of winning on his first appearance in the SAR disappear in a flash. By the time a race marshal shouted and told the South African he had taken a wrong turn, Matolo had seized the lead and sped to victory. Matolo said: 'I'm happy to win it. It was very hot and the weather affected me. But I love Hong Kong and the people. Thank you Hong Kong.' China's Zhang Shujing won the women's marathon - and also the women's Asian Championship title - with a time of 2:36:27, while Japan's Mio Kiuchi was second, 2:38:56 and Natalya Galushko of Belarus third in 2:39:48. 'This is a double victory for me. It makes the win more special,' said Zhang, who pretty much ran on her own throughout the race and always had victory in her grasp. Japan's Osaki Satoshi was the first Asian to finish in the men's race and thus won the Asian Championship title. He finished fifth in 2:16:46. A disconsolate Maremane could only look on as Matolo hogged the limelight afterwards - even dredging up energy to kiss all the female PR girls around him. 'If I had not taken that wrong turn, I would have been the winner,' Maremane said sadly. 'That mistake cost me three seconds. I couldn't see the race marshal and I had already taken the turn. I tried my best to catch Benjamin, but it was not enough.' The winning time of 2:16:07, although seven minutes faster than last year's mark, was still way off the world record 2:05:42. In a move more gimmicky than serious, organisers had pledged US$1 million to the person who would break the record. 'If there is a world record, I will be the first to jump into the harbour,' laughed William Ko, Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association boss soon after the race had begun in temperatures hovering around the 20 degrees Celsius mark. Ko, and for that matter everyone else, knew the quality of the field drawn to this year's event, the conditions in Hong Kong and the tough course would all add up to guarantee Morrocan-born American Khalid Khannouchi's world record would be intact at the end of yesterday's race. Never mind the world record, the invited elite runners in both the men's and women's category never even came close to winning the money on offer for the time bonuses. A US$10,000 pot was on offer for the man who came under 2:11 or the woman who finished under 2:29. The pot decreased gradually until the final lure - a US$1,000 award for men finishing under 2:15, and women under 2:33. The money was safe in the bank at the end. Even these incentives were not enough to convince former champions Henri Cherono (2000) and Charles Tangus (1999) of Kenya to go for it. Both failed to finish the race, retiring midway, citing illness. Last year's winner, Dube Jillo of Ethiopia, finished a poor eighth. Matolo, who in 1999 recorded a personal best of 2:11:09 in winning the Mombasa Marathon, had to be satisfied with the US$13,500 first prize money. But despite winning, he was an unhappy man charging organisers with refusing to pay for his air ticket and accommodation in Hong Kong. 'I had to pay to come to Hong Kong. I also had to share a room with another runner from South Africa. I'm happy to win the race but I have to pay for everything myself,' Matolo said. Organisers revealed that all competitors had to pay for their flights. The accommodation snafu was due to Matolo never replying to an invitation from the HKAAA who had assumed he would not turn up. He turned up last Friday and registered at the last minute. Matolo and Maremane also complained they had been slowed down near the end by the large numbers of competitors from the other two events. Although the half-marathon and 10km races were started 10 minutes after Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa had signalled the start of the showpiece Marathon, the course was basically the same especially at the end. 'We had to weave in and out of runners and this cost me time,' Maremane said. Matolo agreed: 'I was not able to pass easily.' HKAAA public relations director Malina Ngai said organisers would review everything this year, adding there was a possibility the course could be changed next year. 'We are learning and trying to improve every year. We already made some changes this year like having a separate finish line for the 10km and separate starts for the marathon and the two other races. And, of course, the toughest part of the race is the last part because the roads are so narrow. We will be reviewing everything and even looking at the possibility of another route with a wider road,' Ngai said. Hong Kong's Gillian Castka proved old is still gold. The SAR's leading female runner returned the best time in the women's half marathon, finishing in 1:25:19, three minutes faster than her time last year. 'It is all a mind game,' said the 45-year-old Castka. 'And it also shows that this old donkey can still run.'