There was something in the air at the Regal Room, Trident Hotel Nariman Point last evening. Something that made you feel very bullish about Indian track and field. Indian elite athletes met the media for a Mumbai marathon interaction, telling the media that this time, they are looking at the Africans as their main competition, and the men saying that, "the marathon course record (2: 16: 59) is going to be broken on Sunday, we are aiming for that."


Indian runners (left to right) Nitendra Singh Rawat, Lalita Babar, OP Jaisha, MD Yunus and Kheta Ram at a city hotel yesterday during a press conference for Sunday’s Mumbai Marathon. Pic/Onkar Devlekar 

Women elite runners O P Jaisha and Lalita Babar have both qualified for the Rio Olympics to be held from August 5 to August 21 2016, and are running the Mumbai marathon "to build endurance." Jaisha claimed she will look at competing in the 1500m and 5000m in the Olympics, while Babar said it is the 3000, steeplechase for her.