Tariku Bekele wins 2008 XC in Llodio, Spain (© José Montes)
The ‘27th Cross Internacional de Itálica’ which will be held in Santiponce (Seville) on Sunday (18) will arguably offer the most remarkable line-up so far this season.
The race is the fifth of the eleven IAAF Cross Country Permit Meetings of the 2008/2009 series before the 37th IAAF World Cross Country Championships be held in Amman, Jordan, on 28 March.
Men’s race: Abshero and Tariku Bekele top the bill
Even in the absence through injury of the reigning World Cross Country champion Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, the men’s field is worthy of a world champion contest as no less than five athletes from the Edinburgh 08 top-ten will be in contention on Sunday.
Heading the cast of the 10,800 event will be a tandem of men who might be regarded as main favourites in the guise of the Ethiopian pair of Tariku Bekele and Ayele Abshero.
Bekele, who will turn 22 next Wednesday (21) is the reigning World indoor 3000m champion, a feat he managed on the Spanish soil of Valencia. Also in 2008, he snatched a commanding win at the EA XC permit in Llodio (30 November) before recording a runner-up finish the following week at another EA race in Alcobendas.
More recently, Bekele took seventh at a New Year’s eve 15km race held in Luanda some 25 seconds (43:38/44:03) behind his fellow Ethiopian and World XC junior champion Ibrahim Jeilan, also on show here. Bekele had to settle for second two years ago in Seville only bettered by his older brother and should be eager to give one stride forward to take his first win at such a prestigious event.
But Bekele’s opposition will be more than stiff even counting only his compatriots as the in-form 18-year-old Abshero is fresh from a convincing 13-second victory last Sunday in Elgoibar from the Kenyan pair of Moses Mosop and Leonard Komon; the reigning (Komon) and 2007 (Mosop) world silver medallists have also been assembled so the full Elgoibar podium will clash again.
Reigning World indoor 3000m bronze medallist Abraham Feleke Cherkos and Imane Merga, the victor in Antrim (IAAF permit) last 3 January complete a quintet of quality Ethiopians on show.
But the powerful Kenyan squad will try to deny their arch-rival Ethiopians the top spot. Apart from Komon and Mosop, Bernard Kipyego, the 2007 World XC bronze medallist is also part of the star-studded field having finished eighth at last Saturday’s permit in Edinburgh and he will be accompanied by Gideon Ngatuny (7th at last Worlds) and Hosea Macharinyang, a creditable 6th, 5th and 11th at the last World XC championships.
The Eritrean challenge will be provided by former (2005) World Half Marathon bronze medallist Yonas Kifle and Teklemariam Medhi, the former having been fourth in Amorebieta (4 Jan) and ninth in Edinburgh (10 Jan) while the latter is fresh from a shock win at the Fuensalida XC permit last Sunday (11) when he beat his in-form countryman Samuel Tsegay, the Amorebieta victor.
The ‘defending champion’ Kipsiro was scheduled to compete last Sunday in Elgoibar but he will finally make his season’s cross country debut in Seville; The 22-year-old Ugandan is also the reigning World 5000m bronze medallist and more recently he came 13th at the XC Worlds in Edinburgh before narrowly missing a medal (4th) at the 5000m in the Beijing Olympics.
But the list of high calibre distance runners in the men’s field is nearly never ending. Qatar’s Felix Kibore, and Ahmed Abdullah – both were top-eight from last Worlds – will add further interest to Sunday’s contest and will be regarded as dangerous outsiders.
The European response to such an impressive bunch of top Africans should be led by the eight-time European champion Sergiy Lebid although a top-ten place should be a reasonable target for the 33-year-old Ukrainian, who was sandwiched in second between the Kenyans Eliud Kipchoge (winner) and Komon (3rd) in San Giorgio Su Legnano last 6 January before finishing 10th in Edinburgh.
France’s reigning Olympic 3000m steeplechase silver medallist Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad will make his winter opener while the Spanish hopes should rest on the 20-year-old Mohamed Elbendir, who came a surprise eighth in Elgoibar, one place ahead of Chema Martínez, also present here. Britain’s Scott Overall and Austria’s Günther Weidlinger will also take part.
Kibet-Kiplagat showdown – Women’s race
All eyes in the women’s 8000m event will be focused on a thrilling duel between the reigning European Cross Country champion, Hilda Kibet of The Netherlands and Kenya’s Florence Kiplagat.
The Kenyan-born Kibet clinched an unchallenged win at the Europeans in Brussels last 14 December and her last appearance came at a Half Marathon event in Egmond Aan Zee where the 27-year-old clocked 1:17:32 for second. Meanwhile, Kiplagat took an overwhelming victory in Elgoibar last Sunday ahead of Hungary’s Aniko Kalovics, also present in Seville.
Both favourites have reached fifth place at their best in the World cross country championships, Kiplagat in Mombasa 2007 and Kibet in Edinburgh 2008. In addition, Kenya strengthens its winning chances thanks to the line-up of Margaret Muriuki (eighth at last Worlds and winner at the Atapuerca permit last 9 November), Grace Momanyi, who is another top-ten from Edinburgh worlds and came third in Elgoibar last week and Pauline Korikwiang, a former (2006) World Junior 3000m silver medallist.
But Kibet won’t be the only European driving force on Sunday since Portugal’s current European silver medallist Jessica Augusto, Adriënne Herzog of The Netherlands (6th on that occasion in Brussels), France’s Sophie Duarte and Kalovics should all look for a top-ten position.
Watch out too for Ethiopia’s Zemzem Ahmed, who is the National record holder at the 3000m Steeplechase with a 9:17.85 clocking for seventh at the Olympics and recorded a fourth place in Elgoibar, Spain’s Diana Martín (5th on that occasion) and Eritrea’s Meraf Batha (6th in Amorebieta).
As usual in the city, Seville will enjoy a nice day on Sunday with the thermometer rising up to 17ºC.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
