Rohan and Prasanna to run in Athens

US Dollars 2.8 million on offer at the IAAF World Cup

Dinesh Weerawansa

ATHLETICS: Sri Lankan sprinters Rohan Pradeep Kumara Fernando and Prasanna Sampath Amarasekera will represent Asia as the cream of world class athletes vie for a fat purse of over US Dollars 2.8 million at the IAAF World Cup to be worked off in the Greek capital of Athens this weekend.

A total of 21 events each for both men and women have been identified as the IAAF will offer total prize money of US Dollars 2,826,000 (around Rs. 283 million).

South Asian Games triple gold medallist Rohan Pradeep Kumara has been selected to represent the Asian continent in the men's 400m. He will then join compatriot Amarasekera, Japan's Yuzo Kanemaru and Saudi Arabia's Hamdan Al-Bishi to form the Asian men's 4 x 400m relay quartet. Al-Bishi's Saudi Arabian team mate Mohammed Al-Salhi has been included as the reserve of the Asian 400m men's relay team.

But the entire Asian men's 4 x 100m relay team will be Japanese sprinters - Shingo Suetsugu, Nakoki Tsukahara, Shinji Takahira, Sigeyuki Kojima, Yasuke Omae and Shin Suqwara. Suetsugu will also represent Asia in the men's 200m.

Of the other South Asian athletes besides Pradeep Kumara and Amarasekera, Indians Navpreet Singh (men's shot putt), Manjeet Kaur (women's 400m) and Pinki Paramanik (women's 800m) too will be seen in action at the IAAF World Cup finals scheduled to be worked off at the Athens Olympic Stadium on September 16 (Saturday) and September 17(Sunday).

Sri Lanka's Rohan Pradeep is guaranteed a minimum cash bonanza of US Dollars 1,000 (over Rs. 100,000) even if he is placed last in the men's 400m. All events are straight finals and all participants would receive cash incentives. The winner will pocket US Dollars 30,000 while the runner up will get US Dollars 15,000.

There will be a cash bonanza of US Dollars 10,000 for a third place and US Dollars 7,000 for a fourth place. Those who secure from fifth to eighth places would get US Dollars 5,000, 3,000, 2,000 and 1,000 respectively. The same cash prizes will be applicable for the first three places of the relays but the prizes from fourth to eighth places of the relays would range from US Dollars 8,000 to 3,000.

Accordingly, Rohan Pradeep and Amarasekera would pocket another US Dollars 750 each, even if their Asian men's 4 x 400m relay team finishes last. The IAAF has also announced that athletes who establish world records would get US Dollars 100,000 each. But the performance of the host team - Greece, are not part of the lavish prize money structure.

Competing with Sri Lanka's Rohan Pradeep Kumara in men's 400m final would be 28-year-old world No.2 Gary Senga Kikaya (representing Africa), world no.3 LaShawn Merritt (USA), world no. 4 Alleyne Francique (Americas), Clinton Hill (Oceania), Vladislav Frolov (Russia) and that bonus allocation for the hosts Greece - Dimitrios Regas.

In the absence of American world no.1 Jeremy Wariner, African Kikaya is fancied to win the top event though he to bound to face stiff resistance. Kikaya clocked an impressive 44.10 seconds to secure the second place at last weekend's IAAF World Athletics final in Stuttgart.

Twenty two-year-old Wariner, who clocked 44.02 seconds to win men's 400m final in Stuttgart will not be competing in Athens. But his American team mate Merritt, who returned a timing of 44.14 to be placed third in Stuttgart, will throw a big challenge to Kikaya in the Greek capital.

Rohan Pradeep will face a gigantic task. Despite winning the gold medal at last month's 10th South Asian Games, he clocked an unimpressive 46 plus in Colombo.

He is not within the top 50 sprinters in the men's 400m IAAF world rankings. The men's 400m final is scheduled to be worked off on Saturday at 8 pm (11.30 pm SL time). The men's 4 x 400m relay final will take place at 8.40 p.m. on Sunday (12.10 a.m. on Monday SL time).

The two Lankan sprinters, accompanied by their coach Sunil Gunawardena, were scheduled to arrive in Athens yesterday.