Local favourites Giuliano Battocletti and Renate Rungger won the Italian cross country titles on an interesting but demanding course of Vallagarina near Rovereto, Italy (11 March).
The Northern Italian town celebrated the 30th edition of its local cross country race which played host to the Italian cross country Championships.
Battocletti and Gianmarco Buttazzo took the early initiative in the first laps ahead of ten-men group. Former World junior 5000 metres bronze medallist Battocletti went to the lead with three laps to go with marathon specialist Ruggero Pertile, Gabriele De Nard, Giammarco Buttazzo and european junior cross country champion Andrea Lalli.
A leading trio formed by Battocletti, Pertile and De Nard opened up a solid gap. Battocletti upped the pace pulling away from Pertile and De Nard after halfway. With one lap and a half to go De Nard tried to close the gap on Battocletti whose first place was never under threat. Some metres behind Lalli, who is competing in his first season as a senior, showed his potential when he caught up Pertile over a challenging uphill section of the 10.2km course and went on to take a well-deserved third place behind experienced cross country specialists Battocletti and De Nard.
Battocletti clinched the third Italian title of his career after 2003 and 2004 crossing the finish-line in 30:44. Runner-up De Nard won the overall Fidal Grand Prix Ranking.
The women' s 7.8 km race featured a battle between Fatna Maraoui, Renate Rungger, Silvia Sommaggio, Sara Dossena and italian 3000 metres steeplechase record holder Elena Romagnolo.
Maraoui, who led the Fidal Grand Prix before the Vallagarina, went to the front and remained in the lead until two laps to go when Rungger closed the gap. In the penultimate lap Rungger pushed the pace overhauling Maraoui who faded dramatically to fifth place behind Sommaggio, Romagnolo and Dossena.
After the bell Rungger increased her lead over Sommaggio by about 18 seconds and went on to take the national cross country title in 27:06. Maraoui, who won three legs of the 2007 italian Grand Prix in Volpiano, Rome and Lanciano during the winter, defended her first place in the overall women’s leaderboard.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
Results
Men (10.2 km):
1 Giuliano Battocletti 30:44
2 Gabriele De Nard 30:50
3 Andrea Lalli 30:54
4 Ruggero Pertile 31:01
5 Gianmarco Buttazzo 31:13
Women (7.8 km):
1 Renate Rungger 27:07
2 Silvia Sommaggio 27:19
3 Elena Romagnolo 27:23
4 Sara Dossena 27:31
5 Fatna Maraoui 27:52
