Kenenisa Bekele storms to victory in Edinburgh (© Mark Shearman)
Kenenisa Bekele laid down an emphatic statement to the rest of the world by destroying the field in the men’s 9.3km at the Event Scotland Great Edinburgh Cross Country - IAAF permit race - today.
The Ethiopian legend, a winner of five successive pairs of IAAF World Cross Country Championship short and long race titles, broke the field on the fifth of seven laps to crush his great rival Eluid Kipchoge of Kenya at a windswept Holyrood Park.
And it was a day of double joy for Ethiopia as Gelete Burka claimed a similarly comfortable win in the women’s race.
The Scottish capital will host the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
MEN – “Chubby” Bekele not yet at top fitness!!!!
Many questions were asked of Kenenisa Bekele before his first outing of the winter. How fit was the 24-year-old? How would he respond to the challenge of Kipchoge, who on New Year’s Eve recorded the world’s fastest ever 10km of 26:54 in Madrid? And was he motivated for cross country running after publicly declaring his intention not to race at this year’s IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa?
Bekele emphatically answered all those questions as he shrugged off gale force winds which battered the historic course to break the field midway and stroll to a seemingly effortless 10-second win from Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadesse, the World Road Running champion.
Kipchoge raised hopes of really testing Bekele by heading an eight-man leading pack at the end of the first lap which inevitably included the Ethiopian star, Tadesse, Tanzania’s Fabiano Joseph, and top US distance running star Dathan Ritzenhein.
Kipchoge, the 2003 World 5000m champion, took the field along at a reasonable clip but it was Tadesse who made the first significant move, racing to the front with three laps to go in a winning bid.
Within seconds however Bekele - donning long basketball shorts after forgetting to pack his race shorts - covered the move and raced to the front.
Kipchoge briefly rallied but the Ethiopian was clearly less perturbed by the atrocious conditions than anyone else, and simply ran away from the field with two-and-a-half laps remaining.
Bekele even took time out on the final lap to stick his tongue out at supporters as he cruised to an easy victory in 28:14 and extended his winning cross country race sequence to 26.
Tadesse, the 2005 Great North Run winner, held on gamely to finish runner-up ten seconds further back with Kichoge crossing the line a forelorn third in 28:51 just one second ahead of Joseph.
Bekele said: “I’m feeling very well and I prepared very well for this race.”
But after claiming he lacked the motivation to compete in the World Cross Country Championships in the pre-race press conference he teased the media and his supporters by not completely ruling out a bid to retain his long course title in Mombasa in March.
“If there is a new challenge,” he said on why he may yet opt to compete.
Bekele’s manager Jos Hermens sounded an ominous warning to the rest of the world be saying the Ethiopian is only 80 per cent fit, adding “he is a little bit chubby and could have been more prepared.”
A despondent Kipchoge said he was still in heavy training but he had been badly hampered by the weather - “With three laps to go I started to have trouble with my breathing.”
WOMEN – Burka puts on a ruthless display
In the women’s 6.7km race Gelete Burka of Ethiopia made her own statement of intent to the rest of the world with a controlled and utterly ruthless display.
The 2006 World XC short course champion, who skipped lightly across the muddy surface, made her winning break clear on the incline at Haggis Knowe midway around the last lap to ease clear of her Ethiopian rival Meselech Melkamu, the 2004 World Junior XC champion, and Benita Johnson, Australia’s 2004 senior World XC long race champion.
Johnson along with her compatriot Anna Thompson shared much of the early pace as Burka preferred to wisely shelter from the wind. But on the final lap Burka moved purposely to the front followed by Melkamu and Johnson in pursuit of victory. Such was her determination to win she appeared to give Melkamu a shove as a gentle reminder of her presence after the pair disputed the lead.
After making the break on Haggis Knowe, Burka cruised ahead and victory never looked in doubt as she galloped to a nine-second victory in 23:25.
In a close scrap for second the diminutive Kenyan, the 2000 World Junior Cross Country champion, Vivian Cheruiyot came through strongly to grab second from Johnson. Melkamu faded in the latter stages, finishing fourth.
Burka, who probably produced the most impressive cross country performance by a woman so far this winter, said of her win: “The weather conditions were difficult but I’m happy to win here as I did last year.”
Men’s 4km – Lebid makes up in part for Euro loss
The men’s 4km race witnessed Sergiy Lebid exact revenge on Mo Farah – the man who had taken his European Cross Country title last month.
The Ukrainian, a six-time winner of the European Cross Country Championships was disappointed to finish down in 12th in Milan behind Farah, but on this occasion showed a clean pair of heels to his younger rival to snatch victory.
Farah (GBR) burst to the front on the second of three laps in an effort to break the experienced Lebid and opened up a five-metre lead. But it was never a decisive break and Lebid, competing in his first race over 4km since finishing 10th in the 2000 World Cross Country Championships in Vilamoura, sped past the Briton on the penultimate corner.
Lebid explained: “This is a big win for me. I now may go for the European Indoor Championships over 3000m before the World Cross Country Championships.”
Steve Landells for the IAAF
RESULTS
Men’s Race (9.3km)
1 K Bekele (ETH) 28:14
2 Z Tadesse (ERI) 28:24
3 E Kipchoge (KEN) 28:51
4 F Joseph (TAN) 28:52
5 G Gebremariam (ETH) 29:00
6 D Ritzenhein (USA) 29:02
7 S Bairu (CAN) 30:34
8 A Letherby (AUS) 30:35
9 C Rooney (IRE) 30:43
10 T Abyu (GBR) 30:51
Women’s race (6.2km)
1 G Burka (ETH) 23:25
2 V Cheruiyot (KEN) 23:34
3 B Johnson (AUS) 23:34
4 M Melkamu (ETH) 23:36
5 A Thompson (AUS) 23:54
6 F Britton (IRE) 24:00
Men’s 4km race
1 S Lebid (UKR) 12:20
2 M Farah (GBR) 12:21
3 M Skinner (GBR) 12:25
4 N McCormick (GBR) 12:43
5 G Murray (IRE) 12:43
