Wami aims for first London Marathon win

Paula Radcliffe's absence from the London Marathon leaves the women's field wide open, and it means there will be a first-time winner in Sunday's race.

Gete Wami hopes her third try in the British capital will be the lucky one.

Radcliffe, a three-time London champion and the marathon world record holder, is skipping the race with a toe injury. And with last year's winner, Zhou Chunxiu of China, also absent and 2006 winner Deena Kastor racing in Boston, it's the perfect chance for Wami to win her first London Marathon.

Wami said she will miss renewing her rivalry with Radcliffe - the two competed for years on the track and cross-country circuits. The Ethiopian also finished second to Radcliffe in a sprint finish at the New York City Marathon in November, five weeks after she won in Berlin.

"I hoped she would be here as we always have exciting races and it would have been a much better race with her competing," Wami said on Wednesday.

Wami failed to finish the London race in 2004 and finished second last year.

But Wami's consistent form helped her to clinch the $500 000 first prize for gaining the most points in the World Marathon Majors, a two-year contest based on results from marathons in Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City.

Wami also leads the 2007-08 World Marathon Majors competition.

Her main competitors on Sunday will be Berhane Adere of Ethiopia, who has won the last two Chicago Marathons, Russian pair Svetlana Zakharova and Ludmila Petrova, Salina Kosgei of Kenya, Irina Mikitenko of Germany and Constantina Dita of Romania, who will be running her seventh London Marathon.

Wami said she had learned from last year's race, when Zhou broke away in the final five kilometres to become the first Chinese winner in London.

"I didn't know who she was which was a mistake, but I've done my homework on everybody for this year's race," Wami said. "I've now ran a few marathons but there is always something new to learn from each one."

Kosgei finished fourth in last year's race, but her preparations for London were hampered by the postelection violence that erupted in Kenya in December and January. She said she couldn't leave her house for three weeks.

"I couldn't run at all," she said. "You had to eat and drink anything you had in the house. You couldn't buy anything. You couldn't drive anywhere."

Mikitenko is looking to build on her marathon debut last year, when she finished second in Berlin. The 35-year-old runner, who is originally from Kazakhstan, switched to the marathon after a long career in distance track events.

"I don't think I ran as well as I could have in Berlin," Mikitenko said. "I waited (to move up to the marathon) until I thought I'd was ready, I know I can prove so much more."

The men's race is set to be dominated by Kenyans, led by defending champion Martin Lel, who also won the event in 2005, and 2006 champion Felix Limo.

World champion Luke Kibet, Emmanuel Mutai and Sammy Wanjiru are the other elite Kenyans racing. Olympic champion Stefano Baldini, two-time world champion Jaouad Gharib and South African veteran Hendrick Ramaala are also in the field.