Indrajeet Patel clocked 01.04.56 to emerge victorious ahead of Soji Mathew and Man Singh to clinch the half marathon honours in Indian section of the Mumbai Marathon
Mumbai: Half-marathon winner Indrajeet Patel didn’t get to stay in a five-star hotel contrary to luxuries afforded to defending champions . But that didn’t curb the 20-year-old’s hunger to win. Yesterday, he clocked 01:04:56 to emerge victorious ahead of Soji Mathew (01:05:45) and Man Singh (01:06:17) at the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon.
Indrajeet Patel celebrates after winning the half marathon (Indians) yesterday. Pic/Atul Kamble
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Patel, who is the junior Asian 3000m record holder and also the 2012 open national gold medal winner in 5,000 and 10,000m run, stayed two nights at the Mumbai Hockey Association’s (MHA) dormitory with 16 other elite Indian men athletes.
Patel was a surprise winner of the half marathon considering his ninth place finish last year. It wasn’t an easy win for the upcoming athlete as he pulled the calf muscle of his right leg during the run.
“I surprised myself with the win today.
When I crossed the four-km mark, I pulled a calf muscle. I felt like stopping. But, I had promised my coach Jaswinder Singh Bhatia that I would not disappoint him. That’s what prompted me to continue running,” he said.
After the win, the fire inspector with ONGC, Allahabad did express his displeasure about the staying arrangements. “While other athletes stayed in decent accommodation (three-star and five-star hotels), 16 elite men athletes and I were put up at a dormitory. There were a lot of mosquitoes in the rooms. I am really dissatisfied with the treatment given to me,” Patel told MID DAY.
Explaining why Patel had to be accommodated at the MHA dormitory, Indian elite athletes’ coordinator, Sunita Godara, said, “Only the top-five elite full marathoners and top-two half marathoners get to stay at Trident (hospitality partner). While all other athletes are put up at other hotels. The Indian elite men had to stay in a dormitory as we could not ask the women athletes to stay there.”
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