Men's marathon perfectly timed to spark interest as games begin

The organisers of the eighth World Athletics Championships have shown plenty of imagination and look to be on a winner from the start. By including the climax to the men's marathon - one of the most sought-after titles - the usually tiresome opening ceremony now has the prospect of some very real excitement.

Recent editions of these championships have buried the men's marathon late in the programme, reducing both the spectator appeal and the interest of some of the event's leading names. Yet the title of world marathon champion should have gained some renewed status when the 26-mile race concludes in Edmonton later today (early Saturday Irish time).

Later in the weekend the heavyweight acts of Maurice Greene and Marion Jones hit the track, yet the marathon is more than just a warm-up event, it is a race set to produce a true world champion.

A big city promoter could have spilled a million assembling the field. The fastest marathoner ever, Khalid Khannouchi, will wear the colours of the US for the first time since switching from Morocco a year ago. Abdelkader El Mouaziz, a faithful Moroccan and winner of the London marathon last April, is the man in form.

Also putting their reputations on the line are Sydney Olympic champion Gezehegne Abera of Ethiopia, Boston marathon winner Bong-ju Lee of South Korea, and Kenya's big hope, Josephat Kiprono, holder of the world's fastest time this year. In seven previous championships Kenya has won just one medal and their federation are desperate to change that.

Most of the talk around Edmonton yesterday concerned the 29-year-old Khannouchi. Since his 2:05.42 clocking in Chicago two years ago, he has been deemed the best marathon runner on the planet, yet his form coming to Edmonton is suspect, especially as he dropped out of his tune-up race last month with a back injury.

Not a problem though, he said on his arrival. "I'm back, I'm focused and I'm going to do the best I can to give a great performance," he opined.

"I don't like to talk about the injury because my opponents will then know what is going on. But I feel I am ready and that my training is good enough to go out there and compete with the best."

Khannouchi's story is a romantic one. He moved to Brooklyn in 1993 because he felt his talent was ignored in Morocco. But he ended up washing dishes in a Manhattan restaurant, coming home after a 14-hour shift to run in the snow. After marrying his coach, Sandra Natal, he set about seeking his American citizenship.

It ultimately came a little too late for the Sydney Olympics last year, although he was also injured at the time. Should he be the first man to enter the almost sold out Commonwealth Stadium, there would be no more popular winner.

Canada's own medal interest in these championships seems destined to end in failure. An ailing Donovan Bailey may win some hearts in the 100 metres but he is unlikely to win any hardware.

It's almost accepted now that the opening of these championships will have a drug story. Two years ago in Seville, nandrolone was the feared word, this time it's EPO, which is included in IAAF testing for the first time. Those not-so-ethical distance runners are set for 10 days of restless sleep.

Last week saw Russia's Olga Yegorova - holder of the leading 5,000-metre time this year - become the first athlete to get busted for the blood-boosting drug. The Russian federation are insisting she will still run in Edmonton until her guilt is confirmed, but Gabriela Szabo, Romania's defending champion at the distance, has stated that she has no intention of running if Yegorova shows up at the start line.

But if the testers do their job properly, it is expected that winning times in the distance races may return to more human levels. That can only be good news for Mark Carroll, Ireland's only real medal hope in the championships, in his quest to match the world leaders over 5,000 metres.

One man who normally doesn't worry about the rest of the world is Haile Gebrselassie. The celebrated Ethiopian hasn't lost a 10,000 metre race since 1993 and has won gold in the last four editions of these championships. The only problem here is that he hasn't had a race of any sort since defending his Olympic title in Sydney last September.

If that were any athlete other than Gebrselassie, the opposition would be laughing. Yet he arrived in Edmonton this week confident of his form despite the lack of a test, and will use Sunday's heat to sharpen his speed. Even for a runner without limits, another gold medal may be a bridge too far.

Irish interest begins in tomorrow's opening track programme, where Tomβs Coman has the daunting task of attempting to progress out of the 400-metre heats. Daniel Caulfield, who goes later, in the 800-metre heats, has a better chance of seeing another day if a slow, tactical race comes to fruition.