Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) wins 2003 Elgoibar cross country (© José Pérez Gómez)
Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele recorded his fourth consecutive cross country victory of the winter in the ‘60th Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza’ held yesterday in wintery conditions.
Despite achieving his narrowest winning margin of the season (12 seconds compared to 24 seconds in Oeiras, a massive gap of 1:14 in Brussels, and 15 seconds at the Great North Cross in Newcastle last week) Bekele’s win was overwhelming, the effortless manner of his victory suggesting he could have run much faster if needed.
The opposition faced by the reigning double IAAF World Cross Country champion was of the toughest calibre featuring Kenya’s Albert Chepkurui, fresh from his close victory in Amorebieta, and Tanzania’s World silver medallist John Yuda.
The race started at a slow pace, clocking 3:13 for the first kilometre. Even so no-one dared run ahead of the 20-year-old Ethiopian who led the main group with the other Africans, and Spain’s José Manuel Martínez, the European 10,000m champion in close attendance.
With exactly nine minutes on the clock, Bekele made his move pulling away from Chepkurui, Martínez, Ethiopia’s Dagne Alemu and Yuda, who were all forced to run in single file after Bekele’s devastating kick. Such was the magnitude of his burst that by halfway he had already opened up a 60 metres gap over Chepkurui, who was himself another 40 metres up on Martínez, who in turn had 40 metres more on Alemu and Yuda, the latter being far off his excellent condition of previous weeks.
Bekele’s lead reached its widest margin of about 100m (18 seconds) going through the seventh kilometre (21:04), while Chepkurui managed to keep Martínez 30m behind. To the home spectators’ delight the Spaniard, who is building up for his second marathon in April, was gaining on Chepkurui, while another fierce battle for fourth place had developed between Alemu (6th Sydney Olympics 5000m) and Yuda.
Bekele’s pace diminished slightly on the last lap, running 11 seconds slower than on the previous circuit, and as a result his lead had decreased to 12 seconds by the finish line. Chepkurui followed next having won the battle for second from Martínez, another 8 seconds adrift. In the last 400m Alemu went clear of Yuda, who faded to a jog, crossing the line in a disappointing fifth place, some 200m behind Bekele.
In the minor places, Spain’s Juan Carlos Higuero, aiming for a 1500m medal at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham (March 2003), came seventh and Portugal’s Domingos Castro placed ninth at the age of 39.
After ending three years of Kenyan successes in this race Bekele said: “I felt very good throughout the race today. The mud was not a problem and I am getting used to it. My next race will be at the IAAF cross country race in Seville (Spain) next Sunday.”
Asked about his favourite running surface, a delighted Bekele concluded: “for now I feel more confident on cross country, but I hope to become a great athlete on the track as well.”
The women’s race witnessed a dazzling display over a 6km muddy quagmire by Kenya’s Edith Masai, the reigning IAAF World short course champion. After a pedestrian early pace (3:34 for the opening kilometre) the African trio of Masai, her compatriot Priscila Jepleting and Tanzania’s Hawa Hussein, broke away from the rest with ease, while a former (2000) European junior cross country champion, Portugal’s Jessica Augusto ran in fourth.
Just before the third kilometre mark, Masai, who will turn 36 next April, pushed on relentlessly and built an impressive 22 second gap (in a matter of about 1500 metres) on Hussein and Jepleting. Masai finally won by the handsome margin of 32 seconds, with the 22-year-old Jepleting out running Hussein in the finishing straight. Further back Augusto had to settle for fifth, overtaken in the closing stages by Spain’s Amaia Piedra.
“It has been tough with cold, mud, and the ups and downs...but that’s cross country” declared the experienced Masai, who added: “I am targeting the gold medal again at the Worlds in Lausanne in March, of course I will be contesting the short race.”
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
Results
Men (10,130m course)
1 Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 30:57
2 Albert Chepkurui (KEN) 31:09
3 José Manuel Martínez (ESP) 31:17
4 Dagne Alemu (ETH) 31:29
5 John Yuda (TAN) 31:34
6 Driss Lakhouaja (MAR) 31:43
7 Juan Carlos Higuero (ESP) 31:53
8 Helder Ornellas (POR) 32:22
9 Domingos Castro (POR) 32:22
10 Freddy González (VEN) 32:35
Women (6070m course)
1 Edith Masai (KEN) 20:41
2 Priscila Jepleting (KEN) 21:13
3 Hawa Hussein (TAN) 21:14
4 Amaia Piedra (ESP) 21:35
5 Jessica Augusto (POR) 21:38
6 Jane Omoro (KEN) 21:53
