Kavita, Sudha lead Indian women's field

New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS): The Indian elite women Friday expressed their hope to excel in the upcoming Airtel Delhi Half marathon (ADHM) Sunday and taking home the course record bonus of Rs.1 Lakh.

Asian Games 3000 metre steeplechase gold medallist Sudha Singh, defending champion Lalita Babar, World 10K Bangalore winner Monika Athare, ADHM 2011 runner-up Kiran Tiwari and Mumbai Marathon winner Priyanka Singh Patel are the women who will lead the Indian field Sunday.

Sudha, who participated in London Olympics steeplechase, had been to Kenya for training. She feels that she also stands a chance against the Kenyans.

“We and the Kenyans trained together and worked hard, following the same routine. Here in Delhi, we have the home advantage and we can give tough competition to the Kenyans,” she said.

She added that they could hold on to the pace of the Kenyans in the initial stages and challenge them in the later stages.

Among the Indian women, course record holder Kavita Raut is expected to be among the front runners alongwith teenager Monica Athare.

According to Sunita Godara, the coordinator for Indian elites, this year’s Indian field is among the strongest with 73 men having clocked below 1hr 10 mins, and 33 women, clocking below 1hr 30mins.