byLarry EderKenenisa Bekele, Olympic champion at 5k and 10k, is human. With a sore knee, Bekele takes third in the Seven Hills 15k in Niminjgen, and promptly heads to the doctor…
KOYUNCU AND SIZMAZ
ISTANBUL (TUR, Nov 16): Home runners secured wins at first European Athletics permitted Cross Country race of the new season, the 53rd Omer Besim Memorial in Istanbul. Last year European U23 CC Champion Kemal Koyuncu won the main 10 km men race after 34:43. In sunny weather and 21 degrees he beat by 10 seconds his country-mate Bekir Karayel (34:54). Moldavia marathon record holder Iaroslav Muschinski was third (34:58). Marathon national record holder Mehtap Sizmaz (formerly Dogan) won the women 8 km event exactly while celebrating her 30th birthday with 32:16. Other places on the podium also for Turkish runners Birgul Ozcan (32:37) and Ummu Kiraz (33:09). Best foreign runners Bulgarian Milka Mikhaylova fourth (33:44), Ukrainian Tetyan Vernyhor fifth (34:32) and Moldavian olympian 2004 Svetlana Tkach (35:44). Osman Bas won the men´s U23 race with 27:52 at 8 km with Dereje Abeylegesse second (27:57, he is still Ethiopian), he is brother of 10 000 m European record holder and Olympic double silver medalist Elvan Abeylegesse. In women´s U23 race Narin Kahraman won at 6 km with 24:29. The event was the main qualification for Turkish runners for European CC Championships in Brussels and so it is worth also to mention the junior winners Vedat Gunen (boys, 6 km, 20:51) and Gulcan Mingir (girls, 4 km, 16:02). In total nearly 200 runners from 7 countries participated. Both winners got 1000 USD. Next EA CC permits will be staged during next weekend, two events on Nov 23 in Netherlands (Tilburg) and Portugal (Amora-Seixal).
OTHER RESULTS
VOLPIANO (ITA, Nov 16): Second Italian qualification race for European CC championships was dominated by Elena Romagnolo in women race. At 4th Cross della Volpe she clocked 24:20 at 7 km beating Federica Dal Ri clearly (24:28). Former European junior CC champion Andrea Lalli won the 9 km in 27:21 ahead of Gabriele De Nard (27:25) and Gianmarco Butazzo (27:29).
RIVA DEL GARDA (ITA, Nov 16): High quality 1:01:51 Half-Marathon win for Kenyan Peter Chesang at 7th Garda Trentino race. Gloria Marconi was the best woman (1:16:05).
QUINTANAR (ESP, Nov 16): World CC silver holder Kenyan Leonard Komon won the 28th edition of Cross Castellano-Manchego in Toledo region. He clocked 25:03 at 9 km ahead of his team-mate Elijah Chelimo (25:10). Then home top runners followed with Carles Castillejo (25:23), Jose Rios (25:33), Eliseo Martin (25:37) and Alberto Garcia (25:41). Rosa Morato was the best female runner with 20:49 at 6 km beating Judit Pla (21:00), Diana Martin (21:01), title defender and European CC champion Marta Dominguez (21:02) and Alessandra Aguilar (21:03).
PALERMO (ITA, Nov 16): Ethiopian wins at Palermo Marathon. Balcha Kebede won in 2:16:26 ahead of his team-mate Habte Dinku (2:18:26). Female triumph for Legese Regasa who clocked 2:39:25 beating Adanech Jemilu (2:40:30) with Dutch Kristijna Loonen third (2:57:19).
MADRID (ESP, Nov 16): Kenyan wins at 29th road race Canillejas in Madrid at 10 km. Peter Kamais clocked 28:21 ahead of Benson Olari (28:36) and home Ricardo Serrano (28:55). Women winner Jane Kiptoo achieved 31:31 in clear win over Gladys Cherono (32:17) and best home runner Dolores Checa (32:47).
BOULOGNE-BILANCOURT (FRA, Nov 16): Fast times at 12th Half-Marathon here by Kenyans. Nicolas Manza clocked 1:00:09 ahead of Denis Ndiso (1:01:30) and Musau Mwanza (1:01:30). In women race Emily Rotich achieved 1:10:52. Best European here Ukrainian Yekaterina Statsenko as fifth with 1:13:17. Some 4000 runners participated.
UPDATED (sometimes adjusted as per official results)
NIJMEGEN (NED, Nov 16): World and Olympic winner Kenenisa Bekele finished today third (43:42) at jubilee 25th Seven Hills 15 km road race after his knee and ankle problems and after the race went to see the doctors and missed the victory ceremony. His 10 km split was excellent 27:57, but afterwards started his problems. World record bonus as per atletiek.nl was 100 000 Euro. After the race he admitted he might run marathon at Olympic Games 2012. He was beaten by young Ethiopian Ayele Abshiro (17 years old) who clocked 42:17 ahead of Isaac Kiprop of Uganda (42:21). His younger brother Tariku Bekele was fourth (44:04). Italian Olympic marathon winner Stefano Baldini was 7th in 44:10.
In women race Mestewet Tufa missed the world record of Japanese Kayoko Fukushi only by two seconds with second fastest ever 46:56. Second place for marathon Olympian Martha Komu of Kenya (50:06) and third another Kenyan Gladys Otero (50:35). Best European the Hungarian Beata Rakonczai as fourth (50:51). The best home runners were at fifth positions Dennis Licht(44:07) and Miranda Boonstra (51:19). In total 24 700 runners started, in the history of the event it makes for more than 250 000 runners.
Used with permission of Alfons Juck, EME News.
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