McColgan completes great comeback

LIZ McCOLGAN provided the London Marathon with a home Winner yesterday, just over two ?years after being told by a medical specialist that she would never run again.

The 31-year-old from Dundee, who underwent two knee operations either side of Christmas 1993, received huge support in what was the hottest race in the London Marathon's 16-year history, with temperatures on the roads rising. towards 80 Fahrenheit.

After becoming the first British woman to win in London since Veronique Marot seven years ago, McColgan paid tribute to the woman who has coached her for the last ear, Norway's former world marathon champion Grete Waitz.

Her victory confirmed that she is back to the kind of form which brought her the world 10,000 metres title five years ago. It provided her with ideal preparation for her Olympic challenge this summer and earned her around stg £150,000 in appearance money, winning fee and time bonus.

"My rivals are going to have to do something extra special if they are going to prevent me from coming back from Atlanta with gold," she said.

"Things happen to you for a reason. I believe the problems I have faced in the last three years have been a test and I am a better, stronger person for coming through it. I always knew in myself that I could make it back."

McColgan only took the lead with six of the 26 miles remaining after catching Anita Haakenstad of Norway, whose lone run threatened to upset the form book. She finished ahead of Kenyan Joyce Chepchumba and defending champion Malgorzata Sobanska, with Haakenstad dropping to fifth.

McColgan's new coach. Grete Waitz, twice a winner in London and nine times New York champion, said: "I'm happy for Liz because I know how much work she put in. She has so much more potential. But she has to learn not to let the opposition get so far ahead. You cannot afford to underestimate anyone in the marathon. She was making Me a bit nervous".

Asked how she would celebrate, McColgan said she was looking forward to being reunited with her five-year-old daughter Eilish. Tonight she will dine at a restaurant with her husband, Peter. Then it will be back to the training.

The men's race was won by Mexico's Dionico Ceron, who completed an unprecedented hat-trick of London wins.

The Mexican said: "Winning any brace has a special place in my heart but to win three times in London is very, very exciting. At half way I didn't feel good so I stayed back in the pack and said to myself `OK, I'll wait.' But at 23 miles I felt confident that I would win the race."

He came in nearly half a minute ahead of Belgium's Vincent Rousseau who overcame his dislike of hot conditions, with Britain's Paul Evans recording 2:10.40 in third.