Bekele running at the 2002 World Cross Country Championships (© Getty Images)
The 21st ‘Cross Internacional de Itálica’ has assembled a very special field featuring the reigning double IAAF World Champion Kenenisa Bekele. The 1.65m tall Ethiopian is aiming for his fifth cross country victory in a row this season but will face some tough rivalry as the line-up also includes 10,000m World Champion Kenya’s Charles Kamathi, winner in Soria and Llodio earlier in the season, Kamathi’s fellow countrymen Albert Chepkurui, 6th at the World Cross Championships in Dublin last year and runner-up to Bekele last Sunday in Elgóibar, plus last year’s Italica top placer Abraham Chebii, Eritrea’s Tadesse Zerisenay who beat Kamathi on December 22 in Venta de Baños, Morocco’s Mohamed Said El Wardi, Khalid El Amri and Jaouad Gharib,10th at the World Cross long race in Dublin. Ethiopia’s Dagne Alemu and Zimbabwe’s Michael Ngaseke are in the lineup too.
But the Africans should find strong opposition from the Spanish contingent including two gold medallists from the Munich Europeans, Alberto García (5000m) building up for the 3000m event at the World Indoors in Birmingham and the in-form 10,000m European champion José Manuel Martínez who came third in Elgóibar 20 seconds adrift of Bekele. Martinez is wary of the Ethiopian and declared: ‘I will do my very best on Sunday but Bekele is now nearly unbeatable. I am training hard as I have scheduled running either the London or Rotterdam Marathon. I will take a final decision later this month’.
Fabián Roncero, who clinched the bronze medal at the Europeans in Medulin in December will also be in contention, but the surprise could come from Juan Carlos de la Ossa a 26-year-old newcomer to the Spanish distance running elite, winner in Fuensalida some two weeks ago from Kenya’s John Korir. Enrique Molina, a former (1993) 3000m World indoor bronze medallist and Juan Carlos Higuero a 3:32.30 -1500m athlete complete a classy local entry list. The Portuguese squad will also be poweful thanks to Paulo Guerra, a former winner in 1995-1997 and Eduardo Henriques. Italy will be represented by 25-year-old Marco Mazza. The men’s race will be held over 10,800m.
In the women’s race, attention will be focused on the current IAAF World short course champion, Kenya’s Edith Masai, fresh from her massive victory last Sunday in Elgóibar. Masai will challenge the mighty Ethiopian contingent with Werknesh Kidane 4km runner-up to Masai in Dublin and recent winner at the latest IAAF permit meeting in Belfast also held on 12 January. In fact, it could be an action replay of the Great North Cross in Newcastle where Masai and Kidane came 1-2 separated by just two seconds at the finish line.
In addition to Kidane the most outstanding Ethiopians will also be in action including three of the first top ten from the last World Cross Championships long race in Dublin: Eyerusalem Kuma (5th), Merima Denboba (6th), also the winner in Yecla this season, plus Teyeba Erkesso who is in excellent shape as she proved by her victory at the EAA permit meet in Amorebieta earlier in January. Another Ethiopian fighting for victory will be Mestewat Tufa, 7th at the Junior race in Dublin. The start list will also feature Masai’s compatriots Ayabei Jepkorir, successful in Venta de Baños, and Jane Omoro.
The Europeans will have their hopes focused on the large Portuguese group headed by last year’s winner Monica Rosa; with Helena Sampaio, Marina Bastos, Analía Rosa, Jessica Augusto and Ines Monteiro. They all will take on the 5000m European Champion, Spain’s Marta Domínguez, who has been improving steadily in her form on the way to the World Indoors next March. The 23-year-old Natalia Rodríguez (6th Munich Europeans at 1500m) will also be in contention. Another factor in the race could be Russia’s Anastasya Zubova 10th at the Europeans in Medulin. The women will battle it out over 6600m on Sunday.
There are many illustrious and victorious names of the past at this competition that we should underline, such as 10,000m Olympic champion and World record holder Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie, who succeeded in 1996, Kenya’s Paul Tergat, twice winner (1998-1999) and former 10,000m world record holder and Portugal’s Fernando Mamede successful in 1984 and 1985. On the women’s side it’s worth mentioning World Marathon best performer Britain’s Paula Radcliffe’s, who won here in 2001 some two months before capturing her first World Cross Country long race title in Ostende.
