Strong victory in Amodora for Jessica Augusto, her second win in three days (© Marcelino Almeida)
Moses Masai and Jessica Augusto won the most important Portuguese year-end competition, the S. Silvestre Amadora, held on the last night of the year (31 Dec).
As usual, this competition is the strongest in Portugal, with numerous standout runners competing great runners. The women’s competition begins 10 minutes before the men’s, and along the 10 km course on a beautiful spring-like evening more than 100,000 spectators watched the race prior to their New Year’s Eve festivities.
Jessica Augusto, the best Portuguese finisher at last month’s European Cross Country Championships, took the lead from the start and improved her pace kilometre by kilometre, finishing nearly half a minute ahead of runner-up Genet Getanesh of Ethiopia in 32:39, and almost a minute ahead of third-placed Portuguese Ana Dias (33:24), who had arrived on the podium for the seventh in this race without a win!
Another Portuguese European cross country team championship member, Mónica Rosa, was fourth, ahead of Kenyan Mercy Njoroje and 1996 Olympic 10,000m champion Fernanda Ribeiro.
“This was a very good race,” said Augusto, “and I did not notice any problem after last Tuesday’s win in Madeira Island, and with this crowd, calling our names I felt good and I raced to win.”
Competing against some of the best Portuguese runners, Moses Masai took the lead after the sixth kilometre and left his young countryman Joseph Ebuya a few meters behind. After that moment he controlled his pace en route to a 10 victory in 28:39. The best Portuguese, Rui Pedro Silva (the winner last year), clocked 29:18, well behind the Kenyan pair. In this strong race some of the favourites, the former European Cross Country champion Paulo Guerra was only ninth (29:49), and the Russian Yuri Abramov 10th (30:29).
Competitive 10kms in Oporto and Lisbon
One day before the Amadora race, Oporto and Lisbon organized their S. Silvestre races. In Oporto, more than four thousand runners took part in the open 3 km and more important 10 km, running in rainy and windy conditions. Nevertheless, more than 1350 runners finished the 10 km race, with African runners dominating the pack. Peter Muriuki was first in 30:00, exactly, 27 seconds ahead of Ethiopian Mamo Eshetu. The Portuguese Paulo Gomes was third, 33 seconds behind the winner.
In the women’s race, Kenyan Fridah Domongole was the winner in 33:56, 11 seconds ahead of Vanessa Fernandes, the 2006 Triathlon World Cup winner, who competes this year in athletics for the Benfica team. Portugal’s Fatima Cabral was third.
In Lisbon, the Portuguese António Travassos was the winner, in a strong sprint with his compatriots Carlos Silva and Manuel Silva, all of them credited with the same time: 30:04. This strong race, in some parts hilly, had more than 900 competitors. Kenyan Mary Keitany won the women’s race in 33:06, nearly two minutes ahead of Portuguese Madalena Carriço.
Mendo and Augusto victorious under the Madeira sun
It was a great improvement in the ‘Volta ao Funchal’, one of the most traditional year-end races in Portugal this year contested on 28 December. On the beautiful Madeira Island, under splendid windless conditions (18 degrees), Kenyan Kiprono Menjo took his second win in this 6 km race in 16:18, three seconds ahead of his countryman Peter Kamai. Rui Silva, the former European 1500m indoor champion, was third, ahead of former European cross country champion, the Ukranian Sergey Lebid. In the women’s race, Portugal’s Jessica Augusto won handily in 18:37, ahead of Kenyan Nancy Kiprono and Fernanda Ribeiro.
Antonio Manuel Fernandes for IAAF
Select Results:
S. Silvestre Amadora – 10 km (31-Dec)
Men -
1. Moses Masai KEN 28:39
2. Joseph Ebuya KEN 28:49
3. Rui Pedro Silva POR 29:18
4. Youssef El Kalay MOR 29:29
5. Licino Pimentel POR 29:32
6. Manuel Damiao POR 29:35
7. Jose Luz POR 29:40
8. Hermano Ferreira POR 29:41
Women -
1. Jessica Augusto POR 32:39
2. Genet Getaneh ETH 33:06
3. Ana Dias POR 33:24
4. Monica Rosa POR 33:49
5. Mercy Njoroje KEN 33:52
6. Fernanda Ribeiro POR 34:11
7. Leonor Carneiro POR 34:56
8. Fernanda Miranda POR 35:03
S. Silvestre Oporto – 10 km (30-Dec)
Men -
1. Peter Muriuki KEN 30:00
2. Mamo Eshetu ETH 30:27
3. Paulo Gomes POR 30:33
4. Francis Komo KEN 30:39
5. Manuel Magalhaes POR 30:52
6. Vitor Almeida POR 31:15
7. Daniel Pinheiro POR 31:22
8. Victor Oliveira POR 31:41
Women -
1. Fridah Domongole KEN 33:56
2. Vanessa Fernandes POR 34:07
3. Fatima Cabral POR 34:59
4. Dulce Felix POR 35:28
5. Carla Martinho POR 35:41
6. Marisa Barros POR 35:52
7. Monica Silva POR 35:55
8. Helena Sampaio POR 36:18
S. Silvestre Olivais – Lisbon – 10 km (30-Dec)
Men -
1. Antonio Travassos POR 30:04
2. Carlos Silva POR 30:04
3. Manuel Silva POR 30:04
4. Mickael Tiony KEN 30:07
5. Jose Maduro POR 30:12
6. Pavel Naumov RUS 30:34
7. Leao Carvalho POR 30:52
8. Ricardo Ribas POR 30:59
Women -
1. Mary Keitany KEN 33:06
2. Madalena Carriço POR 35:02
3. Lilian Silva POR 35:25
4. Rita Simoes POR 36:31
Volta ao Funchal – Madeira – 6 km (28-Dec)
Men -
1. Kiprono Mendo KEN 16:18
2. Peter Kamai KEN 16:21
3. Rui Silva POR 16:26
4. Sergiy Lebid UKR 16:27
5. Rui Pedro Silva POR 16:32
6. Licínio Pimentel POR 16:47
7. Manuel Damião POR 16:48
8. António Travassos POR 16:56
Women -
1. Jessica Augusto POR 18:37
2. Nancy Kiprono KEN 18:51
3. Fernanda Ribeiro POR 19:17
4. Cláudia Pereira POR 19:58
5. Ercília Machado POR 20:01
6. Michalska Marzena ITA 20:12
7. Sandra Teixeira POR 20:27
8. Elizabete Lopes POR 20:38