Alexandra Morozova apologised for the drama ahead of Sunday’s 2022 Comrades Marathon, which she won at a canter to end her role as The Ultimate Human Race’s bridesmaid.
The Russian athlete had forced the Comrades Marathon Association’s (CMA) hand, via a Pietermaritzburg high court urgent interdict, to allow her and her compatriots to participate in the world-famous KwaZulu-Natal ultra-marathon.
On Friday, when it looked like Russian runners would be barred from the race because of their country’s invasion of Ukraine, Morozova decided to go the legal route.
She won her case and ended up running as an “international”. A runner-up back in 2019 and 2017, the woman who finished third in 2018 ran away with the title on Sunday. Her time of 6:12:42 was 12 minutes faster than second-placed Dominika Stelmach of Poland.
Speaking through a translator at the post-race media conference deep in the bowels of Moses Mabhida Stadium, Morozova expressed her regret at how things unfolded, without going into detail.
“I am very emotional, and I am sorry for any inconvenience I caused before the race — I appreciate the support I got.”
Not that she had much to apologise for. After all it was the CMA who had accepted her and her compatriots’ entries. And the organisers’ decision to exclude them from the race was, as per race director and general manager Rowyn James, a directive from the sport’s governing body Athletics SA (ASA).
There was nothing apologetic, however, about her dominant run that saw her clinch first place. While the court ruling was that Morozova would not be able to be awarded the R260,000 prize money, she was presented the symbolic cheque at the Comrades' official prizegiving on Tuesday. Reports have been the court will hear an argument on whether she can receive the prize money in November.
Morozova, beaten to second place by American Camille Herron in her Comrades debut and then by the flying Gerda Steyn in 2019, clearly knew she had it in her to win the race and had to fight her way into participating.
“I am very excited and happy that I could achieve this victory,” she said, admitting she couldn’t be sure of victory until it had happened and that’s why she continuously looked behind her towards the end of the race.
“I didn’t realise how many minutes I was ahead of others by. And the wind was against me in the last 10km. I plan to participate in the race again.”
Morozova was followed home in the down run by Stelmach (6:25:08). Murray & Roberts’ Adele Broodryk was the first South African home, the novice runner clocking 6:26:34 for a third-place finish.
