Marathon: Wyatt achieves aim of top-20 finish

8.15am - By MARK GEENTY

ATHENS - Shattered but smiling, Jonathan Wyatt reflected proudly on his Olympic marathon effort as he finished 20th in a drama-packed race here today.

One of New Zealand's two-pronged attack on the 42.2km epic from Marathon to the historic Panathinaiko Stadium packed with 50,000 people, Wyatt finished just under seven minutes after the Italian winner Stefano Baldini in a time of two hours, 17 minutes 45 seconds.

Compatriot Dale Warrander of Auckland, 30, completed a satisfying effort for the New Zealand duo with a 33rd placing in 2:19.43.

Wyatt, composed and lucid after the toughest marathon of his career, said finishing 20th in a field of 100 starters was more than enough.

"I wanted to make top-20. These are the best guys in the world and I'm pretty happy with that. I felt I gave it everything, I can't do more than that."

Wyatt, 31, spent the first half of the race in the main bunch, inside the top-40, unaware of the drama which was to unfold.

Tearaway leader Vanderlei Lima of Brazil looked to have the race sewn up when he was tackled by a spectator who ran on to the course 6km from home, with Lima holding a 30sec lead.

It knocked the wind out of his sails and Baldini sailed past to win in 2:10.55, 34sec ahead of American Mebrahtom Keflezighi, who held off Lima for third by another 42sec.

Wyatt said the course, the original from the first modern Games in 1896, was every bit as trying as expected, with his time nearly 5min outside his personal best.

"It's a hell of a battle out there, I tell you.

"That was an incredibly tough race. It's the toughest marathon course they've ever had at the Olympics and I felt it out there."

He picked up ground in the last 10km and moved into the top-20 less than 5km from the end.

"It started climbing from about 6km, I had to just get through those first few hills when I was feeling bad. I was really happy I came right about 25km and finished really strong the last 15.

"The last 3km felt like a long way."

Both New Zealanders ran in white singlets to guard again the late afternoon heat, although Wyatt said it wasn't as hot as he'd expected.

Warrander was around 60th until the 30km mark and began to steadily pick up ground, finishing nearly 7min outside his best time.

He walked away unaided after the finish but rushed straight for the medical room to recover.

- NZPA