Sergiy Lebid (UKR) wins the 2002 European Cross Country title (© Athletics Images)
Ukraine’s Sergiy Lebid the winner of last December's European Championship, takes his excellent cross country form to Northern Ireland for the latest IAAF permit cross country meeting in Belfast, on Saturday 11 January 2003.
The Ukrainian, who took the European title for the third time in Medulin, Croatia last month, arrives in Belfast full of confidence having added another victory on Monday when he won the Campaccio cross country near Milan, Italy.
In Italy, Lebid defeated one of the main rivals he will also face in Belfast, reigning World 5000m champion Richard Limo, by 46 seconds (the Kenyan placed seventh). The Ukrainian also has the confidence of knowing that double World Cross Country Champion Kenenisa Bekele who ran away from him in Brussels just before Christmas, will be competing in Spain this weekend,.
The onus will be on the remaining Africans in the field to set a fast pace, as Lebid tends to be so strong on the final lap he will take a lot of beating if he is still in contention at that stage.
Portugal's World indoor 1500m champion Rui Silva is another possessing the speed if it comes down to a sprint finish, but can he really stay with Lebid, who has set himself the target of gaining a medal at this year’s world cross country championships in Lausanne?
Also challenging Lebid will be World junior 5000m champion Gebre-egziable Gebremariam, the latest in the long production line of outstanding Ethiopian running talents. The youngster, who Lebid beat by just two seconds in Italy on Monday, also took the World junior cross country title in Dublin last year, despite running much of the race with just one shoe.
Kenyans Boniface Kiprop and Fabian Joseph have also proved their form lately, finishing third and fourth respectively in the Brussels cross country. Daniel Gachara has valuable experience of the course having won two years ago in a sprint finish (beating Joseph Riri by one second), and then finishing second (by two seconds) to Julius Kibet 12 months ago. He also finished sixth in the 4km race when Belfast staged the 1999 World Cross Country Championships.
British interest includes the surprise Commonwealth 1500m champion Michael East, while Ben Noad will hope to further strengthen his position in the domestic Reebok Cross Challenge series against the likes of Spencer Barden and Rob Birchall.
Werknesh Kidane is a late addition to the women’s field. The Ethiopian World short course silver medallist and her compatriot Eyersalem Kuma will be among the favourites. Kidane, runner-up to Edith Masai in Newcastle on Saturday, took the World Junior title in Belfast three years ago, and has developed into a talented senior, finishing second in the 4km in Dublin last winter – again to Masai.
A former holder of the world 10 miles best Colleen de Reurk, was on the podium in the long race in Dublin, and returns to Belfast's Stormont course tomorrow hoping to go one better than she did last year. The former South African, now competing for the USA, was second to Esther Kiplagat and was also third in 1999.
Kenya’s Selina Kosgei has already tasted success in Britain, winning the Commonwealth 10,000m title in Manchester last summer, so she will be used to wet conditions.
Three reigning national cross country champions are also in action tomorrow, Italy’s Rosanna Martin, Hungary’s Simone Staicu, and England’s Liz Yelling who is hoping to continue her excellent record in the domestic Reebok Cross Challenge series.
Until two months ago, every race in the challenge for the last three years had been won by either Yelling or her sister-in-law Hayley, but the pair were recovering from colds at the British trials in November and were beaten not only by Hungarian Aniko Kalovics but also fellow Briton Hayley Tullett.
Welsh star Tullett, coached by former Olympic steeplechase bronze medallist Mark Rowland, went on to impress with her fifth place in the European Cross Country Championships and to win the last challenge meeting in Edinburgh. She will again face the Yellings in Belfast for what should be an intriguing domestic battle.
Irish hopes lie with Anne Keenan-Buckley and Maria McCanbridge, fourth and fifth respectively in Newcastle last weekend. Kenyan Mariam Wangari was behind them that day, running in borrowed kit after her luggage failed to arrive with her in the UK after an overnight flight from Nairobi via Amsterdam. She will hope to fare better in Belfast.
Bob Frank for the IAAF
