Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) wins the men's short course race (© Getty Images)
Kenenisa Bekele, the World and Olympic 10,000m champion has confirmed his entry for the 25th Cross Internacional de Venta de Baños (Spain) which will take place this Sunday 19 December.
Flying from his native Ethiopia, Bekele will make his first competitive appearance this winter season. The three-time double World Cross Country champion will arrive in Madrid on Saturday and travel to Venta de Baños (140 miles away) by car.
“We celebrate our silver jubilee this year and there is nothing better than Kenenisa Bekele’s participation to commemorate it,” said a very proud Miguel Alfambra, the race organiser, yesterday.
In addition to his third World Cross short and long course double , Bekele had a marvellous 2004 track season as he set a World Indoor 5000m record (12:49.60), and then outdoors established 5000 (12:37.35) and 10,000m (26:20.31) World records, before capturing the Olympic 10,000m title and a silver medal at 5000m on the heels of Hicham El Guerrouj’s victory.
Sunday’s will mark Bekele’s first appearance on Spanish soil since last 18 January when he took a commanding win at the Cross Internacional de Itálica, IAAF Permit race.
Bekele will try to keep the Ethiopian dominance in Venta de Baños following Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Sileshi Sihine’s double win in 2002 and 2003.
With every efforts focused on Bekele’s signing there won’t be other top Africans to threaten his likely victory on Sunday and so his stiffest opposition could come from Spain’s Juan Carlos de la Ossa fresh from his European Cross silver medal last week in Heringsdorf (Germany).
The main danger for De la Ossa’s theoretical runner-up place should be Britain’s Karl Keska who came seventh in Heringsdorf and led the UK team to a bronze medal at the European Championships just ahead the Spanish squad.
The local pair of 10,000m European champions José Manuel Martínez and Ricardo Serrano will also be in contention alongside European indoor 1500m silver medallist Juan Carlos Higuero.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
