Four years ago, North Koreans Kim Kum-ok and Jong Yong-ok crossed the finish line hand-in-hand at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, a sight never seen before in the race.
Kim showed great respect to her elder and hoped they would both be declared winners, but it was the then 19-year-old who was later crowned the champion. There was more than glory at stake - both won tickets to the Beijing Olympics.
A year later Kim returned to win the half-marathon at the East Asia Games and tomorrow attempts to to win again in Hong Kong. She will not have Jong for 'company', but a contingent of African runners.
'I am happy to come back to race in Hong Kong, a place that has given me a lot of good memories,' said Kim, who finished 12th at the Beijing Games. 'My country is still in winter and the conditions are too difficult for serious training. I want to use this race as part of my build-up for the London Games.'
Kim has a personal best of two hours, 27 minutes and 34 seconds, set at the 2010 Pyongyang Marathon, and the time is close to a group of Africans headed by Ethiopian Misiker Demissie and Kenyan Rose Nyangacha, winner of the 2011 Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon.
Demissie, who finished second in the 2010 Los Angeles Marathon, holds a personal best of 2:25:21, while Nyangacha's best is 2:29:22.
'There are also a couple of other Ethiopians who can finish within two hours and 28 minutes, making the race an exciting event,' said Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association chairman Kwan Kee.
