Berhane Hirpassa - winner of the women's 1500m at 2006 Ethiopian Champs (© Nahom Tesfaye)
Ethiopia's top 1500m runner Mestawot Tadesse suffered a shock defeat in the second day of the 27th Ethiopian Athletics Championships in Addis Ababa (3 - 7 May 2006).
The 22-year old, who had failed to qualify for the finals at the World Championships in Helsinki last year, was beaten by Berhane Hirpassa, who was the fastest qualifier in the heats yesterday.
A very competitive race got off very slowly as the field of twelve runners settled into a pedestrian pace set early on, with Makeda Haroun the first to hit the front.
With lots of pushing and shoving, Frehiwot Goshu became the first casualty when she was tripped with two laps to go. Uncomfortable with running behind the pacesetters, prisons club runner Zeytuna Arebo upped the pace taking a leading group of eight runners with her for the final lap.
Arebo's industrious effort to shake of the rest of the pack was in vain, however, as she was caught with 200m to go by Hirpassa and Tadesse. As the crowd rose to its feet, Hirpassa prevailed in a slow time of 4:29.46, thirty-six hundredths of a second faster than Tadesse with Arebo holding on for third.
"I expected to medal in this race but not to win it," said Hirpassa after the race. "I have been out of action for more than a year with waist injury and it is great to comeback."
Hirpassa, has a personal best of 4:07.40 and hopes to juggle longer distances like the 3000m and 5000m along with the 1500m for the track season.
In other major race this morning, Emebet Tilahun improved her own national triple record from 11.81m to 11.99m, as she won the event for the third year running.
Elshadai Negash for the IAAF
27th Ethiopian Athletics Championships - Day II
Results
Men
400m
Habtamu Abeje (Omedla) 46.20
Zemenu Kassa (Defense) 47.28
Endale Lidamo (Defense) 47.65
20km race walk
Cherenet Makore (Defense) 1:25:28
Deju Sori (Prisons) 1:26:55
Yohannes Yaka (Defense) 1:27:09
Women
400m
Abebe Megersa (Prisons) 56.12
Mulu Deriba (Prisons) 56.89
Netsanet Getu (National) 57.53
1500m
Berhane Hirpassa (Muger Cement) 4:29.46
Mestawot Tadesse (Ethiopian Banks) 4:29.82
Zeytuna Arebo (Prisons) 4:30.01
Discus Throw
Zewdenesh Beshah (Prisons) 34.25m
Mersit Gebregziabher (Ethiopian Banks) 31.97m
Frehiwot Kebede (Prisons) 31.91m
Triple Jump
Emebet Tilahun (Ethiopian Banks) 11.99m
Weyneshet Eka (Ethiopian Banks) 10.99m
Zeyba Zeyne (Defense) 10.93m
10km Race Walk
Asnakech Ararso (Prisons) 52:17
Bekashegne Aynalem (Defense) 52:34
Desu Baldera (Prisons) 53:10
