Aberdeen, UK - Four athletes with championship pedigrees took the honours in yesterday’s Balmoral Road Races in Scotland.

Twice World 4km Cross Country champion John Kibowen, and women’s World Half-Marathon gold medallist Birhane Adere took the five-mile races, while Britain at least celebrated successes in the mile events through Olympic 800m bronze medallist Kelly Holmes, and Commonwealth 1500m champion Mike East.

The races ran to form, as three of the tips of elite field co-ordinator Peter Elliott proving correct, with East the exception as he denied John Mayock a hat-trick of Balmoral successes.

Kibowen, second in the World Cross in Lausanne in March to the exceptional Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, was the most convincing winner as he won by 22 seconds. His injection of pace around three miles (13:50) was so effective that the race was virtually over from the moment he stepped on the accelerator.

Wilberforce Tadel, who won the Commonwealth 10,000m title on his last visit to the UK, was left isolated in second as European 10,000 champion Jose Manuel Martinez, already selected to run for Spain in the Marathon in Paris, took third.  

In the women’s category, Adere continued her amazing first half of the year but had to work harder for her victory. Australian Benita Johnson just wouldn’t give in, and it was only with a quarter of a mile to go that the World Indoor 3000m champion finally opened a winning gap.

The women’s race was held in the worst of the day’s weather conditions at the royal estate as heavy rain lashed down on the athletes to add to the strong winds. Adere had recently equalled the World road best for 5km, when running 14:54 in Carlsbad, but in today’s conditions Paula Radcliffe’s recognised 5 miles best of 24:47 set on the same course four years ago (Sonia O’Sullivan’s 24:27 at Loughrea in Ireland later that  year was ruled out due to a drop in elevation), was never likely to be threatened.

From the opening mile of 5:07, compared to Radcliffe’s 4:59, a record attempt was never on and the tactical nature of the race was clearly evident as the fastest ever in the world over 10 miles, Lornah Kiplagat, snaked across the road in an attempt to make Adere take on some of the pacing.

The invitation was declined but a hill early into the fourth mile gave Adere the green light to hit the front for the first time and only Johnson was able to challenge. The determined Aussie even edged ahead in the final mile but after passing Balmoral Castle with 400m to go, Adere made a decisive kick and she finally knew victory was secured.

The 29-year-old says she will race less often in 2003, having won 15 and placed second in a further five of her 23 races in 2002. But she may double up with the 5000m and 10,000m in Paris. Already this year she has recorded the second fastest 3000m and 5000 indoor times in history, as well as capturing gold in Birmingham at the World Indoor Championships, and a clash with Radcliffe in Paris is eagerly anticipated.

Another looking forward to the summer is World Indoor 1500m silver medallist Holmes, who added to her 3km victory at Balmoral in 2001.

Holmes had asked Elliott to stage a women’s Mile race and flew back from South Africa on Thursday (8 May) for the event before returning to Johannesburg on 11 May to resume training with World and Olympic 800m champion Maria Mutola.

Holmes, already buoyed by two British indoor records this year, flies back in positive mood after an impressive victory.

Former European Cup 1,500m winner Helen Clitheroe (nee Pattinson) set a strong pace and led through halfway in 2:13, but with 400m to go and the clock showing 3:30 Holmes edged alongside and kicked away for victory.

The twice Commonwealth 1,500m champion said: “I was pleased with how it went and was glad when Helen pushed the pace early on. I came here confident of winning and with 400m to go just gave it a go, although it was very nasty into the teeth of the wind in the closing stages.

“I love running in these kind of events. You just know it is going to be well organised, with a good field and a great crowd behind you and I am delighted I flew back to run here.”

East was also beaming after ending Mayock’s hopes of a hat-trick. The mile replaced the 4km, which Mayock had won for the last two years but East denied him victory with an earlier than usual kick for home.

East, coached by former Olympic Steeplechase bronze medallist Mark Rowland, is renowned for leaving it late as he did when taking the Commonwealth title in Manchester last year, but on this occasion he took it on with around 400m to go.

Mayock gave chase but it was in vain as East took the tape in 4:09. Mayock was given the same time but never looked likely to deny East, who admitted: “I didn’t plan to hit the front that far out, I just seemed to find myself in the lead but I felt confident that I had the strength to hold on. It made for an exciting race.”

Bob Frank for the IAAF

Results

Men

1M: 1 Mike East (GBR) 4:09; 2 John Mayock (GBR) 4:09; 3 Anthony Whiteman (GBR) 4:10; 4 James Thie (GBR) 4:10; 5 Ricky Soos (GBR) 4:11

5M: 1 John Kibowen (KEN) 22:48; 2 Wilberforce Talel (KEN) 23:10; 3 Jose Manuel Martinez (ESP) 23:23; 4 Hendrick Ramaala (RSA) 23:32; 5 Andrew Graffin (GBR) 23:33

Women

1 Kelly Holmes (GBR) 4:35; 2 Helen Clitheroe (GBR) 4:36; 3 Freda Davoren (IRL) 4:36; 4 Hayley Tullett (GBR) 4:37; 5 Kerry  Gillibrand (GBR) 4:47

5M: 1 B Adere (ETH) 25:12; 2 B Johnson (AUS) 25:15; 3 Jo Pavey (GBR) 25:38; 4 L Kiplagat (KEN) 25:49; 5 E Masai (KEN) 26:03