Action-man tycoon eyes sprint finish in Russia polls

Russia: Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov assumed the lotus position while sitting on a volleyball and serenely explained the lessons of life to a clutch of starry-eyed teenage boys.

“You should always let the stress out of your muscles before leaping into action,” declared the tycoon, one of just four candidates challenging Vladimir Putin in March 4 presidential elections.

Prokhorov, who according to Forbes magazine has a fortune of at least $12 billion, had taken his campaign to a Moscow school gym in a typical action-man gesture to flex both his physical and political muscles.

The owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball team, who says he still works out several hours a day, performed press ups while juggling a ball from one hand to the other, a feat that may have impressed Russia’s alpha male Putin.

After unexpectedly declaring his candidacy just a week after fraud-tainted parliamentary elections in December, Prokhorov has already doubled his opinion poll ratings and prompted speculation he could even come second in the polls. AFP