Chepkurui celebrates Amorebieta win (© J. Rubianes)
Amorebieta, SpainAlbert Chepkurui took a thrilling sprint victory in the ‘49th Cross Internacional Zornotza’ EAA Permit yesterday. The meet featured such a classy line-up that the winner had to defeat both silver medallists from the last World Cross Country Championships, John Yuda (long race) and Luke Kipkosgei (short). The 21-year-old Kenyan won by such a narrow margin that just one second covered the first three at the end. Remarkably, not less than five African countries were represented among the top six places but Kenya prevailed ahead of Tanzania, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Uganda.
As the Cross Country season develops Chepkurui, who smashed his PB at 10,000m with a 26:50.67 clocking last summer in Bruxelles, seems to progress steadily in his form aiming for the World Cross Country Champs, to be held in Lausanne (Switzerland) next March (29-30). Meanwhile, John Yuda’s battle against the Kenyans remains fruitless as the Tanzanian has already been runner-up twice so far this season, to Kamathi in Llodio (with Chepkurui third) and to Chepkurui yesterday.
Held in cold weather (around 6º C) the race had a hesitant start but soon got faster with the African armada setting the early pace. By the 4th kilometre only six men stayed in contention: Chepkurui, Yuda, Tadesse Zerisenay (ERI), Fabian Joseph (TAN) and two promising athletes World Junior XC silver medallist Uganda’s Boniface Kiprop and Ethiopia’s Abebe Dinkessa, 9th in Dublin. There were not significant changes until the 7000m point when Dinkessa, who had just tried unssuccesfully to pull away from the main group, lost his right shoe. He put it on again quickly, but within those few seconds the leading group had put 50m between themselves and the young Ethiopian. Far from surrendering Dinkessa started an impressive pursuit and finally caught them 900m later to the astonishment of the spectators.
At the bell (it was a 5-loop race) Kiprop and Joseph made most of the running tracked by Yuda and Dinkessa who, after a brief break, tried again to storm away but to no avail. With 700m remaining Yuda made his move but was closely followed by Chepkurui, Zerisenay and the tireless Dinkessa. Entering the final straight it was Yuda, Zerisenay and Chepkurui who fought it out for the lead and was the latter who finally succeeded with a 32:18 clocking while Yuda and Zerisenay were given the same time one second behind.
1994 European Marathon bronze medallist Spain’s Alberto Juzdado was the strongest non-African taking 8th place; at the age of 36 he is still bidding to improve his PB of 2:08:01 when winning the 1998 Tokyo Marathon.
“The race was OK, I liked it so much despite it was a little bit cold” declared a delighted Chepkurui, who added: “Last year I didn’t run well (he came 12th) and then I said to myself: ‘next year I will come back to win’.” Asked about his target for the Worlds in March a confident Chepkurui concluded: “I placed 6th (long race) in 2002 and I hope to make the top three in Lausanne”.
On the women’s side the field included two of the first five from last year’s World Championships’ long race: American (South African-born) Colleen de Reuck (3rd) and Ethiopian Eyerusalem Kuma (5th) but it was her compatriot Teyeba Erkesso (10th in Dublin) who captured an overwhelming victory setting a terrifically fast pace from the gun. The 20-year-old Erkesso made the running, taking herself, Kuma and Kenya’s Priscah Jepleting into a 30m lead over de Reuck and Tanzania’s Hawa Hussein by the second kilometre.
The key moment came just before halfway when no-one could live with Erkesso’s pace. With two kilometres to go she had already built a 40m lead over Kuma and Jepleting while de Reuck, who will turn 39 in April, ran another 20m adrift. In the final loop Erkesso stretched her winning margin and there was a dramatic battle for the minor places as de Reuck looked to be gaining on the African pair and finally managed to catch both.
Erkesso romped home 13 seconds clear of Jepleting who dropped de Reuck in the closing stages as Kuma fell back. Spain’s Iris Fuentes-Pila overhauled Hussein over the last lap to complete a classy top five (just five days after clocking 32:20 at 10,000 in Madrid on road only seven seconds behind 5000 European champion Marta Domínguez). Former 1500 World Champion Portugal’s Carla Sacramento faded to 12th in Amorebieta.
Results
Men (10,700m course)
1 Albert Chepkurui (KEN) 32:18
2 John Yuda (TAN) 32:19
3 Tadesse Zerisenay (ERI) 32:19
4 Fabian Joseph (TAN) 32:20
5 Abebe Dinkessa (ETH) 32:22
6 Boniface Kiprop (UGA) 32:37
7 Luke Kipkosgei (KEN) 32:49
8 Alberto Juzdado (ESP) 33:26
9 Iván Galán (ESP) 33:30
10 Mark Bett (KEN) 33:45
Women (6700m course)
1 Teyeba Erkesso (ETH) 22:43
2 Priscah Jepleting (KEN) 22:56
3 Colleen de Reuck (USA) 22:58
4 Eyerusalem Kuma (ETH) 23:02
5 Iris Fuentes-Pila (ESP) 23:16
6 Hawa Hussein (TAN) 23:20
7 Jane Omoro (KEN) 23:21
8 Analía Rosa (POR) 23:38
9 Rocío Ríos (ESP) 23:44
10 Vanessa Veiga (ESP) 23:57
