Brian Kiptoo wins in Venta de Banos (© Asociacion ADOC)
Kenyan teenagers Dorcus Chepkwemoi and Brian Kiptoo were victorious at the Cross Internacional de Venta de Banos, the 10th Gold level meeting of this season’s World Athletics Cross Country Tour, held on Sunday (21).
The races took place on a cold day (3C) over a tough, muddy circuit following non-stop rain on the eve of the competition. In doing so, the unheralded Chepkwemoi and Kiptoo claimed the most remarkable victories of their young careers so far.
The women’s event kicked off at a slow pace, with pre-event favourite Chepkwemoi and Spanish duo Carla Gallardo and Isabel Barreiro leading a large front pack. The decisive move came as early as 1.5km into the race when the long-legged Kenyan increased the pace and broke away with ease. The 19-year-old covered the opening 2.3km lap in 8:04, opening an eight-second lead over a chasing group led by Maria Forero and Angela Viciosa, who were two seconds clear of Claudia Corral.
Midway through the second lap, newly crowned European U23 cross-country champion Forero dropped Viciosa to move into a clear second place. Chepkwemoi clocked 7:59 for the lap to extend her lead to 16 seconds over Forero, who in turn was six seconds ahead of Viciosa, now reeled in by Corral.
Over the penultimate loop, Corral left Viciosa behind, while Chepkwemoi posted a slightly slower 8:07 lap but still widened her advantage to 36 seconds over Forero and 43 over Corral. There were no major changes on the final lap as the young Kenyan romped home well clear of Forero, with finishing times of 36:09 and 37:03 respectively, while Corral secured the final podium spot a further 15 seconds back.
“The race was very tough,” said Chepkwemoi. “Every step was complicated because of the mud, and I felt cold throughout. I knew Forero had won the European U23 title last weekend and wanted to push hard as early as possible to secure the win.”
The men’s contest, also held over 9.3km, saw an early lead by Burundi’s Eric Nzambimana, followed closely by Morocco’s Abderraahmane Aferdi, Brian Kiptoo and Spaniards Aaron Las Heras and Nassim Hassaous. Hassaous, racing less than two weeks after his marathon debut in Valencia, moved to the front about 5km into the race. Shortly afterwards, Kiptoo slipped and fell on a muddy section but quickly regained his footing to rejoin the leaders.
The opening 2.3km lap was covered in 7:15 before Hassaous’s relentless pace reduced the lead group to three, with only Kiptoo and Aferdi able to follow, while pre-race favourite Las Heras began to lose ground. The trio ran a quicker 7:06 second lap, driven by Aferdi at the front, opening a five-second gap on Las Heras in fourth.
Aferdi’s pace proved too much for Hassaous, who lost contact with the Moroccan and Kiptoo early in the penultimate lap, timed at 7:03. At the bell, Aferdi and Kiptoo had built a 15-second lead over Hassaous, who himself was eight seconds ahead of Las Heras. The final lap produced a thrilling duel, with both athletes taking turns at the front before Aferdi unleashed a strong surge with 900m remaining, briefly opening a small gap. Kiptoo refused to give in and chased him down.
The pair entered the final 300m on the cinder track separated by just five metres. Aferdi appeared to hold off the late challenge, but Kiptoo surged past in the final 10 metres to claim victory in 31:43 after a fast 6:57 final lap, with Aferdi, a 1:01:15 half marathon specialist, finishing one second behind.
“Honestly, I didn’t know any of my rivals today so I decided to wait and see in the early laps,” said 17-year-old Kiptoo, who has a 5:31.96 PB for the 2000m steeplechase. “When Aferdi made his move it was very difficult to follow, but I managed to overtake him at the very end. I’ll race again next weekend at another cross country event in Amurrio.”
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
Leading results
Women
1 Dorcus Chepkwemoi (KEN) 36:09
2 Maria Forero (ESP) 37:03
3 Claudia Corral (ESP) 37:18
4 Angela Viciosa (ESP) 37:35
5 Naima Ait Alibou (ESP) 37:36
Men
1 Brian Kiptoo (KEN) 31:43
2 Abderraahmane Aferdi (MOR) 31:44
3 Nassim Hassaous (ESP) 32:10
4 Aaron Las Heras (ESP) 32:36
5 Yahya Aouina (ESP) 32:44
