Tirunesh Dibaba running in the national ekiden relay in Awassa carries the red Tasuki on her arm (© Elshadai Negash)
Ethiopia’s reigning World 5000m and 10,000m champion Tirunesh Dibaba helped her club ‘Prisons Police’ to an emphatic victory in the 10th Ethiopian Marathon Relay Championships in Awassa, 273kms south of Addis Ababa on Sunday (14).
There was a big surprise in the men’s race as a young ‘Saint George’ team stormed to victory ahead of Tariku Bekele’s ‘Muger Cement Sports club’ side.
WOMEN - Dibaba chases down Kiros’ EEPCO
The performance of the day undoubtedly came from Ethiopia’s 2006 World Cross Country long race champion Tirunesh Dibaba whose efforts helped her club Prisons Police to regain the women’s title after two years.
Dibaba’s younger sister Genzebe Dibaba of Muger Cement was the first to handover her Tasuki (based on the Japanese Ekiden tradition a “Tasuki”, traditionally a cord for holding up sleeves of komono, is passed from one runner to the next) at the first exchange after 5km. Until then, there was little to separate the runners from the seven clubs that started the race.
But Ahaza Kiros, second in the 2006 Ethiopian championships over 10,000m, powered forward for the EEPCO team and opened up a 30m gap on Prisons’ next leg runner Ashu Kasim. Kiros took sole control of the race at the midway point of her 10km relay leg and looked to have handed club mate Wude Ayalew a comfortable lead for the following 5km third leg.
Ayalew did well to extend her club’s grip on the race in the third leg, but it was Dibaba’s performance that really caught the eye in the fourth leg. Her club mates Kasim and Radia Adlo had faltered under EEPCO’s dominant performance, falling from a respectable second to fourth position, more than a minute behind at the third exchange.
Starting from fourth place when receiving the tasuki, Dibaba desperately chased down the runners from the teams of EEPCO, Ethiopian Banks, and Muger Cement. By the end of her leg, she had slashed her team’s deficit to twenty seconds, advancing her team from fourth to second in the process.
Dibaba’s club mate Makeda Haroun then did the remaining work by catching EEPCO’s Bertukan Adamu two kilometres into the fifth leg, and then building a healthy lead which she handed over to the final leg runner, Teyiba Erkesso, the 2004 World Cross Country bronze medallist. Erkesso in turn increased Prisons Police’s lead winning the race by fifty-five seconds ahead of EEPCO, with Ethiopian Banks ultimately edging Muger Cement for third place.
“It was a difficult race because I was running to catch the rest,” said a satisfied Dibaba. “It makes me happy to win the relay title for my club. It was a team effort and we are all delighted.”
MEN - St. George surprise Prisons
Prisons looked the favourites to complete the double when the men’s race begun half-an-hour after Erkesso had led their club to victory in the women’s race.
Yaecob Jarso, Gebo Burka and Dejene Berhanu did well to build a strong lead for Prisons Police in the opening three legs (5kms, 10kms, and 5kms) of the men’s race, and when Abebe Dinkessa, two-time Ethiopian cross country long course champion, took the tasuki from Berhanu at the third exchange, they looked well on course for victory.
However, that was before a surprise performance from Demesew Tsega flung the race on its head. Running for the Saint George club, Tsega drew level with a tiring Dinkessa at the 7km point in the fourth 10km leg and then built an assailable lead before handing over to Solomon Tsege, who was second in the Ethiopian 20km championships this year.
Though the team’s healthy lead diminished Solomon Tsege still handed over the tasuki to Lishan Yegezu for the final 7.195km leg of the race in the lead.
Meanwhile, World Junior 5000m champion Tariku Bekele was given the impossible task of rescuing Muger Cement when Ibrahim Jeylan fourth at the end of the 5km fifth leg, handed him the tasuki for the final leg.
Yet the younger Bekele, who had finished a close second in the Amorebeita cross country race in Spain the previous weekend, did not look at all pressured when he gave chase. Two kilometres into the race, he first caught Alemu Terfe and then Reggae Deresse of Defense club, before launching a desperate final kick to catch Yegezu.
Yegezu nervously gazed backwards several times to make sure he was still clear but he held on to complete a memorable victory for St. George, while Tariku Bekele did well to evade the challenge of Deresse to finish second for Muger Cement.
“I never thought I could beat Abebe (Dinkessa) like that,” said a delighted Demesew Tsega after the race. “I had hoped only to minimize the lead, but when I drew level with him, I knew that he had tired.”
“I was nervous when I knew Tariku (Bekele) was closing me down,” said Lishan Yegezu. “But I am happy that I held on because everyone knows that he is a very good runner. It is a great title to win for St. George.”
Elshadai Negash for the IAAF
10th Ethiopian Marathon Relay Championships in Awassa
RESULTS
Women's Teams
1. Prisons Police 2:25.53
2. EEPCO 2:26.49
3. Ethiopian Banks 2:27.22
Men's Teams
1. St. George
2. Muger Cement
3. Defence
