Bekele in full flow in the 2004 Campaccio race (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
Ethiopia's "doubledouble" World Cross Country champion Kenenisa Bekele won the 48th edition of the Campaccio in San Giorgio su Legnano yesterday with a margin of 43 seconds over Patrik Ivuti of Kenya, the two times World Cross Country silver medallist (1999 and 2003).
In the women's contest, a splendid display of front running gave the Hungarian Aniko Kalovics, bronze medallist in the European Cross Country Championships, a surprising and easy win.
Bekele, the World 10,000m track champion totally dominated the 12 km men's race from the beginning of Saturday’s race (10 Jan). After controlling his rivals in the leading group in the early stage of the race he launched his attack over a climb after only 10 minutes and immediately left Patrick Ivuti 4 seconds behind.
Behind Bekele an exciting battle for second and third places unfolded. The four-time European Cross Country champion Sergiy Lebid was 5 seconds adrift of Ivuti in a chasing group which included Uganda's Wilson Businei, the Italian Giuliano Battocletti, World Half Marathon bronze medallist Martin Sulle, and the Kenyan Samuel Kamau.
As Bekele strolled with his usual smooth pace, increasing his lead to 27 seconds with two laps to go, his rivals struggled behind. By the bell the Ethiopian star had increased his lead to 36 seconds. Over the final climb with about 300 metres from the finish-line Bekele had a gap of 43 seconds over Ivuti and crossed the finish-line in 34:36.
Meanwhile Lebid, fourth at the bell behind Wilson Businei, surged away and launched a devastating attack to earn the third place in a breathtaking photo-finish kick over the Ugandan. Both Lebid and Businei clocked 35:30.
Giuliano Battocletti, Lebid's teammate at the Italian club Cover Verbania, who had lead in the early stage of the race, clinched a well-deserved sixth place behind the Kenyan Samuel Kamau.
"I know that the Kenyans and Lebid will peak in two month’s time for the World Championships in Brussels where my task will be much more difficult than today. This year's win was much easier than in 2002. I won in the way I did today because I am a much more experienced runner than I was two years ago", said Bekele.
Asked about his schedule for this coming winter, he said: "Now I am planning to run in Sevilla next week before returning to Ethiopia. I will return to Europe for my debut in the indoor circuit. On 31 January I will run the 3000 metres in Stuttgart. After a second outing on the boards over the 5000 metres in Birmingham on 20 February I will decide whether or not I take part in the 3000 metres at the World Indoor Championships in Budapest. I may tackle both the (World xc champs) long and the short course races in Brussels but I have not decided my plans yet".
Lebid for his part said - "I was not in my best form today although I am happy with my final attack which enabled me to clinch the third place. Now I will focus on my next competitive outing in Villagarina next week.”
Hungarian’s front run, kills-off opposition early
Hungary's Aniko Kalovics was the outstanding winner in the women's race thanks to a splendid display of front running reminiscent of the tactic used by the British star Paula Radcliffe.
The 26-year-old Hungarian surged away in the first lap and led by 16 seconds over the 2001 and 2003 New York Marathon winner Margaret Okayo and the young Ethiopian Meselesh Melkamu, fourth in the junior race at the 2003 World cross, and Italy’s European Junior 5000m champion Silvia La Barbera.
Kalovics's tactic paid off. Her lead over Melkamu rose to more than 20 seconds and alloowed her to clinch a win which follows on from her bronze medal at the European Championships last month in Edinburgh.
Melkamu finished as runner-up twenty-two seconds ahead of Okayo. La Barbera, who remained on Okayo's heels for most of the race, earned an excellent fourth place.
"The course was not muddy today and this made my race easier,” said Kalovics. “Now I am a bit tired because I have not taken a rest since the European championships in Edinburgh. This is the reason why I will take some weeks off after my next competitive outing in Vallagarina next week, and I will probably skip the World Cross Country Championships in Brussels to focus entirely on the preparation for the 10,000 metres at the Athens Olympics.”
Okayo used the Campaccio as a test before the marathon season. "I found it difficult to run over such a short distance. Anyway it was a good race for me today. Now I will continue my preparation for next summer's Olympics near Brescia where I live for most of the year. I am not sure if I will tackle the London Marathon because I want to peak in Athens which is the greatest goal of my career", said Okayo.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
Results
48th edition of the Campaccio in San Giorgio su Legnano:
Men (12 km):
1 Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) 34:36
2 Patrick Ivuti (Kenya) 35:19
3 Sergiy Lebid (Ukraine) 35:30
4 Wilson Businei (Uganda) 35:30
5 Samuel Kamau (Kenya) 35:36
6 Giuliano Battocletti (Italy) 35:46
7 Martin Sulle (Tanzania) 35:52
8 Benyamin Kiprotich (Kenya) 36:09
Women (6 km):
1 Aniko Kalovics (Hungary) 20:42
2 Meselesh Melkamu (Ethiopia) 21:08
3 Margaret Okayo (Kenya) 21:30
4 Silvia La Barbera (Italy) 21:34
5 Silvia Weissteiner (Italy) 21:58
6 Bruna Genovese (Italy) 22:12
7 Angela Rinicella (Italy) 22:22
8 Ivana Iozzia (Italy) 22:29
Men short course (4 km):
1 Salvatore Vincenti (Italy) 11:18
2 Lorenzo Perrone (Italy) 11:19
3 Stefano Scaini (Italy) 11:26
