Sara Moreira takes the win at the Elgoibar XC (© Alfambra Fundación ANOC)
5 June 2011Sara Moreira and Youssef El Kalai secured a double win for Portugal at the European Cup 10,000m in Oslo on Saturday (4).
Moreira, last year's European 5000m bronze medallist, clocked 31:39.11 to easily outdistance French Marathon record holder Christelle Daunay, who reached the line in 31:44.84. Moreira, 25, was well outside her 31:26.55 personal best set at this competition a year ago in Marseille, where she finished third. Daunay meanwhile improved her career best by more than two seconds, but fell 1.99 seconds shy of the French national record.
In the men's contest, El Kalai won by more than four seconds in 28:20.03, improving his own career best by more than 10 seconds. El Kalai, the European Cross County bronze medallist last December, pulled away from Spaniard Jose Manuel Martinez over the final lap to collect the comfortable victory. Martinez, twice a Cup winner and the 2002 European champion over the distance, settled for second, clocking 28:24.16.
In his first serious track outing in four years, Germany's Andre Pollmacher was third in 28:39.57.
Germany also took bronze in the women's contest, courtesy of Sabrina Mockenhaupt's 31:57.23. Helen Clitheroe of Great Britain, who raced to the European indoor 3000m title, finished fourth in her debut over the distance in 31:11.29.
With three men coming home in under 29 minutes - no other team managed the feat - Spain were the easy winners in the men's team contest, their seventh in 15 editions.
Italy, led by Nadia Ejjafini's fifth place finish, won the women's team race, beating Portugal by more than a minute with Belarus taking third for the second straight year.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
