Thierry Ndikumwenayo wins the Almond Blossom Cross Country in Albufeira (© Organisers)
The Cross Internacional de Soria, the fourth Gold level meeting of this season’s World Athletics Cross Country Tour, will take place on Sunday (6) at the Monte Valonsadero circuit. A beautiful forest on the outskirts of Soria, it is well known for having been a frequent training venue for Spain's 1992 Olympic 1500m champion Fermin Cacho and 1997 and 1999 world marathon champion Abel Anton.
The men’s 10km contest features some outstanding distance runners, including Burundi's Thierry Ndikumwenayo and Eritrea's Merhawi Mebrahtu. The former was the world's quickest athlete over 3000m during the outdoor season courtesy of the impressive 7:25.93 clocking he managed in Monaco in August. Setting a national record, Ndikumwenayo now sits seventh on the world all-time list for the distance.
The 25-year-old Burundian is based in Castellon, where he trains under Pepe Ortuno and shares training sessions with his compatriot Rodrigue Kwizera. There won't be a clash between them on Sunday, however, since Kwizera has opted to compete in a low-key downhill 10km race in Alcobendas on the same day.
Ndikumwenayo successfully opened his cross country campaign on 16 October when he claimed a narrow sprint victory over Kwizera and he hopes to maintain his momentum in the 10,000m event on Sunday.
His toughest opposition might well be Mebrahtu. The 19-year-old claimed a world U20 silver medal in Cali in August over 5000m, a distance for which he boasts a 13:04.49 PB set on the Spanish soil of Huelva in June.
The promising Eritrean will be making his second ever cross country outing this weekend after his fourth place at last December's Venta de Banos event. He will be joined by his compatriot Awet Habte, who won last year's cross country event in Amorebieta one month before his debut in the marathon where he took fifth in Seville in 2:06:25.
Watch out too for the Ugandan U20 pair of Dismas Yeko and Peter Maru. The latter was ninth in the 5000m in Cali but holds a fine 13:07.42 PB over the distance, while Yeko is the reigning world universitary cross country champion and has clocked 28:33.0 for 10,000m at the altitude of Kampala. Last year's runner up Thomas Ayeko will also be in contention.
Not to be discounted for top five places are Italy's cross country champion Iliass Aouani, fresh from a runner-up finish last Sunday in Amorebieta, and Uruguay's Santiago Catrofe, third on that occasion. Spanish hopes rest on Nassim Hassaous, who finished fifth in Amorebieta.
The women's field is headed by Kenya's Lucy Mawia. The 24-year-old is the defending champion in Soria and took a convincing win a fortnight ago in Bydgoszcz.
Lucy Mawia Muli on her way to winning in Bydgoszcz (© Pawel Skraba)
Earlier this year, Mawia improved her 5000m career best to 15:22.93 and also ran 15:10 on the roads.
The Kenyan's main challengers should be Burundi's Cavaline Nahimana, second last week in Amorebieta, and Spain's Marta Garcia, a 12th-place finisher at the European Championships in Munich over 5000m in a lifetime best of 15:23.36.
Notable past victors in Soria include the likes of Ethiopia’s 2000 Olympic 5000m champion Million Wolde, Kenya’s 2001 world 10,000m champion Charles Kamathi, 1997 world 10,000m champion Sally Barsosio, Eritrea’s 2007 world cross country champion Zersenay Tadese, 2010 world cross country champion Joseph Ebuya and 2009 world 10,000m champion Linet Masai.
Unlike many previous editions when the thermometer marked temperatures close to zero, weather forecasters predict a sunny day on Sunday with a pleasant 15°C by the time of the event.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
