News27 Nov 2003


Strong African challenge in Llodio

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Benjamin Limo wins the 2003 Soria Cross Country (© Luis Angel Tejedor Rubio)

After his narrow win last weekend in Soria, Kenya’s Benjamin Limo will battle to record his second victory in a row on Spanish soil in the ‘20th Cross Internacional Valle de Llodio’ - the second IAAF Cross Country Permit race of the 2003/04 season - to be held on Sunday 30 November.

However, Limo, who spends this week in London, will face stiff opposition including two sub 27:00 10,000m specialists in fellow countryman John Cheruiyot Korir and Qatar’s Abdullah Ahmad Hassan (formerly Kenya’s Albert Chepkurui). The latter of these runners is the third fastest man in the world this year with a 26:38.76 clocking in Brussels (personal best and a national record for his new country).

For his part, Korir came fifth at the Worlds in Paris over 10,000 (just behind Hassan) and holds an impressive 26:52.87 time for the distance. The 22-year-old Kenyan has had a fine 2003 season with brilliant performances over all surfaces. He placed 6th in the World Cross long race in Lausanne, 5th in the World 10,000m in Paris to finish, and most recently took fourth place at the World Half Marathon Championships in Vilamoura early in October in a PB of 61:02.

Tanzania’s Fabian Joseph, the World Half Marathon silver medallist last month in Vilamoura, stayed all the way in the leading group in the Soria cross country race last week, finally finishing third, just two seconds adrift of Limo and will be another man to watch.

The clash between Limo, Hassan, Korir and Joseph promises to be full of excitement but there are other athletes who should not be discounted.

Among them we should underline the presence of Spaniard Juan Carlos de la Ossa. He turned 27 on Tuesday and is in the form of his life.  In his first of two cross country outings earlier in November he first beat Kenya’s David Chemweno (who will also run this Sunday) in Torredonjimeno on 6 November, and secondly his compatriot José Manuel Martínez the 10,000m European champion in Quintanar on 23 November. De la Ossa is a newcomer to the distance’s elite, having made a big breakthrough last summer by finishing 9th in the 5000m at the World Championships in Paris.

After his disappointing performance in the Oeiras race two weeks ago, Portugal’s four time European Cross Country champion Paulo Guerra will wish to prove his form is returning and that his ninth place in Soria was no fluke. Countrymen Eduardo Henriques and Ricardo Ribas will also be in contention alongside Morocco’s Hicham Chatt (8th long race, Lausanne), Italy’s Maurizio Leone.

There is also a large group of high quality Spanish athletes bidding for a spot in the European championships team (Edinburgh, 14 Dec 2003). These include: José Manuel Martínez, a surprising Iván Hierro (6th in Soria), Jesús España, a former (1995) European Cross Country silver medallist like Alejandro Gómez, still performing at 36, and 3000m steeplechase star Antonio Jiménez. 

Denboba heads equally impressive foreign line-up in women's race

On the women’s side Ethiopia’s Merima Denboba will again take the role of hottest favourite in what could be her third straight victory following recent wins in Oeiras and Soria. She also aims for a  third win here in Llodio having previously been the winner back in 1998 and 2000.

The Ethiopian's toughest opposition should come from Alla Zhilyayeva. The Russian, 34, accomplished a noteworthy 5th place in the IAAF World Championships 10,000m final, lowering her PB to 30:23.07. Also a 2:27 marathoner, she took part at the last World Cross Country in the short course race where she came eighth.

The line-up also comprises two top ten runners from this year’s Lausanne World Championships the Kenyans Magdaline Chemjor (5th) and Elizabeth Rumokol (7th). There is also the Portuguese pair of Ines Monteiro and Monica Rosa, and Britain’s Liz Yelling and Nebiat Habtemariam of Eritrea, while 2001 winner Alessandra Aguilar seems to be Spanish main threat against such high-calibre foreign field.

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