DURBAN, South Africa, 17 June 2003 — Russian twin sisters Elena and Olesya Nurgalieva came first and second in the women’s section of the 89-kilometer “downhill” Comrades ultramarathon from Pietermaritzburg to Durban yesterday.
Elena Nurgalieva posted a time of six hours seven minutes and 46 seconds, with her twin on 6:12:07. Compatriot Tatyana Zhirkova finished third in 6:17:50.
The 27-year-old twins from the Ural mountains were cross-country skiers until they started serious marathon running four years ago. Elena raised eyebrows when she started walking after entering Durban’s Kingsmead stadium.
“When I entered the stadium I didn’t know where the finish was,” she said, speaking through an interpreter.
“I thought it was at the entrance.”
Fusi Nhlapo of South Africa, running in the event for the first time, won the men’s race in 5:28:52. Second was Oleg Kharitonov of Russia with 5:31:41. Joseph Moaba of South Africa was third in the same time.
Frustrated Freeman Not
About to Quit, Says Adviser
In Sydney, a senior adviser to Cathy Freeman has denied he is going London to stop the Australian Olympic 400m champion from retiring.
There are press reports here since Freeman registered her worst result in 10 years last month and then withdrew from a meeting in France last weekend that she was frustrated with her track comeback and was going to call it quits.
Chris Giannopoulos, a senior executive with International Management Group (IMG), conceded Freeman was disappointed with the troubled progress of her comeback but said reports that he had flown to her London training base to dissaude her from quitting were wrong.
“I’ll be catching up with Catherine probably tomorrow,” Giannopoulos told Australian Associated Press yesterday.
