Likina Amebaw wins at the 5km Cursa dels Nassos (© Sergio Mateo Maria)
Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw moved to joint fifth on the world all-time list and Jose Carlos Pinto won in a Portuguese record at the 5km Cursa dels Nassos, a World Athletics Label event, held in Barcelona on Wednesday (31).
The women’s contest was jointly held with the men’s race and it witnessed a solo run by Amebaw. Racing in pleasant conditions, Amebaw became a lonesome leader from the start. She covered the opening kilometre in a cautious 2:58, while France’s European indoor 1500m champion Agathe Guillemot and Great Britain’s world indoor 800m silver medallist Jemma Reekie travelled together a couple of seconds back. Amebaw increased her pace and covered the following kilometres in around 2:50 pace to go through the 3km checkpoint in 8:39, well ahead of Guillemot and Reekie (9:03).
Over the closing kilometres, the Spain-based Ethiopian maintained her brisk speed to finish in 14:23 – a 10-second improvement on her PB set in Monaco in February, achieving the world’s second-quickest performance of 2025 and a time that elevates her to equal fifth on the all-time list.
“I was boxed over the first kilometre and I couldn’t run faster than 2:58. I think that prevented me from breaking the Ethiopian record of 14:19,” explained Amebaw.
The men’s contest had been billed as an assault on Jimmy Gressier’s European record of 12:57 by Spain’s European cross country champion Thierry Ndikumwenayo. Paced by his training partner Ciro Martin, the 28-year-old European 10,000m bronze medallist reached the opening kilometres in 2:36 (1km) and 5:12 (2km), on schedule to make a serious attempt on the record. By then, only Pinto and Norway’s Magnus Tuv Myhre could keep up with the Spaniard. It was when the clock read 6:50 that Pinto, a 3:31.94 1500m specialist, left Ndikumwenayo and Myhre behind before reaching 3km in 7:49 to the 7:53 by his rivals.
Over the closing kilometres, the 28-year-old Portuguese athlete maintained his swift rhythm to finally cross the finish line in a huge lifetime best and national record of 13:10, while Myhre was runner-up in a career best of 13:13. The pre-race favourite Ndikumwenayo had to settle for third in 13:33.
“I knew I was in great shape, so I’m not surprised by my win,” said Pinto. “I had visited Barcelona several times to compete on the track but today I have discovered the city has a perfect and quick circuit for 5km races. I’ll next compete at the Valencia 10km on 11 January where I would like to smash my PB of 27:53 and clock 27:20.”
Leading results
Women
1 Likina Amebaw (ETH) 14:23
2 Agathe Guillemot (FRA) 15:04
3 Jemma Reekie (GBR) 15:21
4 Alondra Negron (PUR) 15:32
5 Almi Nerurkar (GBR) 15:35
Men
1 Jose Carlos Pinto (POR) 13:10
2 Magnus Tuv Myhre (NOR) 13:13
3 Thierry Ndikumwenayo (ESP) 13:22
4 Anas Lagtiy Chaoudar (FRA) 13:33
5 Kieran Lumb (CAN) 13:36
Kamworor and Garcia reign in Madrid
Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor and Spain’s Marta Garcia captured victory at the San Silvestre Vallecana, a World Athletics Elite Label event, held in Madrid on Wednesday (31).
The men’s contest saw the early lead of the three-time world half marathon champion Kamworor, closely followed by a trio of Spaniards: Aaron Las Heras, Jesus Ramos and Nassim Haasous. That quartet covered the opening downhill 3km in 8:06 and shortly after the fourth kilometre, first Hassaous and then Las Heras ceded ground while Kamworor and a brave Ramos remained at the helm to record 13:28 by halfway.
Ramos’s resistance came to an end some 19 minutes into the race when he simply could not follow the two-time world cross country champion’s brisk pace. From then on, the 33-year-old Kamworor extended his lead to finish in 27:42, 15 seconds clear of the 29-year-old Spaniard, while Las Heras completed the podium thanks to a 28:01 performance.
The women’s race featured two of the finest European distance runners: Garcia and Diane van Es of the Netherlands. The pair travelled together for much of the race, sandwiched between a large group of male athletes. The world 5000m seventh-place finisher Garcia and the European 10,000m silver medallist Van Es went through halfway in 15:13, while the Spanish 10km record-holder Carla Gallardo and Finland’s Nathalie Blomqvist ran seven seconds in arrears.
The fierce fight between Garcia and Van Es continued over the second half, the Spaniard always leading the way and the Dutch athlete one step back. The key move came some 800m from home when Garcia managed to open a shy advantage over Van Es. By the time they entered the Rayo Vallecano stadium pitch, the defending champion Garcia had already decided the contest in her favour, clocking 31:12 to Van Es’s 31:19, while Gallardo secured third place in 30:26, clearly ahead of Blomqvist (31:57).
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
Leading results
Women
1 Marta Garcia (ESP) 31:12
2 Diane van Es (NED) 31:19
3 Carla Gallardo (ESP) 31:26
4 Nathalie Blomqvist (FIN) 31:57
5 Fatima Azzahraa Ouhaddou Nafie (ESP) 32:01
Men
1 Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN) 27:42
2 Jesus Ramos (ESP) 27:57
3 Aaron Las Heras (ESP) 28:01
4 Urgessa Negassa (ETH) 28:16
5 Carlos Mayo (ESP) 28:20
Kejelcha sets record, Battocletti does hat-trick in Bolzano
Yomif Kejelcha ran a course record of 27:42, while Nadia Battocletti secured her third successive victory at the BOclassic Alto Adige, a World Athletics Label road race, in Bolzano, Italy, on Wednesday (31).
Yomif Kejelcha wins the BOclassic 10km (© Mosna)
Ethiopia’s two-time world 10,000m silver medallist Kejelcha took 17 seconds off the 10km course record set by his compatriot Telahun Haile Bekele last year, while Italy’s world 5000m and 10,000m medallist Battocletti ran 15:51 to complete a 5km hat-trick in Bolzano.
Kejelcha ran the first five 1250m laps in a group that also included Bekele, crowd favourite Yeman Crippa of Italy, Maxime Chaumeton of South Africa, Kenya’s Charles Rotich and Belgium’s John Heymans.
Kejelcha, the world half marathon record-holder, picked up the pace on the sixth lap. By the time he passed the start and finish area for the seventh time, Bekele had caught up. But on the final lap, Kejelcha pulled away again and clinched victory in 27:42. Bekele was runner-up this time in 27:47, while Crippa was third in 27:57, also finishing inside the previous record. Chaumeton finished fourth and Heymans finished fifth.
All eyes were on Battocletti in the women’s 5km and she took it relatively easy on the first two laps, running as part of a large group. She broke away in the second half of the race and eventually won in 15:51.
The battle for the runner-up spot was won by her compatriot Federica Del Buono as last year's fourth-place finisher this time clocked 16:04 minutes to take second place. The podium was completed by Ethiopia’s Ksanet Alem, who lost out to Del Buono in the final sprint. Great Britain’s Cari Hughes finished fourth, while Italy’s Valentina Gemetto finished fifth.
Organisers for World Athletics
Leading results
Women (5km)
1 Nadia Battocletti (ITA) 15:51
2 Federica Del Buono (ITA) 16:04
3 Ksanet Alem (ETH) 16:05
4 Cari Hughes (GBR) 16:06
5 Valentina Gemetto (ITA) 16:08
Men (10km)
1 Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) 27:42
2 Telahun Haile Bekele (ETH) 27:47
3 Yeman Crippa (ITA) 27:57
4 Maxime Chaumeton (RSA) 27:59
5 John Heymans (BEL) 28:17
