Last year's top Indian finishers, Gopi Thonakal and Sudha Singh, are aiming to attain the qualifying standards for men and women set for this year's World Championship in Doha, Qatar, when they run in the Tata Mumbai Marathon on January 20.
The men's qualifying mark has been set at 2:15:00 by the world athletics governing body IAAF, while the women have to clock 2:37:00 to qualify for the Doha World Championships scheduled from September 27-October 6.
Both Gopi, the reigning Asian Champion in the 42.195- km race, and 3000m steeplechase specialist Sudha Friday expressed confidence of attaining the IAAF-set marks when taking part in the 16th edition of the Mumbai Marathon.
"I am training well on my own and have fully recovered from the hamstring injury that I sustained two-three weeks ago. I am aiming to attain 2:15 and qualify for the World Championships," Gopi told reporters here.
"Participation in Mumbai Marathon was the turning point in my life and I have gained a lot of confidence by winning the Asian title in 2017," said Gopi, who had clocked 2:15:48 in the Asian championship in China to become the first Indian to clinch the continental crown.
Gopi, who had come home in 2:16:51 as the top Indian finisher here in 2018 after finishing 24th in 2:15:25 in the Rio Olympics in 2016, is expected to face a stiff challenge from course record (2:15:48) holder and 2016 champion Nitendra Singh Rawat.
The 30-year-old JCO in the Army Sports Institute, Pune, had finished third in the Delhi half marathon in November 2018, after which he had injured his hamstring while training in Bengaluru.
Sudha, winner of the gold and silver medals, respectively, in the 3000m steeplechase for women in the 2010 and 2018 Asian Games, was not even sure whether she will compete here before doing well by finishing second in the 25K run in Kolkata on December 16, 2018.
"My only target is to qualify for the World Championships by clocking 2:37:00. After the Asian Games (2018) I had taken a two-month break and then participated in the Kolkata 25K race," said Sudha.
"I was not ready to run in Mumbai but decided to take part after doing well in the 25K run in Kolkata. I have done three times the 35 kms run and feel confident that I will do well in this Sunday's Marathon," said the 32-year-old Railway athlete.
"I have been training for the Mumbai Marathon with junior boys in Bengaluru," said Sudha, who is trying to finish on top among Indian women and emulate the feat of Lalita Babar who did it three times in a row between 2012 and 2014.
Sudha had clocked 2:48:32 last year, but has a much better personal best of 2:35:35 that she did in the 2015 World Championship while coming home in the 19th position in China.
She is expected to face some challenge from two-time top Indian finisher Jyoti Gawte.
In the overall elite race for men, Ethiopia's Abera Khema, with a personal best of 2:05:50, is among those to watch out for in his maiden appearance in the race along with Kenya's Jacob Kendago and Elijah Kemboi, both with personal bests under 2:08:00.
Among the elite women runners are defending champion Amane Gobena of Ethiopia (personal best - 2:21:51) and three of her compatriots - two-time champion Dinknesh Mekash and Shuko Genemo (2016 winner), all of who have clocked personal bests of sub-2:25:00.
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