Dathan Ritzenhein of the US wins the Belfast Cross Country (© Mark Shearman)
African dominance at the International Cross Country was ended when American Dathan Ritzenhein made a successful long kick for home.
His victory was so different to the only other non-African to have won on the Stormont course, Sergiy Lebid having out-sprinted a Kenyan challenge in 2003.
Otherwise Africans have won the race every year since the event moved to Stormont in 1999 and their winning run also stretched back 1992 on the more exposed and testing Mallusk course.
Big kick in lap two opens decisive gap
Twelve wins in 13 years was widely expected to become 13 in 14, but Ritzenhein had other ideas and put in a big kick on the second of five laps to open a sizeable lead. He later claimed the pace had been too slow and that, with a lack of speedwork under his belt, he did not want the race to come down to a last lap sprint.
So, having shared the pace with Britain's Gavin Thompson during the opening circuit, he put in a surge that left the Africans trailing in his wake, although with three 1800m laps still to go and the Kenyans working together there was still a feeling they could reel him in.
But someone forgot to mention that to the positive-thinking American youngster, who showed no fear of being hunted down and with chants of "USA, USA," coming from the Irish crowd he continued to flat across the muddy conditions.
Bronze in Ostend’s World Junior race
Two days of solid rain had left the course a true cross country route, but then again Ostend was a quagmire when the American first made a big impression when he took bronze at the 2001 World Cross Country Championships junior race - the USA's first medal for 20 years.
Now, having run 27:38 for 10,000m last year in Stanford, Ritzenhein is dreaming of two things in 2005 - challenging the Africans at the 12km race of the World Cross-Country Championships and making a bid for the US 10,000m record.
He said: "I felt awesome, so strong, People kept shouting out the lead to me, and it would vary from 50 to 150 yards, but it never got close enough to have me too worried.
"I really like the course, with some hills and mud - not like some cross-country courses you get. And the fact I've raced the Kenyans before meant I was not worried about taking the pace on so early in the race - I'd have been more worried if I'd left it later considering we were going so slowly early on."
Four Kenyans finish second to fifth!
The winning gap at the line was eight seconds as Ernest Meli Kimeli held off Barnabas Koesgei, while Luke Kipkosgei and Hillary Chenonge were next to finish. Mo Farah led the British challenge in sixth.
While Ritzenhein was the star of the men's race, another American-born athlete was a talking point in the women's race. Jolene Byrne, now an Irish citizen, took the race to the Africans and led for much of the way before finishing fifth.
Kidane takes women’s race by one second
Having led for the first half, the quartet of Etalemahu Kidane, Merima Denboba, Meselech Melkamu and Workitu Ayana pulled away only for the Irish star to work her way back into the lead.
Again the Ethiopians found another gear and it came down to a sprint finish as just one second separated the first three. Kidane got the verdict by one second with Denboba and Melkamu been awarded equal second place.
Unlike the men's event, African women haven't enjoyed such a good record at Belfast over the years and Kidane became only the third to win at Stormont. The 21-year-old African 5000m champion, a bronze medallist at the 2000 World Cross-Country Championships junior race, was nevertheless delighted to beat the more experienced Denboba.
Bob Frank for the IAAF
Results
Men (9,810m)
1 Dathan Ritzenhein (USA) 29:26
2 Ernest Meli Kimeli (KEN) 29:34
3 Barnabas Kosgei (KEN) 29:35
4 Luke Kipkosgei (KEN) 29:43
5 Hillary Chenonge (KEN) 30:02
6 Mo Farah (GBR) 30:04
7 Claes Nyberg (SWE) 30:19
8 Gavin Thompson (GBR) 30:25
Women (5,930m)
1 Etalemahu Kidane (ETH) 20:26
2= Merima Denboba (ETH) 20:27
2= Meselech Melkamu (ETH) 20:27
4 Workitu Ayanu (ETH) 20:34
5 Jolene Byrne (IRL) 20:44
6 Freya Murray (GBR) 21:03
7 Helen Lawrence (GBR) 21:09
8 Sara Stevenson (GBR) 21:10
