Merima Mohammed of Ethiopia en route to her 2:28:19 win in Ottawa (© Victah Sailer)
National cross country champion Azmeraw Bekele and Toronto Waterfront Marathon winner Merima Mohammed were the impressive winners of the 3rd Ethiopian 30km Championships in Adama on Sunday (31).
In the team competition, Defence forces were the comfortable winners of both the men's and women's race in arguably the best field ever assembled for a 30km road race in Ethiopia.
The women's race was billed as a battle between 18-year old Merima Mohammed, who run 2:23:06 to win the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in Canada in September, and this year's Dubai Marathon champion Mamitu Daska.
With near perfect conditions in Adama, which is situated 100km from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the race got off to an explosive start. The pre-race favourites tugged behind a large leading group of ten runners at 5km with no one showing an adventurous move to the front until the halfway mark.
The first runner to attempt a break from the group was Martha Markos at 18km, but she was soon closed down by dwindling group of six runners that included the pre-race favourites.
Deska then hit the front with 5km left to go, with Mohammed easily following him. This front pair ran next-and-neck until the final two kilometres when Mohammed opened a lead which he continued to extend before taking a deserved victory in 1:45:14 with Deska following home exactly ten seconds behind the race winner. Newcomer Yetsehay Desalegne beat the more expeirenced Markos in the battle for third place.
Bekele tops Worku
Bezu Worku, who stunned many by running a 2:06:15 marathon in 2009 five months before celebrating his 19th birthday, and has since improved his personal best to 2:05:25 in this year's Berlin Marathon in September, was expected to run away with victory in Adama.
But national cross country 12km champion Azmeraw Bekele has also enjoyed a fantastic breakout year in 2010 and was not prepared to allow Worku to dominate proceedings.
After a slow start, Worku tried to breakaway at the halfway mark, but his intentions were quickly matched by the proceeding group with all runners in the leading pack of ten coping with the pressure and matching Worku's persistence.
It remained tight until the final stages of the race when Bekele used his finishing skills to upset Worku in a tight finish. He reached the finish first in 1:32:16 ahead of Worku who clocked 1:32:23 with Jifar taking third in 1:32:37.
Elshadai Negash for the IAAF
with the assistance of Bezuayehu Wagaw
Results
Men
1. Azmeraw Bekele (Federal Police) 1:32:16
2. Bezu Werku (Betel Teaching) 1:32:23
3. Tariku Jifar (Defense) 1:32:37
4. Zekeria Zene (Defense) 1:32:41
5. Haile Haja (Defense) 1:32:50
6. Feysa Bekele (Muger) 1:32:58
Women
1. Merima Mohammed (Federal prison) 1:45:14
2. Mamitu Daska (Oromiya police) 1:45:24
3. Yetsehay Desalegn (Defense) 1:45:57
4. Marta Markos (Defense) 1:46:02
5. Abebech Tsegaye (Defense) 1:48:34
6. Chaltu Moa (Oromiya Police) 1:48:59
