Kenenisa Bekele takes a comfortable victory at the XXV Croos Internacional de Itálica, Seville (© Juan Rodelas Diaz)
Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele confirmed his Cross Country dominance to clinch an impressive win at the 25th 'Cross Internacional de Itálica' - the sixth of ten IAAF Cross Country permit races - held today in Santiponce (Seville).
In doing so Bekele became the first athlete to win this race three times, adding today’s success to those accomplished in 2003 and 2004. His overall winning streak in cross country now extends to 27 races.
And it was a day of double joy for Ethiopia as Gelete Burka claimed a similarly comfortable win in the women’s race.
MEN - Wasting little time, Bekele brothers secure the win halfway!
Following his emphatic win one week ago in Edinburgh, Kenenisa Bekele arrived in Seville as the overwhelming favourite. Indeed, his toughest rivals were going to be his fellow Ethiopians in the guise of younger brother Tariku, last year’s winner Abebe Dinkesa and Maregu Tarefe Zewdie, the 2005 victor, as the last-minute withdrawals of Kenya’s Charles Kamathi and Hosea Macharinyang had left Abraham Chebii as the only Kenyan on show.
The key moment of the 10.8Km event came with the clock reading 16 minutes as Kenenisa Bekele, winner of five successive World Cross Country Championship doubles, pulled ahead with determination and destroyed any resistance from the rest, except for Tariku Bekele who decided to celebrate his 20th birthday by sharing the lead for a couple of kilometres with his much more heralded brother to the delight of the crowd. Throughout the last lap Kenenisa looked back several times as he had built a 20-50m gap over Tariku.
Way back, Chebii ran in lonesome third place for the rest of the race, well ahead of Dinkesa and Zwedie. At the finish line, Kenenisa was credited with a 31:05 and had a two-second advantage over Tariku, himself a huge 23-seconds clear of Chebii. Dinkesa and Zwedie, who were fourth and fifth respectively after a thrilling neck-and-neck sprint. Spain’s reigning European 10,000m silver medallist Chema Martínez was the first European home in a distant (1:01 back) sixth.
“Right now, I’m determined to miss the World (XC) Championships to be held in Mombasa (Kenya),” Bekele reconfirmed. “There are so many talented athletes in Ethiopia and they can succeed me as world champion. After winning 10 World titles I think my decision should be understandable by everyone. My next races will be indoors, two or three meets in Europe, but we are still speaking.”
He added that his first indoor appearance may come at Valencia’s IAAF permit meeting on 10 February, where he would contest the 1500m.
“We are also planning a 2000m outing in Birmingham but we have yet to confirm these competitions.”
Outdoors, Bekele said he’s expecting a lighter competitive load. “My focus for the summer season is Osaka where I will contest the 10,000m, along with few but very selected permit meetings”.
WOMEN - Again its Burka over Cheruiyot
The women’s event witnessed a cautious start - 7:05 for the opening 2.1k loop - with the 30-year-old Australian Anne Thompson setting a moderate pace which was followed with ease by the favourites. By the third kilometre point Hungary’s Aniko Kalovics injected a brisker pace and only the Ethiopian triumvirate of Gelete Burka, Bezunesh Bekele and Wude Ayalew Yimer plus Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot could live with her pace.
Shortly after the second lap (6:45), Burka, the reigning World short course champion, broke away from Yimer, Cheruiyot and Bekele who were forced into a single file chase behind Burka.
The final lap was the proverbial ‘piece of cake’ for Burka, who put on a ruthless display and controlled the race to romp home unopposed in 21:14, two seconds ahead of Cheruiyot, a similar result to last week’s contest in Edinburgh. Yimer took the minor place on the podium, well ahead of last year’s race winner Bezunesh Bekele.
“After my Edinburgh victory last Saturday, I got a flu due to bad weather there so I didn’t feel 100% fit today,” said Burka, who turns 21 next month. “But fortunately that did not prevent me from winning. I really don’t know what my chances will be at the World Championships as eight kilometres is a new distance for me. After the Ethiopian trials I will assess my chances better than now.”
Burka said her focus on the track this summer will be on the 5000 rather than the 1500m, a distance over which she finished 8th at the last World Championships. Her next outing will take place at the Ethiopian World Championship trials on 25 February in Addis Ababa, after which she won’t race again until Mombasa.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
Results -
Men (10.8km course)
1. Kenenisa Bekele (Eth) 31:05
2. Tariku Bekele (Eth) 31:07
3. Abraham Chebii (Ken) 31:30
4. Abebe Dinkesa (Eth) 31:39
5. Tarefe Maregu Zewdie (Eth) 31:40
6. Chema Martínez (Spain) 32:06
7. Khalid Zoubaa (Fra) 32:21
8. Antonio Jiménez (Esp) 32:41
9. Juan Carlos de la Ossa (Esp) 32:41
10. Manuel Damiao (Por) 32:47
Women (6.6km course)
1. Gelete Burka (Eth) 21:14
2. Vivian Cheruiyot (Ken) 21:16
3. Wude Ayalew Yimer (Eth) 21:18
4. Bezunesh Bekele (Eth) 21:30
5. Aniko Kalovics (Hun) 21:39
6. Analia Rosa (Por) 21:50
7. Veronica Nyarwai (Ken) 21:51
8. Diana Martín (Esp) 22:00
9. Azucena Díaz (Esp) 22:01
10. Leonor Carneiro (Por) 22:04
