Paul Tergat

any athletics insiders have often pitied Paul Tergat, that he's been unfortunate to have had his track career coincide with that of the diminutive multiple world record holder and Olympic 10,000m champion, the legendary Haile Gebrselassie. Tergat could have won two Olympic and two world titles at that distance, but the Ethiopian denied him on those four occasions. In this joint interview with his wife, Monica, Paul told me how he feels towards the Ethiopian, while Monica talks about his marathon career and family.

One could explain away why former world number one tennis player, Venus Williams, could feel no animosity towards her 21 - year old younger sister, Serena, for losing four consecutive Grand Slam titles to her — a record in itself, though ironic. Afterall, the viscousity of blood is higher than that of water or in simple terms:"Blood is thicker than water." But for two athletes from different genealogical trees, you would expect one to be hoping for a form of vendetta the same way Dr Wladimir Klistcho hopes to smile to the bank if he gets a rematch against an ageing Lennox Lewis, the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation belts holder. Apart from the lucrative pay day both boxers are guaranteed, its to get even. But Paul Tergat thinks differently about his four time conqueror. The Kenyan told me recently that he's not in any way bitter about being denied of four gold medals by the same man and neither is he looking forward to a day of vengeance against Gebrselassie.

Paul was having a hectic day fielding questions from the electronic and print media at his hotel in London, I took my turn before him with the memories of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, where he was denied the gold medal by the narrowest margin in Olympics distance running history by Haile - who has broken many Kenyan hearts with his sprint finish and smaller frame. Do you look forward to a revenge or ..? I wasn't allowed to finish composing the question when the six footer, ebony black father of three cuts in." No, no, no. I'm not looking for revenge and neither is there any bitterness. The only thing is that, my time is going to come. To be number two is not what you wake up one day to achieve, you must have worked hard."

For a 33-year old, any novice could say, when will his time come? Well, that could be the subject of an academic debate, but Paul's record speaks volumes. Apart from his time of 26.27.85mins, being the second quickest ever over 10,000m and formerly the world record, between 1995 and 1999, he was the man to beat in cross country running, during which he held the world 12km title for five years on the trot. As a half marathoner, the world titles were his in 1999 and 2000. And prior to that, his effort of 59.17mins was the world half marathon record in 1998. But does he still see himself with the Olympic gold dangling around his neck? The amiable Paul responded:"Anything is possible."

Winning the Olympic could be the ultimate for many, but for Paul:" Breaking a world record is every athlete's dream, hence I'm still running." For a journalist, you could stumble on a good story if you're at the right place at the right time, just as anyone could win a seven figure lottery jackpot without any knowledge of permutation, but being a world champion for five years doesn't come by chance or good fortune. So, how did you hold on as the world cross country champion for five years? "There's no short cut to success. The main thing is to go out there and work hard, that's it. I've been training so hard, its not easy."

I could understand him when he was itching to go and do what he knows best to do. A big race was less than 24 hours away, so t Paul knew he wasn't in London on honeymoon with Monica or to see the Tower Bridge open. I promised him we'll be through with this interview very shortly. What does he think of the marathon anyway? "It is the ultimate of human endurance," he replied. And here's the recipe for winning:"One of the tricks is to know where others break," The marathon, "is the ultimate challenge for me," he declared.

Here's something that could be good news to his rivals. Will you be in Paris next month:"Unfortunately, I won't be competing in the world championships, but I look forward to the Olympics in Athens next year." However, there're two dates in his diary he hopes to keep:"I might probably do the ones - marathon - in Chicago and Berlin."

A couple of minutes before taking on Paul, Monica was full of praise for her husband as we sat at the hotel lounge."Well, he's done a lot of hard work and it takes a lot of dedication to achieve what he's done." There's no point asking if she misses him, rather, how often?"Paul is a very dedicated and caring father and he plans his programme to be with the family as much as possible." Leaving the track to become a marathoner is beneficial to Monica and the children." The marathon allows him to spend more time at home, unlike track and field, when he was always on the move. With marathon, there're fewer races," his smiling wife admitted.

But did you influence his decision to leave track for the road? "Not really, Paul is a well focussed man and he plans ahead before doing something." On the Sydney Olympics race, "It was very hard for me to come to terms with it, because it was less than 100th of a second. It was really hard to know that Haile won the race, but he gave it his best in order to get gold. it didn't just happen." But Paul is still an icon in his country and:"He trains young athletes so that when he's retired, they can step into his shoes."

Blessed with three kids: 13, 8 and 3 respectively, there's the probability that they could one day follow the same path as him. Monica stated:" The children really love their dad and they'll like to be like him. Each of them likes to be a hero like him, but at the end of the day, its only if they have the talent. As parents, we've learnt to give them the opportunity to do what they want to do. We don't put pressure on them and its up to them to make their own choices. We only direct and support them."

Tell me how you met, I asked Monica."It was during our school days, when he used to live nearby. We knew each other from there and have been married for 14 years." Did you know he'll one day become a world champion? The dimples on her cheeks were noticeable as she gave her trademark smile and also defended her decision to say Yes, I do to him "Not at all, not at all," it was purely a love affair. Nobody knew him then.

Its obvious that she doesn't go with him to every race, but anytime she's around, she knows what to do. "I'll make sure he's fit and I give any other support I feel necessary." Do you have any final discussion? "We share a word of prayer."

She might not have any marathon or long distance running record to her name, but Monica's knowledgeable enough to disclose that, if somewhere along the race, Paul is way behind, she has no cause to doubt her man. She was oozing confidence in stating:" I'm not worried, I'm sure he's monitoring other runners."