THE TRACKER
This ticket collector is a traveller himself. Two years ago at the Inter-Zonal Meet in Calcutta, they knew that the future of Indian men's middle-distance running was secure. On a hot, humid morning, Manoj Lal, scorched the track to win the 800 m in 1:52.05 sec. The same afternoon, he pipped the more fancied Prabhjot Singh in the 400 m clocking 48.5 sec. Says athletics expert Rupinder Singh: "Manoj dazzled with his speed and endurance."

Ever since, the runner from Sherthalai in Kerala has travelled well. At major national meets he's beaten all the top runners in both events. Manoj's personal best, 46.78 sec in the 400 m and 1:49.78 sec in the 800 m, may not be India's best, but good enough for national coaches to consider him a medal winner at the Asian level. "Manoj has age on his side and can put in any amount of hard work," says his coach Thankachan Mathew. That means training for three hours from 6 a.m. in Palai, then reaching office 30 km away at Kottayam and returning to Palai for another ses-sion from 4 p.m. -- working on the next destination.