Aniko Kalovics (HUN) on her way to the win at the Campaccio 2004 race (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
Ukraine's quadruple European Cross Country champion Sergiy Lebid and the Hungary's Aniko Kalovics, the women's European bronze medallist and winner at the Campaccio race last Saturday, will be the stars of the 27th edition of the Vallagarina cross country race near the northern italian town of Rovereto on Sunday 18 January.
Kalovics who has a 10,000m track best of 31:40.31, is fast emerging as one of Europe's top women's distance running talents. Since finishing 20th at the World Championships 10,000m in Paris, the 26 year-old has enjoyed a very successful winter season across the country.
Her persistent front running tactics brought her a sensational victory at Campaccio last Saturday, and this weekend she will battle against Uganda's Dorcus Inzikuru, who is the defending Vallagarina champion.
Inzikuru was the 2000 World Junior 5000m champion and finished fourth in the 5000 metres at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Last summer Inzikuru set the African record in the 3000 metres steeplechase with 9:39.51 in Ostrava.
The women's line-up also features the Kenyan Rita Jeptoo, winner at the Vallagarina in 2002, the Hungarian Livia Toth, and the Italians Silvia Weissteiner and Anna Carmela Incerti, who was third in the 10,000 metres at the World Students Games in Daegu last summer and took the Italian marathon title in Florence in November.
Lebid looks to regain the winning touch
Lebid, who won this race last year, took third place in San Giorgio su Legnano last Saturday, where he edged out the surprising Wilson Businei from Uganda in a breathtaking photo-finish.
Lebid who will clash against Businei in Vallagarina, will be keen to end a run of loses over the country since he won his fourth European title last December. As well as last week's third place the Ukrainian has finished second in Brussels to (Tergat) and fifth in Amorebieta (behind Kiprop), though he did take a convincing win on the roads in Bolzano at New Year.
Other main contenders in the men's race are Benjamin Kiprotich Korir, third in Bolzano, and Lebid's compatriot Valyl Matvichuk, 2001 European junior cross country champion.
Italy will be represented by Giuliano Battocletti, sixth at Campaccio, and the 36-year-old Umberto Pusterla, who finished ninth at the European Championships in Edinburgh contributing to Italy's fourth place in the team ranking. Pusterla scored a good fourth place at last week's cross country race in Belfast.
Among past winners in Vallagarina are the former 3000 metres Steeplechase World champion Francesco Panetta (four times in 1987, 1989, 1990 and 1993), the 1988 Olympic Marathon champion Gelindo Bordin (1985), the former 3000 metres Steeplechase World champion and World record holder Wilson Boit Kipketer (1999). Of the leading women's winners there is of course Italy's Gabriella Dorio, Olympic champion in the 1500 metres in Los Angeles 1984, who won in Vallagarina in 1983.
