Athletics: Loroupe runs in London

TEGLA LOROUPE, who broke her own world marathon best in Berlin on Sunday, will run in the London Marathon on 16 April next year.

Loroupe, who clocked 2hr 20min 43sec to better her own world mark set in Rotterdam last year by four seconds, will compete against defending champion Joyce Chepchumba, who clocked 2:23:22 in London this year, the fastest-ever time in a women-only race. Loroupe was paced by men both in Rotterdam and Berlin.

A statement issued by the London organisers yesterday said the International Amateur Athletic Federation cross country commission had voted 7-2 in favour of a recommendation that women should start at least 30 minutes ahead of men in marathons to qualify for a world best. "Much debate has surrounded both the London Marathon's decision to recognise Joyce's winning time in last year's London race as a women's only world best and also Tegla's use of male pacemakers throughout the race when she set her previous world best time in Rotterdam in 1998," said the international race director Dave Bedford. "Many questioned which was the better performance. We will now have an opportunity to see a true race between them." n The Italian marathon runner Giuliano Battocletti, 30, has tested positive for nandrolone from a sample given on 2 June at the Busto Arsizio event.