The second of two days of competition at the XX World Mountain Running Championships were completed in Northern Italy yesterday with spectators witnessing another outstanding win by New Zealand's Jonathan Wyatt. This win comes just a week after Wyatt was placed 21st in the Athens Olympic Marathon.
This was an exceptional effort by Wyatt for him to win yet another World Mountain title on the uphill course, and by a margin of one minute and 17 seconds. The New Zealander also won in Austria in 2002, Germany in 2000 and France in 1998.
It seems each year the standard of this event improves dramatically as new nations participate and this was noticed not just in the men’s but also the women’s and junior races on Saturday.
The women’s senior category was won by Italy’s Rosita Rota Gelpi, who after years of moderate showings – she was 25th in 2000, 10th in 2001 and 13th in 2002 – returned to the winning form which had taken her to her previous victory in 1999, when this event was held in Malaysia. This year on ‘home’ soil she beat Czech Pichrtova by ten seconds.
The 2005 Championships will be held on Mt Victoria here in Wellington, New Zealand.
Click here for FULL RESULTS of all competition Senior, Junior and team
Senior men
1. WYATT Jonathan NEW ZEALAND 48:47
2. MESFIN Tesfayouhanis ERITREA 50:04
3. FONTAINE Raymond FRANCE 50'26
4. SCHIEBL Helmut GERMANY 50'50
5. BURNS Billy ENGLAND 51'19
6. GAIARDO Marco ITALY 51'27
7. MERID Teklemariam ERITREA 51'31
8. BROWN John ENGLAND 51'39
Senior women
1. ROTA GELPI Rosita ITALY 50'27
2. PICHRTOVA Anna CZECH REPUBLIC 50'37
3. MAYR Andrea AUSTRIA 50'52
4. CONFORTOLA Antonella ITALY 51'04
5. BRINDLEY Tracey SCOTLAND 51'16
6. EMIDENKO Svetlana RUSSIA 51'43
7. ZATORSKAA Izabela POLAND 51'57
8. CRUMPTON Shireen NEW ZEALAND 51'59
9. GAVIGLIO Flavia ITALY 52'18
10. SUMMER Petra AUSTRIA 52'51
