Linet Masai has struggled with illness and injury in recent years but the 2009 world 10,000m champion is rounding into some good form again.A week after winning in Soria, Spain, she travelled about 200km south and decimated an international line-up at the 34th edition of the Cross Internacional de la Constitucion in Alcobendas on Sunday (29).A three-time runner-up at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Masai showed glimmers of that form on the park circuit in Madrid&rsquo;s northern suburb as she dominated the senior women&rsquo;s race in 28:41 to regain the title she won seven years ago when she was a junior. Ireland&rsquo;s two-time European cross country champion Fionnuala McCormack (nee Britton) was second in 29:17 while Spain&rsquo;s Trihas Gebre &ndash; the leading non-African finisher at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships Guiyang 2015 this March &ndash; was an isolated third in 29:52.Britton and Gebre will face each other again in two weeks&rsquo; time at the European Cross Country Championships in Hyeres, France where they will both be in the hunt for medals. A week after winning the Great Ethiopian Run on the roads over 10km in Addis Ababa, Tamirat Tola showed his versatility by claiming victory in the senior men&rsquo;s 9.28km race ahead of reigning champion Timothy Toroitich from Uganda and world cross-country bronze medallist Muktar Edris, also from Ethiopia.Tola, whose repertoire also includes a 27:22.64 10,000m and a best time of 2:06:17 for the marathon, had the company of Toroitich until the seventh kilometre but the latter faded badly in the closing stages. The Ethiopian broke the tape in 29:28 to become the first Ethiopian winner of the men&rsquo;s race in Alcobendas since Gebre Gebremariam defended his title in 2009, with Toroitich losing some 37 seconds on the winner in the last two kilometres. Edris was third in 30:16.Another Spanish race, the 24th edition of the Cross Hiru-Herri which took place in Burlada on Sunday, produced home wins for Abdelaziz Merzoughi in the 9.8km men&rsquo;s race in 28:55 and Paula Gonzalez in the 6km women&rsquo;s race in 19:47.<h3>African juniors dominate proceedings in Leffrinckoucke</h3>At the Cross de l&rsquo;Acier in Leffrinckoucke, East African juniors dominated the senior races. In the men&rsquo;s race over 9.95km, Kenya&rsquo;s world junior cross-country bronze medallist Alfred Ngeno beat the Ethiopian duo of Leul Gebrselassie and Yihulign Adane to win in 30:06 while Guiyang silver medallist Dera Dida led an Ethiopian clean sweep in the 6.65km women&rsquo;s race, crossing the line in 24:13. Her compatriots, African junior 5000m silver medallist Sintayehu Lewetegn and Bezunesh Getachew, came home four and five seconds adrift respectively.Up-and-coming Belgian distance runner Louise Carton took the spoils at the CrossCup van West-Vlaanderen in Roeselare on Sunday. The 21-year-old won the 6.25km race in 22:21, nine seconds ahead of Sweden&rsquo;s 20-year-old Sarah Lahti.Comprising the podium in the senior women&rsquo;s race was the 42-year-old Veerle Dejaeghere. Having recently sealed the Olympic qualifying time for the marathon, Dejaeghere returned to her favoured surface to finish third in 22:38 ahead of strong cross-country exponents such as compatriot Almensh Belete (22:48) and Jip Vastenburg (22:51) from the Netherlands. Kenya&rsquo;s Alex Kibet won the men&rsquo;s 10km race in 30:23, two seconds ahead of the local star Isaac Kimeli, who was second in the European under-23 5000m this summer.At the Carsolina Cross in Trieste on Sunday, Patrick Nasti won the senior men&rsquo;s race in 25:49 with 2012 European cross-country champion Andrea Lalli a non-finisher just four weeks after finishing 11th at the New York Marathon.Barbara Bressi won the women&rsquo;s senior race in 23:54.<h3>Ngetich and Chepkoech continue winning form in Nyahururu&nbsp; </h3>Cleophas Ngetich claimed his second victory of the AK/KCB Cross Country Series in Nyahururu on Saturday (28). A fortnight after winning the second leg in Embu, Ngetich ensured back-to-back wins on the domestic circuit with a decisive victory over 10km in 30:30. He defeated a solid field including Kenyan junior cross-country champion Dominic Kiptarus and 2007 world youth 1500m champion Fredrick Musyoki, who were second and third in 30:43 and 30:51.Four weeks after winning the opening race of the series, Caroline Chepkoech also continued her fine form with her second win on home soil in the space of a month. The 21-year-old ran away from Margaret Chelimo, who finished 13th at this year&rsquo;s IAAF World Cross Country Championships, to win the senior women&rsquo;s race in 35:01 and by 17 seconds. Sheila Chepkirui, who won the world youth 1500m title at the age of 14 a decade ago, was third in 35:24. Gemma Steel claimed her third title in a row at the Liverpool Cross Challenge on Saturday, which doubled up as the British trial race for the European Cross Country Championships in two weeks&rsquo; time.In a repeat of last year&rsquo;s race continental championship in Samokov, Bulgaria, where Steel outlasted Kate Avery for the title on a frozen course, Steel ground out another win over 8km in Liverpool&rsquo;s Sefton Park. She broke the tape in 27:31 with Avery two seconds in arrears.Steph Twell comprised the podium in 27:47 while Laura Muir &ndash; who enjoyed an outstanding summer on the track capped by a 3:58.66 1500m personal best in Monaco &ndash; finished fifth in 27:57. The latter will contest the under-23 title at the European Cross Country Championships.In the senior men&rsquo;s 10km race, Ross Millington claimed a comfortable win in 30:09 ahead of Dewi Griffiths in 30:22.At the Canadian Cross Country Championships staged in Kingston, Ontario on Saturday, Canadian 10,000m record-holder Natasha Wodak retained her title in the senior women&rsquo;s 8km in 27:14, coming home three seconds ahead of marathon specialist Rachel Hannah.In the senior men&rsquo;s 10km, Ross Proudfoot took the spoils in 30:07, winning by three seconds from Alex Genest. Steven Mills (with assistance from Kip Evans) for the IAAF

Linet Masai has struggled with illness and injury in recent years but the 2009 world 10,000m champion is rounding into some good form again.

Masai and Tola build on their momentum in Alcobendas – cross-country round-up

The famous Cinque Mulini cross country meeting in the Italian town of San Vittore Olona will celebrate its 83rd edition on Sunday (15) and spectators are potentially going be treated to a battle between Ethiopia&rsquo;s Muktar Edris and Kenya&rsquo;s Jairus Birech at the ninth of this winter&rsquo;s IAAF Cross Country Permit meetings.Edris, the fastest 5000m runner in the world in 2014, will be bidding to take his second Cinque Mulini title two years after winning a close sprint ahead of Bahrain&rsquo;s Albert Rop. The young Ethiopian runner, then a teenager, went on to win the IAAF World Cross Country Championships junior men&rsquo;s bronze medal in Bydgoszcz a few weeks later. He showed his recent good form winning two top Italian road races, the Giro di Trento and the Boclassic in Bolzano and he will be looking to do better than 12 months ago in this race when he could only finish fifth in the defence of his title. Birech dominated last year&rsquo;s Diamond Race in the 3000m steeplechase and clocked the fastest time in the world in 2014, and the seventh fastest time in history, with 7:58.41 at the IAAF Diamond League final in Brussels last September. Two more Kenyan runners, Alex Kibet and Thomas Lokomwa, are also part of the elite men&rsquo;s field.Kibet, winner of the last two editions of the Lotto Cross Cup in Brussels, will return to San Vittore Olona where he finished runner-up last year to his compatriot Paul Tanui last year. Lokomwa is well known to Italian cross country and road running fans. Last year, he finished third in San Vittore Olona and won the Stramilano Half Marathon.Poland&rsquo;s 2014 European Championships 3000m steeplechase silver medallist Krystian Zalewski as well as the Italian runners Patrick Nasti and Marouan Razine will lead the European challenge.If the odds are very long that European runners will take the honours in the men&rsquo;s race, they are significantly short in the women&rsquo;s contest.<h3>Steel looking to shine </h3> Great Britain&rsquo;s Gemma Steel completed her set of medals at the European Cross Country Championships last December in Samokov, Bulgaria, finally winning the gold medal after bronze in 2011 and the silver medal in 2013. Steel will run the Cinque Mulini for the third time in her career after finishing sixth in 2011 and second behind Kenya&rsquo;s Faith Kipyegon in 2014. She continued her good form after Samokov when won the Sao Silvestre Vallecana 10km race in Madrid on 31 December but then had an off-day in her last outing at the Great Edinburgh XCountry, another IAAF Cross Country Permit meeting, and could only finish 11th at that event last month.Portugal&rsquo;s Dulce Felix is a complete distance runner who is able to run well on the track, over cross country and on the road. It will also be the third time in San Vittore Olona for her, after finishing third in 2010 and second in 2011. Africa will be represented by Kenya&rsquo;s Viola Jelagat and Uganda&rsquo;s Mercyline Chelangat while Italian hopes will be carried by former European junior champion Silvia La Barbera, recently a winner at the Villa Lagarina cross country race in Rovereto, and 3000m steeplechaser Valeria Roffino.&nbsp; The Cinque Mulini will celebrate the 45th edition of its women&rsquo;s race. The first time was in 1971 when Great Britain&rsquo;s Rita Ridley won. Since then, among the winners have been five Olympic champions. France&rsquo;s Colette Besson, Soviet Union&rsquo;s Lyudmila Bragina, Italy&rsquo;s Gabriella Dorio, Romania&rsquo;s Maricica Puica and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Derartu Tulu have all added their names to the roll of honour of the Cinque Mulini women&rsquo;s race. Norwegian distance running legend Grete Waitz won in San Vittore Olona with a record six titles between 1978 and 1984 and described the Cinque Mulini as &ldquo;the most beautiful cross country in the world,&rdquo; it&rsquo;s name translating as the Five Mills race and, indeed, the runners go through the some of the aforementioned buildings.The Olympic men&rsquo;s champions who have run through the famous Meraviglia and Cozzi mills include the likes of Billy Mills, Kipchoge Keino, Mamo Wolde, Lasse Viren, John Walker, Steve Ovett, Sebastian Coe, Alberto Cova, Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele. Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF

The famous Cinque Mulini cross country meeting in the Italian town of San Vittore Olona will celebrate its 83rd edition on Sunday (15) and spectators are potentially going be treated to an all-African battle between Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris and Kenya’s Jairus Birech at the ninth of this winter’s IAAF Cross Country Permit meetings.

Edris looking to regain his Cinque Mulini title

The Iris Lotto CrossCup was marked by two thrilling duels between two Kenyan athletes. Alex Kibet won a fierce battle against his compatriot Abraham Kapsis Kipyatich while 19-year-old Sheila Chepngetich Keter triumphed over Commonwealth 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon at the IAAF Cross Country Permit meeting in Brussels on Sunday (21).<h3>Kibet on a quest to compete in Guaying</h3> The men&rsquo;s race was winding up when Kibet, 21-year-old Kipyatich and Bahrain&rsquo;s Albert Rop suddenly went to the front and pulled the field apart. James Rungaru and Dickson Kurui, two other Kenyans, joined the leaders and a group of five athletes took command of the race.Kipyatich ratcheted up the pace and Kibet was the only athlete able to keep up with him. Rop and Rungaru formed the next couple in places three and four, while Kurui dropped back and Dame Tasama, an Ethiopian resident in Belgium, moved up to fifth place.Kipyatich and Kibet were battling in front taking it in turns to lead as the gap ahead of the chase pack continued to open up under the continuous pressure. But ultimately Kibet proved to be the stronger athlete as he made a tactical decisive effort up the final uphill section with about 500 metres remaining. He opened up a 50-metre lead and maintained that advantage until the finish line.&ldquo;I was confident about my race all the time,&rdquo; said Kibet, who was cheered by the local fans as he is a resident in the country and represents a Belgian club. &ldquo;I won here last year but on the other hand there were a few really strong guys in the field. Initially I wanted to attack with two laps to go but my opponent was always able to respond to my accelerations. I didn&rsquo;t know him and therefore I preferred not to let the race turn into a sprint finish, even when I&rsquo;m confident about my kick.&ldquo;I have been training well,&rdquo; continued Kibet, &ldquo;and my next goal is to qualify for the Kenyan team for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang. I must finish in the top six on 14 February at the Kenyan trials and I&rsquo;m sure that I have a good chance to do so.&rdquo;Rop, who was beaten into third, was not too disappointed. &ldquo;I started my training late this year and I knew that I was not competitive enough today to stick with the leading group,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But this race gave me confidence that I will gradually improve my form and I will be ready for the World Cross Country Championships as well. Be sure of that. Later this year my sights are set on the 5000m at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing.&rdquo;Rungaru finished in fourth place, Tasame was fifth and the young Belgian Isaac Kimeli came from far behind to finish in sixth.<h3>Chepngetich Keter, a rising star</h3> The women&rsquo;s race began in much the same fashion as the men&rsquo;s. A group of four athletes made an early surge to the front and disintegrated the field. Ireland&rsquo;s two-time European cross-country champion Fionnuala Britton worked hard at the front and was joined by Kipyegon, Chepngetich Keter and a third Kenyan, Perine Nengampi.Kipyegon tried to break away from the field on the second of four laps, but Chepngetich responded, while Britton and Nengampi gathered behind.Just as she had done in Nyahururu two weeks ago, the young Chepngetich passed Kipyegon on the final lap and never relinquished her lead.Chepngetich is the world junior 1500m bronze medallist and formed part of the winning Kenyan junior team at the 2013 World Cross Country Championships. 2015 will be her first season as a senior, but her manager Marc Corstjens believes she is one to watch.&ldquo;Do not underestimate this young woman,&rdquo; said Corstjens. &ldquo;She does not yet express herself in English, but she has won three cross-country races recently in Nairobi, Iten and Nyahururu and she remains unbeaten this season. She is arguably one of the best athletes in her country at this moment.&rdquo;At one point, Britton looked as though she would lose the sprint for third place but she dug in deep and moved past Nengampi again in the latter stages.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had so many unfortunate races this year that I really did not want to finish in fourth place today,&rdquo; said Britton.Bahrain&rsquo;s world junior steeplechase champion Ruth Jebet and Kenya&rsquo;s Cynthia Kosgei finished fifth and sixth respectively.The awards were presented by cross-country legends Gaston Roelants from Belgium and Dave Bedford from Great Britain.Ivo Hendrix for the IAAF

The Iris Lotto CrossCup was marked by two thrilling duels between two Kenyan athletes. Alex Kibet won a fierce battle against his compatriot Abraham Kapsis Kipyatich while 19-year-old Sheila Chepngetich Keter triumphed over Commonwealth 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon at the IAAF Cross Country Permit meeting in Brussels on Sunday (21).

Masai and Tola build on their momentum in Alcobendas – cross-country round-up

Edris looking to regain his Cinque Mulini title

Kenyans Kibet and Chepngetich dominate in Brussels