Eritrea’s Zeresenay Tadesse impressive in
Soria
Sunday 21 November 2004
Zersenay Tadesse on route to victory in Soria (Tejedor)
Soria, Spain
- Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadesse captured a commanding win in the ‘11th
Cross Internacional de Soria’ - EAA cross country permit - race held
today on a sunny day. In doing so the little Tadesse who became Eritrea’s first
ever Olympic medallist last August at the Athens Games with a bronze at 10,000m
beat Qatar’s Abdullah Ahmad Hassan, who was runner-up some three seconds
behind.
Tadesse and
compatriots pack in top-5
The race
opened not particularly quickly with a bunch of the top Spaniards making most
of the early running but Tadesse took command shortly afterwards and only
Hassan - formerly Kenya’s Albert Chepkurui - managed to stay at his shoulder.
However, even
Hassan, who holds an impressive 26:38.76 PB for the 10,000m (2003) and was in
charge for some stages of the race fell back when, with 22 minutes on the clock
and one mile remaining, the 22-year-old Madrid-based Tadesse stepped up the
pace and left him with no chances.
Way back,
Kenyan steeplechaser David Chemweno (PB, 8:11.44) took third place another 30
seconds adrift, while two more Eritreans, 30-year-old Tesfayohannes Mesfen and
Samson Kiflemariam, still 20, were given the same time and completed a classy
top five.
Zimbabwe’s
Cuthbert Nyasango finished sixth and last year’s winner Benjamin Limo, of Kenya
(7th) 1999 World Cross Country short course champion, came seventh. First
Spaniard home in eighth was José Ríos, who snatched bronze at the Europeans
over 10,000m two years ago in Munich.
“I felt great
and comfortable throughout the race and it was not a difficult win; Last year I
only managed to be fourth here in Soria so I’m especially happy with today’s
victory” said Tadesse, adding, “I’ll be running next Sunday in Barcelona
(Spain) in a 10km road race, the ‘Jean Bouin’.”
These three
Eritreans, joined by Yonas Kifle, led their country to the bronze medal in the
long race at last year’s World in Brussels only bettered on that occasion by
Ethiopia and Kenya. All of them live and train in Madrid under the guidance of
Jerónimo Bravo. Iaaf.org
Emeterio
Valiente for the IAAF
Results
Men (9000m course)
1. Zersenay Tadesse (Eri) 25:52
2. Abdullah Ahmad Hassan (Qat) 25:55
3. David Chemweno (Ken) 26:25
4. Tesfayohannes Mesfen (Eri) 26:27
5. Samson Kiflemariam (Eri) 26:27
6. Cuthbert Nyasango (Zim) 26:36
7. Benjamin Limo (Ken) 26:58
8. José Ríos (Esp) 27:15
9. Iván Galán (Esp) 27:15
10. Antonio Jiménez (Esp) 27:23
Source: www.iaaf.org
Unlimited, high
