Moses Masai in Amadora (© Event organisers)
More than a dozen races were organized in Portugal over the last four days of 2007. It’s a tradition the Portuguese people maintain with strong competition between the organizers. Among all the races, four of them stand out above the others, with large crowds on hand watching the events whose participation numbers continue to breaking record through the years.
Masai, Prokopcuka dominate in Amadora 10 km
This year, the competition between the races was highlighted by a great run in Amadora, with Kenyan Moses Masai, fourth in the 10,000 m world lists (26:49.20) in 2007, producing a solid performance (28:25) over a difficult hilly course. He outdistanced compatriot Barnabas Kosgei by 18 seconds, with Portuguese Leão Carvalho taking the third podium position in 29:07, ahead of Ethiopian Maregu Zewdie, the bronze medallist at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championship short course race Finishing fifth was the international Portuguese runner Eduardo Henriques, a former silver European Cross Country medallist.
The women’s race was dominated by Latvian Jelena Prokopcuka. The former two-time ING New York City Marathon winner knows the Amadora course very well, and took the lead from the beginning to achieve her fifth victory (!) in the last seven years. The Portuguese Ana Dias was second - her sixth runner-up finish in this race in the last eight years! - ahead of Portuguese hope Sara Moreira, the bronze medallist in the 3000m Steeplechase at the European Under 23 Championship.
Silva wins in Porto and Funchal
The Amadora race achieved a participation record (781 runners), as did the S. Silvestre contest in Porto where 1456 runners took to the streets. The race was won by Rui Silva, the Olympic 1500m bronze medallist in 2004 – and the World and European indoor champion – who surged to the lead over the final metres. He clocked 29:48 to finish ahead of the Portugal’s Paulo Gomes (29:51) after a very difficult race.
Silva’s victory was very significant because, just two days earlier, he took the win in Funchal, in a short but very competitive race (about 6 km) just one second ahead of Kenyan Kiprono Menjo, who won the S. Silvestre in Madrid on the last day of the year. Silva is preparing for the indoor season and wants to make his presence felt in Beijing next summer.
In the Porto women’s race, the Portugal’s Jessica Augusto made a powerful run to win ahead of former Olympic champion Fernanda Ribeiro. The two Portuguese women raced in Funchal too, but Kenyan Eunice Jepkorir took the win there, seven seconds ahead of Augusto.
Kiprono, Chepkoech prevail in Olivais
In a less competitive contest, Kenyans claimed victories Olivais. In the men’s race, Nixon Kiprono took a two second victory over Portugal’s António Travassos (5th in Funchal), and in the women’s contest, Hellen Chepkoech finished 50 seconds ahead of the Latvian Daniela Fecere.
More then one thousand runners finish the race. Crowds estimated at more than 50,000 lined the courses of the four races.
António Manuel Fernandes for the IAAF
Selected Results -
49th Funchal Circuit - Madeira Island (28-December 2007) -
Men -
1. Rui Silva POR 16.44
2. Kiprono Menjo KEN 16.45
3. Edwin Kipkorir KEN 16.46
4. Manuel Damião POR 16.54
5. António Travassos POR 17.18
6. Rui Pedro Silva POR 17.24
Women -
1. Eunice Jepkorir KEN 18.39
2. Jessica Augusto POR 18.46
3. Fernanda Ribeiro POR 19.03
4. Ana Dias POR 19.13
5. Mónica Rosa POR 19.24
6. Karolina Jarzyuska POL 19.43
14th. S. Silvestre Porto (30-December 2007) – 10 km
Men -
1. Rui Silva POR 29.48
2. Paulo Gomes POR 29.51
3. Rui Pedro Silva POR 30.34
4. Pedro Oro ESP 30.44
5. Pavel Naumov RUS 31.25
6 Manuel Magalhães POR 31.27
Women -
1. Jessica Augusto POR 33.20
2. Fernanda Ribeiro POR 34.17
3. Vanessa Fernandes POR 34.36
4. Marisa Barros POR 34.56
5. Yesenia Centeno ESP 36.38
6. Doroteia Peixoto POR 37.42
19th São Silvestre dos Olivais, Lisbon (30-December 2007) – 10 km
Men
1. Nixon Kiprono KEN 30.10
2. António Travassos POR 30.12
3. Lino Barruncho POR 30.32
4. Carlos Silva POR 31.07
5. Andrey Fadin RUS 31.16
6. Dmitry Kutz RUS 31.21
Women
1. Hellen Chepkoech KEN 34.39
2. Daniela Fecere LAT 35.29
3. Rita Simões POR 36.15
4. Madalena Carriço POR 36.32
5. Beatriz Cunha POR 37.19
6. Cristina Ponte POR 37.40
33th S. Silvestre of Amadora (31-December 2007) – 10 km
Men -
1. Moses Masai KEN 28.25
2. Barnabas Kosgei KEN 28.43
3. Leão Carvalho POR 29.07
4. Maregu Zewdi ETH 29.09
5. Eduardo Henriques POR 29.12
6. Manuel Damião POR 29.30
7. Youssef El Kalay MOR 29.39
8. José Ramos POR 29.51
Women -
1. Jelena Prokopcuka LAT 33.16
2. Ana Dias POR 33.34
3. Sara Moreira POR 33.40
4. Dulce Felix POR 34.06
5. Justyna Bak POL 34.20
6. Inês Monteiro POR 34.22
7. Leonor Carneiro POR 34.40
8. Marina Bastos POR 35.28
