Athletics: Szabo on course for $1m season

GABRIELA SZABO could become the first athlete to earn more than $1m (pounds 630,000) in prize money in one season if she wins the 3,000 metres at today's Grand Prix final in Munich's Olympic Stadium.

Szabo's efforts have already earned the 5,000m world champion $765,000, beating the previous record of $633,333 set last year by Marion Jones. The Danish 800m runner Wilson Kipketer has also beaten Jones' mark by pocketing $685,000.

Szabo and Kipketer shared a $1m jackpot in Berlin on Tuesday after each athlete had won seven events in the Golden League series. Both remain on course for the $200,000 cheque for the overall Grand Prix winner. They would also win $50,000 for winning their race.

Szabo is the joint leader in the women's standings with Mozambique's Maria Mutola, who won the 800m in Berlin. They each have 84 points.

Mutola has run in eight races to Szabo's seven and, in the case of a tie, the winner will be chosen via a comparative table of performance evaluations devised by Hungarian statisticians.