Edinburgh, UK – Reigning World 5000m champions Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba sprinted to a pair of thrilling - and tantalizingly narrow - wins at the View from Great Edinburgh Cross Country in the Scottish capital today.

In a dazzling gun-to-tape performance, Kipchoge outsprinted Ethiopian Dejene Berhanu in the final 100 metres, while Dibaba upset Australia’s World Cross Country Champion Benita Johnson after a dramatic stride-for stride kick in the final 50 metres to successfully defend her Great North title.

Men’s Race

It was the first cross country victory in Europe for Kipchoge, the 21-year-old Olympic 5000m bronze medallist, since his win in the junior race in the 2003 World Cross Country Championships.

Despite the narrow one-second margin of victory, Kipchoge dominated the 9.2 kilometre race, leading virtually from the gun, and falling behind only once, and then, only briefly, when Berhanu took a short-lived lead about 100 metres from the finish.

“I led from the start, and with 100 metres to go I was still feeling very energetic,” said Kipchoge, who was a late hour replacement in the event for Olympic 10,000m champion Kenenisa Bekele, who missed the meet because of the sudden death of his fiancée last week. “I led for nine kilometres, and didn’t want to lose the lead in the last 200 metres.” His winning time was 27:43.

From the outset, Kipchoge dictated a scorching pace that reduced the strongest field of the year into an eight-man contest just eight minutes into the race. Behind Kipchoge, World 3000m Steeplechase record holder Saif Saaeed Shaheen, Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist Zerseney Tadesse, Ethiopians Berhanu and Gebre-Egziabher Gebremariam, and Kenyan Henry Rugut followed in single file, with five-time European champion Sergiy Lebid and Australian Craig Mottram bringing up the rear and barely maintaining contact.

“I wanted to go from the front with high speed,” Kipchoge said. “Always in the slower races anyone can win.”

The pace soon proved too much for Mottram, and just beyond the halfway point, Lebed and Tadesse lost contact as well. 16 minutes into the race, only Kipchoge, the Ethiopian pair and Shaheen were left. Shaheen, running his first race since his near-world record steeplechase performance at last September’s World Athletics Final, spent much of the race jumping from second to fourth position, until a slight stumble entering the final lap of the muddy course’s immediately left him some five metres adrift.

Both Berhanu and Gebremariam, runner-up to Bekele in both races at last year’s World Cross, appeared comfortable with Kipchoge’s front-running, but in the end, besides Berhanu’s brief dash to a momentary lead, neither could match the Kenyan’s long sustained closing effort. Less than two seconds separated the podium finishers, with Gebremariam credited with a 27:45 clocking.

After being named as Bekele’s replacement for the race, Kipchoge said, “My goal was to come here and win in order to restore the great name of Kenya.” But he refused to make any predictions for the upcoming world championships in St-Etienne/St-Galmier, France, and refrained from throwing down the gauntlet to Bekele, who raced to double wins at the World Cross Country Championships for the last three years.

“It’s not good for me to now talk about Kenenisa because Kenenisa is still in mourning” Kipchoge said, explaining that Kenyan tradition dictates that individuals in periods of mourning should be respected. “And to talk about beating Kenenisa right now is not good. But I promise the world that I will try my best this year to earn a medal” at the World Cross in March. Kipchoge also said that his victory here was certainly a confidence booster.

“After this race I feel very happy in my heart, and I feel confident that I will have something around my neck at the World Championships.”

His next competition will be the Kenyan trials on 12 February, where he will contest the 12-K race.

Shaheen held on to finish a distant fourth in 28:06, 21 seconds behind Gebremariam, while Lebid overtook the fading Tadesse to finish fifth (28:08). Mottram was well back in ninth (29:13), 14 seconds ahead of American Tim Broe, who finished 10th. 


Women’s Race

Running in wet and extremely muddy conditions, the 19-year-old Dibaba edged the 25-year-old Australian by less than a second, covering the 6.3 kilometre course in 21:35.

“I’m very happy to win here,” said Dibaba after what will be her only cross country race of the year prior the World Cross in March. “I felt very confident in the final 500 metres.” It was the first race for Dibaba after a six-week competitive break.

“She was just slightly stronger than me in the end,” said Johnson, “but I’m looking forward to racing her again in two months time.”

The four Ethiopians in the strong field - Dibaba, her sister older sister Ejegayehu, Meselech Melkamu and Etalemahu Kidane - took turns with the lead during the race’s first half, injecting surges that quickly strung out the field. 13 minutes into the contest, just seven remained in contention: the Ethiopian quartet, Johnson, and Kenyans Hilda Kibet and Susan Chepkemei. The 23-year-old Kibet, a cousin of Lornah Kiplagat, who has only been running seriously for about two years, took the lead briefly with Tirunesh Dibaba following closely and comfortably. 

Two minutes later, Kibet began to struggle, with Johnson, Tirunesh Dibaba, and Melkamu, last year’s World Junior champion at both cross country and 5000 metres, taking turns with the lead.

Johnson made her move in the final kilometre-and-a-half, but she couldn’t shake Dibaba, who timed her finish brilliantly.

“My tactics were just to stay relaxed as long as I could and to stay in the pack and just get the first 4-K done,” Johnson said, “and 2 kilometres out to try and make a move for the finish. The Ethiopian girls were very strong - all four of them. They’re fantastic runners and I’ve got a lot of respect for them.”

Despite the near loss, Johnson said her performance bodes well for a successful title defence in March at the World Cross in St-Etienne/St-Galmier, France.

“Coming second was a bit disappointing, but it’s very promising, showing that I’m very fit at this time of the year, which is a good time, going into the World Cross. I can still get quite a bit fitter than I am.”

Johnson has three more cross country races in Europe on her schedule before returning to Australia to contest the national trials for the summer’s world championships on the track.

Dibaba won’t be running another cross country race prior to the World Championships, where she will compete in the 4-K event. The only other meet currently on her calendar is the Reebok Boston Indoor Games on 29 January, where she’ll contest the 3000 metres.

Melkamu took the final podium spot, finishing eight seconds behind Johnson, with Kidane reaching the line nine seconds later. Kibet was fifth in 21:54, with Chepkemei, running her first race since her runner-up finish at November’s ING New York City Marathon, another four seconds back, finishing sixth. Hayley Yelling, who race to the European title in Heringsdorf, Germany last month, was eighth.

Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

Results

Men (9.2km):
1. E Kipchoge (Ken) 27:43,
2. D Berhanu (Eth) 27:44,
3. G Gebremariam (Eth) 27:45,
4. S Saaeed Shaheen (Qat) 28:06,
5. S Lebid (Ukr) 28:08,
6. Z Tadesse (Eri) 28:13,
7. H Sugut (Ken) 28:46,
8. F Bowen (Ken) 29:05,
9. C Mottram (Aus) 29:13,
10. T Broe (USA) 29:27

Women (6.2K):
1. T Dibaba (Eth) 21:35,
2. B Johnson (Aus) 21:36,
3. M Melkamu (Eth) 21:44,
4. E Kidane (Eth) 21:53,
5. H Kibet (Ken) 21:54,
6. S Chepkemei (Ken) 22:25,
7. E Dibaba (Eth) 22:25,
8. H Yelling (Eng) 22:28,
9. K Butler (Sco) 22:35,
10. A Kaloviks (Hun) 22:49,

... 11. L Kiplagat (Ned) 23:05