Near the finish in Milan - William Chebon shown ahead of Alex Kirui (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
Kenyan William Chebon and Fatma Maraoui, an Italian of Moroccan origin, took victories in muddy conditions in the first edition of the Fontanile Anfass Cross Country in the Parco Lambro, yesterday (13).
The Milan Cross Country race kicked off the Italian cross country season. It will continue on 20 November in Cossato (Piedmont) which will host the first leg of a new Italian Athletics Federation Cross Country Grand Prix aimed at relaunching this discipline in Italy.
MEN – Easy win
Chebon, a 23-year-old from Baringo, went to the lead of the an 8km men race from the very beginning of the race. He was closely followed by Thomas Pkemoi, Alex Kirui and Mark Bett (26:52.93 this summer at 10,000 metres in Brussels) and Italian marathon specialist Daniele Caimmi, who was running his first cross country race of the season in the build-up to the European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg on 11 December.
The four Kenyans dropped Caimmi and built up a considerable gap over him in the first part of the race which was being contested on a muddy course. Chebon ran in the lead for most of the race before launching his kick in the last lap to take a comfortable lead over Kirui and Bett which earned him a 8-second win in 21:54.
Alex Kirui, who is a training partner of the winner, took the runners-up position in 22:02 prevailing on Bett by four seconds. Caimmi, who will run an Italian marathon next spring, was the first home athlete in fifth place in 22:43.
"The course was ideal for me. I wanted to test my condition after preparing in the Ngong Training Camp of Doctor Rosa near Nairobi. I have recently trained with Paul Tergat and Robert Cherouyot before they went to the New York Marathon,” said Chebon.
WOMEN – Gun to tape win
Fatma Maraoui, who was born in Morocco but obtained Italian citizenship via marriage, was making her comeback from maternity leave having given birth to a daughter only four months ago. She took a gun to tape win in the women’s 4km race beating Italian Vittoria Salvini and Rosita Rota Gelpi (2004 World Mountain Running champion).
"I did not expect to run so well today,” confirmed the winner. “It was my comeback race after giving birth to my daughter in June. I started running again two months ago and now I would like to make the Italian team at the European Cross Country Championships. My career started some years ago following in the footsteps of my sister Rakyia Maraoui who competes for France after marrying to a Frenchman. She won the marathon national title two years ago and ran a 2:28:17 lifetime best.”
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
Results
Men (8km):
1 William Chebon (Kenya) 21:54
2 Alex Kirui (Kenya) 22:02
3 Mark Bett (Kenya) 22:06
4 Thomas Pkemoi (Kenya) 22:11
5 Daniele Caimmi (Italy) 22:43
6 Samson Kipruto (Kenya) 23:01
Women (4km):
1 Fatima Maraoui (Italy) 14:04
2 Vittoria Salvini (Italy) 15:02
3 Rosita Rota Gelpi (Italy) 15:12
