Aniko Kalovics from Hungary running in snow at the 2009 Campaccio XC race (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya, 2008 Olympic 5000m silver medallist, and Aniko Kalovics from Hungary, won the men’s and women’s races respectively at yesterday's Campaccio EA Permit cross country meeting in San Giorgio su Legnano (6), which officially kicked off the international athletics year in Italy on an exceptionally snowy day.
The famous Italian cross country race celebrated its 52nd edition in the venue which played host to a very successful edition of the European Cross Country Championships in December 2006.
MEN
Kipchoge beat eight-times European Cross Country champion Sergiy Lebid from Ukraine in the men’s 10 km race in severe weather conditions.
Lebid took the lead in the early stages of the race building up a gap of about 20 metres. The African runners, who certainly are not used to snowy conditions, ran more conservately in the early part of the race. The Ukrainian went through the first of four laps in 6:07.
Andrea Lalli, the European U23 XC champion last month in Brussels, who became European junior cross country champion at this venue in 2006, led the chasing pack followed by last year’s Campaccio winner Edwin Soi, the Olympic 5000m bronze medallist.
Soi, who won last week’s Boclassic in Bolzano, overtook Lalli briefly at the head of the chasing pack during the second lap.
Lebid continued to run in the front but after 18 minutes Eliud Kipchoge took on point duty for the pursuers and reduced the gap on Lebid, while Soi seemed to struggle and was overtaken by Lalli, who is a major hope for Italian distance running for the future.
Kipchoge caught up with Lebid with 22 minutes on the clock during the third lap. During the last lap Kipchoge increased his advantage on Lebid who tried to hold on. Shortly before the entrance into the stadium they both launched their finishing kick, a battle which saw Kipchoge holding- off Lebid by two seconds. Kipchoge crossed the finish-line in 29:56 to Lebid’s 29:58.
Leonard Komon, the World Cross Country silver medallist from Edinburgh last year behind Kenenisa Bekele, finished third in 30:12. Lalli finished in fourth position in 30:23 holding off Soi by five seconds.
“It was very hard”, said Kipchoge. “I have never run in snowy condititions. I am planning to run in Edinburgh on Saturday and then I will return to Kenya to prepare the National Trials.”
Lebid said “I thought that the Kenyans would have not managed to catch me. I will face again Kipchoge in Edinburgh and then I am planning a couple of races in Spain (Seville and San Sebastian) but I have not decided yet if I will take part in the World Cross Country Championships in Amman. I want to plan my season step by step.”
WOMEN
Aniko Kalovics took her second win in San Giorgio su Legnano after her victory in 2004 beating an all-European field. The Hungarian cross country and road race star again adopted a similar gun-to-tape tactic to pull away from the rest of the field as in 2004, although the weather conditions were very different this time.
Kalovics went to the front during the first of three laps of the women’s 6 km race. During the first lap Kalovics led 2006 European Cross Country champion Tetyana Holovchenko from Ukraine, who has also won this race in San Giorgio su Legnano. Elena Romagnolo from Italy, Olympic finalist in the 3000m Steeplechase in Beijing, followed 10 metres behind Holovchenko in third place.
The Hungarian went through the first lap in 6:57 with an 11 seconds lead over Romagnolo who overtook Holovchenko. Kalovics carved out a solid gap over Romagnolo increasing her lead to 22 seconds at the end of the second lap.
Kalovics continued to increase her margin after the bell and won unopposed in 20:33 beating Romagnolo by 29 seconds. Another Italian, Federica Dal Ri edged out Holovchenko in a dramatic sprint for third place.
“Running in the snow was better than in muddy conditions because the course was not slippery,” said Kalovics. “I got a cold after the Venice Marathon, so I decided to take rest. This winter I trained in Potchefstroom in South Africa for three weeks. There I found totally different condititions with a temperature above 30°C. Now I am planning a couple of cross country races in Elgoibar, Seville and San Vittore Olona. I am not planning any marathons next spring but I will take part in some half-marathons including the Stramilano,” said Kalovics.
Romagnolo, tenth at the European Cross Country Championships in Brussels last month, improved on her third position here last year. “My second place is a good result. I hope to improve again next year”, said Romagnolo.
Russia’s Gulnara Galkina, Olympic champion and world record holder for the women’s 3000m Steeplechase, was forced to drop out of the race due to a bout of flu.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
Results
Men’s 10 km
1 Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) 29:56
2 Sergiy Lebid (Ukraine) 29:58
3 Leonard Komon (Kenya) 30:12
4 Andrea Lalli (Italy) 30:23
5 Edwin Soi (Kenya) 30:28
6 Stefano Scaini (Italy) 31:10
7 Ibrahim Jeylan Gashu (Ethiopia) 31:10
8 Lucas Rotich (Kenya) 31:10
9 Daniele Meucci (Italy) 31:11
10 Gabriele De Nard (Italy) 31:12
Women’s 6km
1 Aniko Kalovics (Hungary) 20:33
2 Elena Romagnolo (Italy) 21:02
3 Federica Dal Ri (Italy) 21:21
4 Tetyana Holovchenko (Ukraine) 21:21
5 Valentina Costanza (Italy) 21:41
6 Melissa Peretti (Italy) 21:44
7 Cristina Casandra (Romania) 22:02
8 Micaela Bonessi (Italy) 22:10
9 Emma Quaglia (Italy) 22:11
10 Cristiana Artuso (Italy) 22:12
