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Unus Alladin

VAN Gogh he may not aspire to be, but Cheung Man-ho has a penchant for oil painting to match his passion for distance running.

 Cheung is expected to be crowned the adidas King of the Road champion going into the third and final leg in Pak Tam Chung in Sai Kung tomorrow.

 The 28-year-old Cheung already has two wins under his belt.

 The Shanghai-born athlete makes a living selling oil paintings from a tiny office in Sheung Wan.

 ''It helps me relax. Some people like to listen to music, but I like painting and I make a living out of it.

 ''I'm no Van Gogh,'' said Cheung of the famous Dutch painter.

 ''But I make enough for a living and I love painting,'' he added.

 Cheung said painting helps him spiritually. It prepares him for almost three hours of rigorous training every day.

 ''I think about my races all the time and painting helps me reflect on things from a different perspective.''  Delighted by his success in the King of the Road series, Cheung painted the start of one of the races. He will give away his painting after the race.

 ''It's for somebody special but I have to keep it a secret,'' he said.

 Last year, Cheung finished second overall to Martin Peace in the series.

 But he trained harder than he has ever had for this year's event.

 Cheung, however, failed to qualify for the Hong Kong International Golden Mile after yesterday's second and final selection trial at the Wan Chai Sports Ground.

 The Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association decided to select the two fastest runners, Yip Kai-tak, who clocked four minutes, 23.66 seconds, and Roberto de Vido (4:25.59). Cheung was third in 4:31.67.

 The HKAAA may also put Hong Kong's rising star, Chan Man-yee, in the women's event after the schoolgirl ran away with the fastest women's time competing in the schoolgirls' event.

 Chan clocked 5:02.86 last night, much faster than the two fastest Open women, Gillian Castka and Lucy Ramwell.



Cheung can picture the race in a stroke