Bekele after his cross country win in Oeiras (© Paulo Costa)
It was not as easy a win as it was last year but World 10,000m champion Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia still triumphed once again at the BPN Oeiras International Cross Country in Jamor (Oeiras), Sunday (16 Nov).
This morning the amazing 21 year-old Ethiopian athlete who is the ‘double double’ World Cross Country champion had to face two strong opponents. Firstly, Bekele had to battle against a very fierce wind that didn’t allow a quiet race and secondly he had to contend with the Kenyan Moses Kigen, who only gave up his challenge to Bekele about 2km from the finish line.
Last year Bekele achieved an advantage of 24 seconds over the second runner but this year, at the first IAAF Cross Coutry Permit Meeting of the 2003/04 season, his win was by just six seconds.
Kigen, 30, produced an exceptionally good race and stayed with him like a shadow for more than eight kilometres, sometimes taking the lead, but with evident calm Bekele used his renowned final sprint to decide matters.
“The race was very tough. Very windy, very difficult,” said Bekele. “This was definitively a different race from last year, but I controlled my own race. I stayed with Kigen for so long as a strategy, because the weather was so bad. Then, when I decided to leave him behind I did it.”
Bekele also confirmed he is now fully recovered from the injury sustained in the All-African Games. “I’m quite well now. I am in good shape and prepared to face the season with optimism.”
Can we count on another double participation at the World Cross Country Championships in 2004?
“To double again at the World Championships? I really don't know yet, it is too earlier to say. We will see later on.”
John Korir, who was fourth in the recent World Half Marathon Championships in Vilamoura (Portugal), finished in third behind Bekele and Kigen. The Kenyans took all the other places till sixth position with Solomon Bushendich (world junior cross country bronze medallist), Andrew Limo and Bernard Kiprop. The first non African was the young Portuguese Fernando Silva (23 years-old) in seventh.
Denboba prevents Malot from taking third consecutive title
Leah Malot (Kenya) started the women’s 5000m course with a third consecutive title on her mind but the 29 year-old Ethiopian Merima Denboba got the better of her in the final sprint, although both were credited with a time of 16:22.
The weather, sunny but very windy, was difficult for us all, said Denboba. “It was very, very bad, despite the course being good but the wind was terrible, especially when it was in our face.”
“Well, everyone always attempts to be first. Sometime it is me, sometimes it isn’t. Running is like this! We never know the result,” said Malot.
Isabella Ochichi KEN (third place) and Aniko Kalovics HUN (fourth) followed Denboba and Malot closely after the two first kilometres distance and stayed close to the end. The Kenyan Susan Kiriu was fifth and then came the first Portuguese athlete, Anália Rosa (sixth).
Paulo Costa for IAAF
Results
Men’s 10,000m
1 Kenenisa Bekele ETH 27:22
2 Moses Kigen KEN 27:28
3 John Korir KEN 27:34
4 Solomon Bushendich KEN 27:59
5 Andrew Limo KEN 28:07
6 Bernard Kiprop KEN 28:08
7 Fernando Silva POR 28:16
8 Abraham Tandoi KEN 28:45
9 Manuel Damião POR 28:53
10 José da Luz POR 28:58
Women’s 5000m
1 Merima Denboba ETH 16:22
2 Leah Malot KEN 16:22
3 Isabella Ochichi KEN 16:29
4 Aniko Kalovics HUN 16:35
5 Susan Kirui KEN 16:38
6 Anália Rosa POR 16:39
7 Inês Monteiro POR 16:45
8 Analídia Torre POR 16:46
9 Marina Bastos POR 16:58
10 Helena Sampaio POR 17:05
