Kidane and Gebremariam show off their prizes at the 2004 Tigrai (© Negash)
World Cross Country Championships double silver medallist Gebregziabher Gebremariam won yesterday's men’s race in the 2004 Siemens Tigrai Run (10km).
World 10,000m track silver medallist Werkinesh Kidane was the overwhelming winner in the women’s race.
Both runners, who originate from the Mekelle region which is 780km outside Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, took advantage of the absence of the country’s other top athletes in the 10km race, which attracted 5000 runners, the largest ever registered outside Addis Ababa.
While most of Ethiopia’s World Cross medal winners flew to San Diego, USA both Kidane and Gebremariam stayed in Ethiopia to take part in the event and give something back to their birth region.
Gebremariam, who followed Kenenisa Bekele home to take two second place finishes in the 32nd IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Brussels last weekend, dominated the men’s race and won in a reasonable 30:37.68, a massive one minute and four seconds ahead of little-known Degu Hagos, with the almost identically named Gebregziabger Gebremariam coming in third.
It was another example of Gebremariam’s continuing progress in the last three years since he was discovered in the Tigrai local championships where he won the 10,000m race and finished second in the 5000m.
In the women’s race, Werkinesh Kidane bounced from her third and fourth place finishes in the long and short course races in Brussels to win today with Goitetom Habtu and Te’ame Shumye occupying the other top places.
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The 2004 Siemens Tigrai Run was organized by the Great Ethiopian Run organization, which annually organizes an international elite athlete race in the capital Addis Ababa.
The race in Mekelle is part of the organization’s efforts to promote mass participation races across Ethiopia with similar races scheduled in other cities of the country in the coming years.
2004 Siemens Tigrai Run Official Results
Men
1. Gebregziabher Gebremariam 30:37.68
2. Degu Hagos 31:42.16
3. Gebregziabher Teklai 32:25.85
4. Estifanos Eshetu 32:26.56
5. Gelai Gebrehiwot 32:27.64
Women
1. Werkinesh Kidane 34:38.16
2. Goitatom Habtu 36:03.05
3. Te'ame Shumeye 37:06.53
4. Ehetu Kiros 38:12.39
5. Mulu Abreha 38:44.87