Mar 21 2008 By David McCarthy

ZERSENAY TADESE has been omnipresent in Edinburgh all week.

Well, the African's athlete's presence has been all over the city's massive Omni entertainment complex at any rate, in the shape of a sensational 18ft tall poster promoting what he hopes will be the defence of his World Cross Country Championship title in the capital on Sunday, March 30.

Tadese, a national hero in his homeland of Eritrea, captured the title in Kenya last year and although conditions are likely to be totally different as representatives of 78 countries plough through the Holyrood Park course next week, the longdistance specialist will be the man to beat.

Craig Mottram, though, will have something to say about that. In fact, the Australian track star has something to say about everything and fancies his chances of landing his first world cross country title.

He is also banking on plenty of local support and not only from expat Aussies living in Edinburgh.

The 27-year-old's mum hails from Aberfeldy and Mottram is ready to use his "half-Scottishness" to get the crowd on his side as he battles Tadese and Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, who has an outstanding record in this event and will be going for his sixth victory.

But Mottram, who became the first non-African in almost...