Little girl has big dreams for East Timor

It's been a week of big welcomes for East Timor.

First, the world's newest state becomes the United Nations 191st member with its acceptance in New York and then the country's athletes make their sporting entry for the first time as an independent nation here at the Asian Games.

"We are a new nation at the start of a new millennium and we all feel very proud to be here," said diminutive marathon runner Mariana Dias Ximenes who is the only woman in the 16-member team.

"When we saw East Timor being welcomed into the United Nations everyone here was so happy because the country has been through so much."

Indonesia occupied East Timor when colonial power Portugal withdrew in 1975, and their stay ended in bloody chaos as Indonesian troops and militiamen laid waste to East Timor to punish it. At least 1,000 people died in the ensuing trouble and as many as 300,000 were forced across the border into West Timor before an Australian-led peacekeeping force restored order.

Now, the 20-year-old Ximenes is looking to make her mark when she takes part in the marathon although setting records and winning medals, she admits, is probably beyond her.

"I have been training really hard all this year. I have a best time of two hours and 58 minutes and if I can bring that down, then I will be more than happy."