He took to athletics and distance running at 20 after watching his Army colleagues go through their training in Ooty a couple of decades ago. Arjun Pradhan is now trying to make up for the lost years.
The 41-year-old Armyman who hails from Dehradun comfortably won the Federal Bank Kochi Marathon here on Monday, clocking 2:32.50s. Second-placed Vipul Kumar was more than three minutes behind him.
“It rained at the start but after 5km I took the lead and held it till 42km,” Arjun told The Hindu after the victory. “Humidity was a problem but I was confident of winning.”
Meanwhile, in the women’s marathon, two girls at the top of the pack were chatting almost all through the 42km event.
It was a very close race too and in the end Maharashtra’s Jyoti Gawate pipped her State and club-mate Ashvini Madan Jadhav by seven seconds to take the title in 3:17.31s.
“We know each other well, we are both from Parbhani District and we train together. So we were chatting all through,” said Jyoti, who had won the New Delhi Marathon earlier this year.
While the 36-year-old Jyoti, who began as a middle distance runner, has won a number of marathons Ashvini is a very promising junior and has even surprised her senior teammate in a marathon earlier.
The results: Marathon: Men: 1. Arjun Pradhan (2:32.50s), 2. Vipul Kumar (2:36.07), 3. S. Vinoth Kumar (2:40.42). Women: 1. Jyoti Gawate (3:17.31s), 2. Ashvini Madan Jadhav (3:17.38), 3. T.P. Aasa (3:18.58).
Half marathon: Men: 1. Sherin Jose (1:14.36s), 2. Ankur Kumar (1:21.07), 3. C. John Paul (1:23:07). Women: 1. Reeba Anna George (1:39.38s), 2. G. Gayathri (1:47:25), 3. S. Gowri (2:00:34).
10km run: Men: 1. K. Anand Krishna (35.15s), 2. R.S. Manoj (35.49), 3. K. Ajith (36.41). Women: 1. K. Swetha (42.34s), 2. C.R. Nithya (44.14), 3. G. Arya (47:12).
