Bahrain's Adam Ismael takes the win in Amora (© loc)
Sunday (27) marks the return of the Torres Vedras (POR) International Cross Country – EAA Permit – which will celebrate its 24th edition. Both the men’s and women’s contests feature several east African talents along with a host of Europeans who will be testing their fitness for next month’s Spar European Cross Country Championships, promising compelling and competitive battles.
Men’s race
William Chebon, Peter Kamais, Philmon Kemei and David Kilel will lead the Kenyan brigade, while Bahraini teenager Adam Ismael Isa will do his part to break up the Kenyan challenge.
The 16-year-old Kenyan-born Ismael, who was 23rd in the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships last March, won his first cross country outing of the season two weeks in Amora. Kilel, who raced to silver in the 3000m at the 2001 World Youth Championships, will look for his third win here after reaching the top of the podium in 2002 and 2003. William Chebon, third in the Oeiras International Cross a week ago, has shown good form this fall, with wins at the Marseille-Cassis Classic 20.3Km road race in France in late October and at Milan’s 8Km cross two weeks ago. Peter Kamais, second here last year, will make his first cross country outing after a recent pair of road wins in Spain, while Kemei returns hoping to improve from his fourth place showing last year.
Filling out the international field are Ukrainian Dmytro Osadchy, the winner of last month’s adidas Dublin Marathon, Spaniard Francisco Javier Lara, and young Moroccan Youssef El Kalai.
The host nation will also be well represented. Rui Silva, the Olympic 1500m bronze medallist, will make his first foray of the season into the longer distances after several road mile appearances this fall. Manuel Magalhães, seventh in Oeiras, Ricardo Ribas, 6th at Oeiras, 1999 winner Alberto Chaíça, Manuel Damião, and José Ramos are some of the other national entrants.
Ribeiro returns to defend title
The women’s race features what looks to be a showdown between defending champion Fernanda Ribeiro and Kenyan Elizabeth Rumokol, the winner in Oeiras last weekend.
Ribeiro, a former Olympic, World and European 10,000m champion, will make her second cross country appearance of the season, following up her fourth place finish in Soria last Sunday. Another Kenyan, Beatrice Rutto, runner-up in Amora, should also be in contention for a spot on the podium. Kenyan Nancy Kiprop, who beat a strong field at last January’s Almond Blossom race in Vilamoura, was second in the Lidinergöloppet Cross in Stockholm in late September.
Besides Ribeiro, other Portuguese women have an eye on the podium as well as they continue their preparation to defend their European team title. Leonor Carneiro, who was the winner in Amora two weeks ago and fifth in Oeiras, along with Claudia Pereira, who was third in Oeiras, will help lead the charge. Marina Bastos, Helena Sampaio, and Elizabete Costa will also toe the line.
Other internationals include Jana Klimesova of the Czech Republic and Marina Ivanova, a member of the Russian World Cross Country Championships squad last March.
Paulo Costa for IAAF
