The Cross Internacional de Soria, the second leg of this season&rsquo;s World Athletics Cross Country Permit series, will take place on Sunday (17) at the Monte Valonsadero circuit, a beautiful forest on the outskirts of Soria, well known for having been a frequent training venue for 1992 Olympic 1500m champion Ferm&iacute;n Cacho and 1997 and 1999 world marathon champion Abel Ant&oacute;n.
The men&rsquo;s 10km contest features the whole podium from last Saturday&rsquo;s permit meeting in Atapuerca where Spain&rsquo;s Ouassim Oumaiz was a surprise victor, getting the better of Ugandan duo Thomas Ayeko and Timothy Toroitich.
Oumaiz, born in Spain to Moroccan parents, moved to the High Performance centre in Madrid two years ago to train under the guidance of Antonio Serrano. The 20-year-old is the European U23 cross-country silver medallist and proved to be in stellar form in Atapuerca. Soria will be his last stop before the European Cross Country Championships in Lisbon on 8 December.
The Spaniard will be eager to confirm his win last weekend was no fluke; meanwhile Ayeko and Toroitich will be trying to extend the Ugandan domination in Soria as the East African nation has claimed six successive victories thanks to Dickson Hiru (2013), Toroitich (2014-16) and Jacob Kiplimo, a commanding winner in 2017 and 2018.
Their compatriots Albert Chemutai, a 2017 world 3000m steeplechase finalist, and Maxvell Rotich, a 1:01:11 half marathon performer, will also be in contention on Sunday alongside Burundi&rsquo;s Thierry Ndikumwenavo, sixth in Atapuerca, and Eritrean steeplechaser Yemane Haileselassie.
The Spanish contingent also includes Nassim Hassaous, a creditable ninth in Atapuerca, 2016 European 10,000m bronze medallist Toni Abad&iacute;a, Javier Guerra, a 2:08:33 marathon runner, European steeplechase silver medallist Fernando Carro, and Soria local Daniel Mateo, who finished 10th in the marathon at the recent World Championships.
Spain&rsquo;s Teresa Urbina and Bahrain&rsquo;s Rose Chelimo should be regarded as the main favourites in the women&rsquo;s 8km contest.
The 34-year-old Spaniard finished eighth in Atapuerca last Saturday and boasts a 9:41:95 PB in her specialist event, the 3000m steeplechase. She beat Chelimo, the 2017 world marathon champion, by 17 seconds in Atapuerca, so the Bahraini will try to bounce back from that defeat on Sunday.
Spain&rsquo;s Ana Lozano, who holds a 15:14.23 5000m PB, should also be in the hunt for the podium places.
Notable past victors in Soria include the likes of Ethiopia&rsquo;s 2000 Olympic 5000m champion Million Wolde, Kenya&rsquo;s 2001 world 10,000m champion Charles Kamathi, 1997 world 10,000m champion Sally Barsosio, Eritrea&rsquo;s 2007 world cross-country champion Zersenay Tadese, 2010 world cross-country champion Joseph Ebuya and 2009 world 10,000m champion Linet Masai.
Weather forecasters predict a rainy and cold day on Sunday with a temperature no higher than 5C by the time of the event.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF

The Cross Internacional de Soria, the second leg of this season’s World Athletics Cross Country Permit series, will take place on Sunday (17) at the Monte Valonsadero circuit, a beautiful forest on the outskirts of Soria, well known for having been a frequent training venue for 1992 Olympic 1500m champion Fermín Cacho and 1997 and 1999 world marathon champion Abel Antón.

Oumaiz aims to maintain momentum in Soria

Spain&rsquo;s Ouassim Oumaiz and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Senberi Teferi captured commanding victories at the 16th Cross Internacional de Atapuerca, the opening leg of the 2019-20 IAAF Cross Country Permit series held in windy conditions on Saturday (9) in Burgos, Spain.
In doing so, Teferi notched up her fourth consecutive victory here and she is just one win behind her compatriot Imane Merga&rsquo;s record tally of five. 20-year-old Spaniard Oumaiz, meanwhile, was a totally unexpected winner to achieve the first local victory since 2008.
The women&rsquo;s 8km event, which preceded the men&rsquo;s race, kicked off conservatively as the opening two kilometres were covered in a comfortable 6:55 with nine women at the front, headed by Kenya&rsquo;s Eva Cherono with Britain&rsquo;s Charlotte Arter and Venezuela&rsquo;s Joselyn Brea near the back of the pack.
Cherono&rsquo;s relentless pace soon whittled down the main group to five women, with only her compatriot Gloria Kite, the Ethiopian tandem of Teferi and Fikadu Zenebu plus Uganda&rsquo;s Peruth Chemutai for company.
It was midway the third and penultimate two-kilometre loop that Teferi first took command of the race, although she didn&rsquo;t increase the pace as the leaders covered that lap in 6:33 compared to the previous one&rsquo;s 6:24. Even so, Chemutai lost ground and by the bell the race witnessed the usual Kenyan-Ethiopian battle in the guise of Cherono and Kite versus Teferi and Zenebu.
Some 1.3km from home, Teferi stepped up the pace to open a 15-metre margin on Cherono while Zenebu and Kite ran in single file way back. Although Teferi&rsquo;s advantage over the Kenyan was never big, the Ethiopian&rsquo;s win didn&rsquo;t seem in jeopardy at any time and she crossed the line first for the fourth time in as many appearances in Atapuerca. While Cherono secured the runner-up spot, Zenebu outsprinted Kite in a thrilling sprint to take the third place on the podium.
Arter was the first European home, head and shoulders clear of Spain&rsquo;s Teresa Urbina in seventh and eighth place respectively.
&ldquo;It was a tough race because of the cold and wind but I felt comfortable throughout and managed to unleash my attack over the last kilometre and win,&rdquo; said Teferi, the 2015 world 5000m and cross-country silver medallist. &ldquo;I hope to return next year to match my compatriot Imane Merga&rsquo;s five victories. After my wins at the Valencia Half Marathon and today, I now plan to return to Ethiopia.&rdquo;
<h3>Oumaiz upsets the favourites</h3>
The men&rsquo;s 9km race always looked wide open, but nobody would have imagined that four of the top 10 finishers from this year&rsquo;s World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus would be beaten by rising Spaniard Ouassim Oumaiz, the European U20 cross-country silver medallist.
Right from the start it was Uganda&rsquo;s Thomas Ayeko who made most of the pace with his compatriot Timothy Toroitich and Eritrea&rsquo;s Aron Kifle always in close attendance.
Successive two-kilometre circuits covered in 5:46 and 5:50 left a six-man heading pack also including Burundi&rsquo;s Thierry Ndikumwenavo and the Spanish duo of Oumaiz and European U23 5000m bronze medallist Abdessamad Oukhelfen.
To the surprise of the crowd, Oumaiz moved to the front with the clock reading 16:00 and first Ndikumwenavo and then Oukhelfen began to falter, losing any winning chance.
Shortly before the bell, the Spaniard fell when he was negotiating a tight bend, allowing Ayeko, Kifle and Toroitich to open a 30-metre gap. It seemed as though the victory would be contended by that lead trio, but the Spaniard bounced back and rejoined the pack. In the final kilometre Oumaiz made his move with a brisker pace that the other three men couldn&rsquo;t follow. 
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<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/23aac3b2-07ab-488b-9c3c-c7cbee6cacbf.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Ouassim Oumaiz wins at the Cross de Atapuerca</div>
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The leader romped home unopposed, clearly ecstatic by the fact he had defeated some of the world cross country cr&egrave;me on home soil.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m over the moon,&rdquo; said Oumaiz, who finished 20th in Aarhus earlier this year. &ldquo;Obviously, I knew my fitness was fine and was expecting a good performance today, but I didn&rsquo;t dream of winning against some of the best specialists in the world. Unfortunately I picked up an injury after the World Cross and missed the track campaign. I had to settle for watching the World Championships on TV and was eager to come back to competition.
&ldquo;My short-term goal is the European Cross in Lisbon on 8 December; I&rsquo;m still eligible for the under-23 category but I&rsquo;ll contest the senior race and hope to fight for the podium places. I&rsquo;ll next run in Soria on Sunday 17 November.&rdquo;
Asked on whether he had chatted with his podium mates today, Oumaiz laughed and said: &ldquo;yes, Toroitich congratulated me and said, &lsquo;now it&rsquo;s your time, guy&rsquo;.&rdquo;
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men (9km) 1 Ouassim Oumaiz (ESP) 25:54 2 Thomas Ayeko (UGA) 25:56 3 Timothy Toroitich (UGA) 25:56 4 Aron Kifle (ERI) 25:59 5 Abdessalam Oukhelfen (ESP) 26:09 6 Thierry Ndikumwenavo (BUR) 26:15 7 Carlos Mayo (ESP) 26:17 8 Awet Habte (ERI) 26:18 9 Nassim Hassaous (ESP) 26:20 10 Hassan Chani (BRN) 26:24
Women (8km) 1 Senbere Teferi (ETH) 25:38 2 Eva Cherono (KEN) 25:42 3 Fikadu Zenebu (ETH) 25:44 4 Gloria Kite (KEN) 25:45 5 Deborah Samun (KEN) 26:15 6 Peruth Chemutai (UGA) 26:19 7 Charlotte Arter (GBR) 26:29 8 Teresa Urbina (ESP) 27:14 9 Jenny Nesbitt (GBR) 27:18 10 Celia Ant&oacute;n (ESP) 27:19

Spain’s Ouassim Oumaiz and Ethiopia’s Senberi Teferi captured commanding victories at the 16th Cross Internacional de Atapuerca, the opening leg of the 2019-20 IAAF Cross Country Permit series held in windy conditions on Saturday (9) in Burgos, Spain.

Oumaiz aims to maintain momentum in Soria

Teferi takes title No.4 while Oumaiz defeats the favourites in Atapuerca