Joseph Ebuya on his way to winning the World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz (© Getty Images)
Joseph Ebuya’s emphatic victory in last weekend’s 10 Miles race in Portsmouth, England, has signalled that the World Cross Country champion is back on course to defend his title when the 39th edition of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships are held in Punta Umbria, Spain on 20 March 2011.
Ebuya, 23, produced a dominating performance in a world season leading time (45:16) for 10 Miles, which did a lot to dispel disappointment that the king of this year’s cross country season wasn’t able to translate his best form to this year’s main European track season.
Back in early January on a snow covered course in Edinburgh, the then relatively unheralded Ebuya took a memorable cross country victory over Kenenisa Bekele by thirty-six seconds to take the 9km distance IAAF Permit race in the Scottish capital.
Ebuya followed that victory with third place over 12km in the Kenyan championships in Nairobi in late February to earn his selection for the World XC in Poland, and went on to become part of his country’s memorable sweep of the 8 titles (four individual and four team) at those championships. Most significantly, Ebuya brought the individual men’s (long course) title back to his country for the first time since Paul Tergat’s success in Belfast 1999.
Given such a tremendous season across the country, that Ebuya’s 2010 track season ended with a 5000m best of 13:11.09, a 10th place finish in the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Gateshead in July, was undeniably disappointing especially as his personal best stands at 12:51.00 (2007).
So Ebuya’s return to form last weekend during which he struck a huge 40 seconds off the fastest time ever run for 10 Miles on British soil - 45:56 seconds which Kenyan Benson Masya had achieved 15 years ago - must have given him a great boost.
"I don't want to talk about whether I could have run under 45 minutes if there had been more competition. I prepared well for this race and I'm really pleased that I did win. Now I want to go back home to get Kenya and get ready for the cross country,” said the Nyahurunu-born Ebuya.
The Sammy Rono and Ricky Simms coached athlete, who took the 2006 World Junior 10,000m silver and 5000m bronze medals, shares his time between Kaptagat in Kenya and Teddington, London during the summer season, and will be hopeful that his Portsmouth performance really does put his World XC title defence hopes back on target.
It has been rumoured but not yet confirmed that he will be a starter in the opening IAAF XC permit meeting of the season in Spain on 7 November.
Chris Turner for the IAAF
