Ethiopian Championships, Day Four

Olympic 5000m champion Meseret Defar signalled an early warning to her track rivals with a clinically taken 5000m win on Day four (6 May) of the 27th Ethiopian Athletics Championships in Addis Ababa (3 – 7 May 2006).

The other highlight was Mestawot Tadesse taking revenge against Berhane Herpassa after her defeat by her in the 1500m on Day two, by winning today's women’s 800m.

Easy win for Defar in the 5000m

Defar, who is also the double World Indoor 3000m champion, ran a superb tactical race to win the 5000m in a time of 15:42.06, only two seconds behind Gelete Burka’s Addis Ababa stadium record time set in the corresponding meet last year.

The field was a strong one, as apart from Defar, it included Olympic 10,000m silver medalist Ejegayehou Dibaba, double World Cross Country bronze medallist Meselech Melkamu and Ethiopian Junior Cross champion Werkitu Ayanu. 

The race got off to an explosive start and in the striving for position Dibaba tripped and fell, though she quickly rejoined the race.

Ayanu did much of the early running leading the field through the first four laps as the starting field of fifteen dwindle down to eight. With six laps to go, Defar and Melkamu exchanged the lead between themselves setting a punishing pace that claimed three further casualties.

With five laps of the race to go, the pack was down to four athletes with Defar leading E. Dibaba, Melkamu, and Ayanu to set up an exciting finish. E. Dibaba was the first to fall back with three laps to go, then went Ayanu, leaving Defar and Melkamiu to fight it off for the win.

With a 59.3 second finishing lap, Defar took the victory, the first Ethiopian 5000m domestic title of her career. Melkamu continued her outstanding season with second place, while Ayanu did extremely well to hold off E. Dibaba who was edged out of the top three.

“I barely finished the race,” said Defar after the race. “I had stomach pains with five laps to go.”

Tadesse’s revenge in the 800m

The women’s 800m witnessed a rematch between Berhane Hirpassa and Mestawot Tadesse who she had beaten in the 1500m.

In a closely-fought encounter, Tadesse hit the front in the race with less than half a lap elapsed and never relinquished a slender lead crossing the finish line in 2:04.57 ten-hundredths ahead of Hirpassa.

“I knew what I was doing when I went to the front early on,” said Tadesse. “I have learnt my mistake from the indoor. I over raced in the indoor season and that was why I couldn’t get past the first round.”

In the other races held on Day four, Defense club runner Ubang Abaya completed his fourth successful 110m/400m hurdles double with a hard-fought victory in the latter. Kumsa Adugna was a run-away winner of the men’s 800m.

Elshadai Negash for the IAAF

 

27th Ethiopian Athletics Championships Day Four

Results

Women

800m
1. Mestawot Tadesse (Ethiopian Banks) 2:04.57
2. Berhane Hirpassa (Muger Cement) 2:05.07
3. Gezashign Hunduma (Ethiopian Banks) 2:07.66

5000m
1. Meseret Defar (Ethiopian Banks) 15:42.06
2. Meselech Melkamu (EEPCO) 15:43.87
3. Werkitu Ayanu (Ethiopian Banks) 15:53.79

4x100m Relay
1. EEPCO 50.30
2. Prisons 48.57
3. Ethiopian Banks 48.28

Javelin Throw
1. Abaynesh Sisay (Ethiopian Banks) 43.43m
2. Aynalem Tekabe (Ethiopian Banks) 43.09m
3. Tadelech Regassa (Prisons) 39.56m

High Jump
1. Haymanot Bekele (Prisons) 1.50m
2. Haregewoin Mengistu (Ethiopian Banks) 1.46m
3. Konjit Teshome (Prisons) 1.45m 
Mekdes Bekele (Prisons) 1.45m

100m Hurdles
1. Terhas Haile-Selassie (Ethiopian Banks) 16.14
2. Netsanet Bekele (Ethiopian Banks) 16.36
3. Tigist Getenet (Defense) 16.66

Men

800m
1. Kumsa Adugna (Prisons) 1:48.13
2. Sentayehu Kassahun (Defense) 1:48.50
3. Adugna Assefa (Prisons) 1:48.80