Zersenay Tadese (ERI) wins in Mombasa (© Getty Images)
Cáceres, SpainNewlyminted World Cross Country champion Zersenay Tadesse of Eritrea appeared quite confident on his World Record chances at a press conference prior to the “I Medio Maraton Internacional de Cáceres 2016” to be held this Sunday 15 April in the Spanish city of Cáceres in the west of Spain, some 300 kilometres from Madrid. The 25-year-old’s aim is to lower Kenya’s Samuel Wanjiru’s time of 58:35* established in The Hague (Netherlands) last 17 March.
“I feel I can break the current standard,” confirmed Tadesse, who headed for the press conference immediately after landing in Spain. Following his stunning win at the World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa 20 days ago, the Eritrean ace spent two entire weeks in his native country where he received Head of State honours, moments he proudly and fondly recalls.
“I was received by the President of Eritrea at the airport in the capital, Asmara, and then I went through the National Stadium and the city in a convertible car, it was amazing. For my fellow Eritreans to see our flag at the top of the flagpole at the worlds in Mombasa was something really important.”
Still fit despite celebrations
The question on everyone’s lips now is: might Tadesse’s shape be affected due to the always tiring celebrations? The answer seems to be an adamant, “No”. His coach Jerónimo Bravo declared that his athlete has kept on doing his severe training schedule including, his coach said, “Many runs at a 2:50 per km. pace which is approximately the kind of rhythm he needs to be break the World Record. On a perfect day, which means nice weather conditions, no wind, a good pace making job, etc. Tadesse would have 99% of chances to do it but we know that scenario is always complicated to happen,” a realistic Bravo added.
In charge of the pace making duties on Sunday will be Kenya’s Peter Kamais and Kiprono Meno plus Ethiopia’s Alemayehu Bezabeh. Kamais holds a 13:19.19 5000m track performance and his task will be to cover the first four kilometres at the very demanding required pace (2:47/km) while Menjo – a 27:29.45 10,000m specialist – and the promising 20-year-old Bezabeh will try to pace Tadesse until the 10km mark in the 27:45-27:50 region.
The race will consist of three loops of slightly more than seven kilometres to complete the distance of 21.097 km. Tadesse’s main challengers should be Kenya’s World Road (20km) bronze medallist Wilson Kiprotich Kebenei and his compatriot Joseph Maregu, who clinched a fine win last 11 March at the Paris Half Marathon, clocking 1:00:22. Eritrea’s Yared Asmeron, fresh from a 1:00:28 victory at the “Azkoitia-Azpeitia” Half Marathon barely a fortnight ago, and Zimbabwe’s Cuthbert Nyasango - 22nd in Mombasa - will likely complete a quality top-five on Sunday.
Weather forecasters predict a nice day with temperatures in the 15-20ºC range at the time of the event.
“There are two bends in the circuit which are too close, but our worst enemy on Sunday could be the wind. Let’s hope it doesn’t appear,” Tadesse said, echoing the sentiments of his coach Bravo.
NB. * Pending the usual ratification procedures
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
