Submit your news
Write News
Help us out! Add your own news!
Articles
|
|
Results / Recaps - World XC 2009 Mar 28 2009, 01:36 PM
|
|
Results / Recaps - World XC 2009
Submitted by ross on Mar 28 2009, 01:36 PM
Senior Men | Senior Women | Junior Men | Junior Women
Senior Men
RESURGENT GEBRMARIAM WINS WORLD CROSS TITLE By David Monti (c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
While
it is true that Gebre-egziabher Gebremariam had previously won four
individual IAAF World Cross Country Championships medals, the last had
come five years ago for the 24 year-old Ethiopian. Moreover, it was
seven years ago he won his only previous title in these championships
when he took the junior race in Dublin in 2002, officially as a 17
year-old.
But with a strong kick, he beat an incredible field
today in Amman, Jordan, to bring Ethiopia the individual gold, despite
not having the services of the injured Kenenisa Bekele. Emerging from
a pack of 14 who still remained in contention after five laps of the
six-lap 12 km race, Gebremariam was credited with a two-second victory
in 35:02 over Ugandan Moses Kipsiro. Zersenay Tadese, the Eritrean who
prevailed in these championships in the searing heat of Mombassa in
2007, finished third.
Gebremariam's strong finish was not enough
to deliver the team title to Ethiopia, but only by a hair's breadth.
Both Kenya and Ethiopia scored 28 points, but Kenya's fourth man, Moses
Mosop, finished 11th to Ethiopia's fourth man, Feyisa Lilesa, who was
12th. It was Kenya's fourth consecutive senior men's team title at
these championships. Eritrea got the bronze medal with 50 points.
Dominance
by the Africans in this event remained high: 22 of the top-25 finishers
represented African nations while all 25 of the top finishers were born
in Africa (three former Kenyans, including Saif Saaeed Shaheen, now run
for Qatar). In Edinburgh last year, the first finisher not born in
Africa was American Jorge Torres who finished 19th.
The top
European finisher was Spain's Carles Castillejo in 26th place; the top
Oceania finisher was Australia's Collis Birmingham in 29th place; and
the top North American finisher was the United States' Ryan Vail in
33rd place.
The next, and 38th, IAAF World Cross Country Championships will be held in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on March 27, 2010.
Senior Women
KENYAN KIPLAGAT CAPS CROSS COUNTRY SEASON WITH WORLD TITLE By David Monti (c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
Kenyan
Florence Jebet Kiplagat, who won two invitational cross country
meetings in Spain this year plus the Kenyan Trials, capped her season
with a victory at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Amman,
Jordan, today. It was the first significant title for the 22 year-old
athlete.
Kiplagat did not lead for any of the first three laps,
but always stayed within striking distance of the leaders. Seventeen
women were still within one second of the lead at the halfway point of
the 8 km race (12:36), and Kenyans Pauline Korikwiang and Lineth
Chepkurui were controlling the pace with New Zealander Kim Smith. Both
Korikwiang and Smith fell back in the third lap, and Ethiopia's
Meselech Melkamu led last year's bronze medalist, Linet Masai of Kenya,
and 2005 junior champion Gelete Burka of Ethiopia through 6 km.
Saving
her best for last, Kiplagat managed to come from behind and put a three
second cushion between her and Masai by the finish line, hitting the
tape in 26:13 to Masai's 26:16. Melkamu held on for third another
three seconds back. Early leaders Korikwiang and Smith finished 11th
and 13th, respectively.
The coveted team title went easily to
Kenya, who finished second last year to arch rival Ethiopia. The
Kenyans placed their women 1-2-4-7 to score a scant 14 points.
Ethiopia got second with 28, and Portugal was a surprising third with
72 points (Ana Dulce Félix and Sara Moreira finished 15th and 16th,
respectively).
The Netherlands' Hilda Kibet was the top European
finisher in sixth place, and the top North American was Julie Culley of
the United States in 21st (the USA was the 5th place team).
Junior Boys
ABSHERO MOVES FROM SILVER TO GOLD AT IAAF WORLD CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS By David Monti (c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
Ethiopian
Ayele Abshero, last year's silver medalist in the men's junior race at
the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, moved up to the top of the
podium today at this year's championships in Amman, Jordan.
As
usual, the race went out fast with 18 men passing 2 km in 5:14 to
5:15. Abshero was at the back of that back which was led by Eritrea's
Goitom Kifle. By 4 km (11:09), 11 men remained in contention, and
Abshero was now running 8th. Kenyan Titus Kipjumba Mbishei, last
year's fifth place finisher, was leading the race. Mbishei managed to
drop everybody but five rivals by the end of the third lap (16:55), and
Abshero had now moved up to fourth. That put the Ethiopian in perfect
position to win in 23:26, four seconds up on Mbishei. Ugandan Moses
Kibet got the bronze another five seconds back.
Mbishei will
still leave Amman with a gold medal, however. His Kenyan team finished
2-4-5-9 to take the team title over Ethiopia, 20 to 22 points.
Eritrea, whose top finisher (Goitom) was only 14th, managed to get the
bronze with 72 points, ten fewer than Uganda.
Outside the
African nations, the United States had the best showing. Oklahoma
State's German Fernandez was the top non-African finisher in 11th
place, despite suffering from a stress reaction in his foot which had
him in a boot during the week. Stanford's Chris Derrick finished 15th
giving the USA a fifth place team finish.
Junior Girls
GENZEBE DIBABA DEFENDS WORLD CROSS JUNIOR TITLE By David Monti (c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
Genzebe
Dibaba, a younger sister of Olympic medalists Tirunesh and Ejegayehu
Dibaba, defended her junior title today as the IAAF World Cross Country
Championships kicked off in Amman, Jordan.
Dibaba, who turned
18 last month, was running in a huge lead pack after the first lap of
the 6 km race, surrounded by her Ethiopian teammates and her
challengers from Kenya, including Mercy Cherono, last year's world
junior 3000m champion. But by the 4 km mark, Dibaba had a four second
lead on Cherono, while the rest of the pack was another nine seconds
back. Cherono was able to stay within striking distance, but could not
get the best of Dibaba who came home first in 20:14. Cherono got the
silver in 20:17, while her Kenyan teammate Jackline Chepngeno took the
bronze in 20:27.
With athletes from Ethiopia and Kenya taking
the top ten spots, there was a very close battle between those nations
for the team title. Both Ethiopia and Kenya scored 18 points, but
Ethiopia was given the gold medal for the second consecutive year
because their last scoring athlete, Emebet Anteneh, finished seventh to
Kenya's top scoring athlete, Hilda Chepkemoi Tanui, who finished
eighth. Japan got the bronze with 76 points.
The top
non-African finisher was Australian Emily Brichacek who finished 11th;
the top European was Britain's Lauren Howarth who finished 13th, while
the top North American was Neely Spence of the United States who
finished 19th.
|
Comments
| Viewing page 1 of 1 (0 post(s) total) |
|
|
|