Kenyan triple in Italica: Tergat back on world-beating form
Sunday, 18 January 1998. After a disappointing seventh place
in Brussels in his first race in the IAAF World Cross Challenge
1998, triple world cross country champion and 10,000m world
record holder Paul Tergat (KEN) showed the 8,000 crowd in Seville
that he was back on world beating form today as he won the XVI
edition of the Cross Internacional de Italica.
Most of the ten kilometre race had been a duel between Tergat and
his compatriot Bernard Barmasai, but Tergat prevailed in the
final sprint to cross the line a second ahead of 3000m
steeplechase world record holder Barmasai and 23 seconds ahead of
fellow Kenyan Paul Kosgei. The three runners had broken away from
the pack three laps before the finish, but Kosgei was unable to
keep up the steaming pace set by Tergat and Barmasai. South
Africa's Hendrick Ramaala narrowly took fourth place, a second
ahead of Belgian Mohammed Mourhit. For the first time in three
years, the race was run on a dry course. The previous two
editions had been dogged by bad weather and heavy going and the
fine conditions this year made for particularly fast times.
Tergat covered the ten kilometre course overlooking the ruins of
the ancient Roman city of Italica in 27:57, just 1:30 outside his
world record time on the track in Brussels last year, and looked
all set to go for his fourth succesive victory in the World Cross
Country Championships which will take place in Marrakech 21-22
March.
In the World Cross Challenge standings after four events (with
seven to go before Marrakech), Paul Kosgei moved into the lead
with 53 points from three appearances, seven points ahead of
Hendrick Ramaala, while previous leader Yann Millon (FRA) dropped
back to third place, ahead of Thomas Nyariki and James Moiben of
Kenya who are now in joint fourth place. Tergat's win today
placed him sixth in the rankings with 39 points.