African Running Festival in San Sebastian

San Sebastián, SpainThree 8:13 performances in the men’s steeplechase, several exciting home straights in the men’s 800, 1500, and 5000 metres and some brilliant performances in the hurdling events were the highlights at the ‘Gran Premio Reebok – Ciudad de San Sebastián’, EAA meeting held yesterday, 10 August.

The steeplechase event witnessed a fierce battle Kenya-Spain with all the best local athletes in action. Paced evenly by Kenya’s John Lagat until the 2200m point, the leading group reached 1000m in 2:44.31 and 2000m in 5:29.48. Then Kenya’s Julius Nyamu and Abel  Cheruiyot took over, while Spain’s José Luis Blanco and Eliseo Martín remained in close attendance looking for new PBs.

With 7:33 on the clock (with around 250 metres to go) Blanco made his move and took the lead bravely to be soon overhauled by the Spanish champion Martín entering the final bend. However, it was Nyamu who regained the top spot at the water jump taking advantage of his outstanding technique and there was no catching him on the home straight.

The 25-year-old Kenyan crossed the line in 8:13.29 just 0.09 seconds faster than Martín while Blanco clocked 8:13.86 both Spaniards setting PBs as targeted.

Yesterday’s was the third steeplechase outing for Nyamu in the last nine days having placed previously first in Heusden (2 August) with a season’s best of 8:09.03 and third in Stockholm (5 August), with a 8:13.54 clocking.

The 5000m event was scheduled for a 13 minute performance by the reigning 10,000m World champion Charles Kamathi but the try was unsuccessful. In fact, the Kenyan came only sixth in an unremarkable time for him of 13:19.04, with the IAAF World Championships 10,000m final just two weeks away.

The six-man leading group went through the 3000m point slower than expected in 7:59.57 paced by David Kilelu. It was then that Kenya’s Nicholas Kemboi took over and tried to pull away from the rest for the remaining five laps but to no avail.

With only 100m to go Dejene Berhanu was still in fifth but an impressive late surge led the tall 23-year-old Ethiopian to a surprise win in 13:14.05 with Kemboi 28 hundredths adrift and Eritrea’s Tadese Zersenay another 0.20 seconds behind. Berhanu placed 20th at the World Cross Country championships (long race) last March while Kemboi, still 20, recorded a remarkable 60.31 clocking in the Half Marathon in Lisbon last March.

Last year’s World junior 800m champion Alex Kipchirchir seems to have changed this season his specialist event and entered the San Sebastián meet with a 3:32.60 time already to his credit.

With splits of 55.68 (400m), 1:54.69 (800m) and 2:53.46 (1200) it was Spain’s European silver medallist Reyes Esévez who launched a devastating kick with 250m left. Devastating, but only for himself, as the Spaniard was easily overhauled by Kipchirchir and Morocco’s Tarek Boukensa entering the home straight.

The 18-year-old Kenyan won in fine style with 3:34.15 while Boukensa clocked 3:34.57 for second. A disappointed Estévez faded to eigthth in 3:36.20 while the big news for the local fans came from 22-year-old Álvaro Fernández who lowered his PB to 3:35.10 for third place, 0.07 seconds faster than Morocco’s Youssef Baba.

To the delight of the crowd Spain’s World Cup winner Antonio Reina clinched a convincing win in the men’s 800m.

Returning to the track where he broke the National record last year (1:44.11 then improved to 1:43.83 at the World Cup) Reina managed to resist America’s Khadevis Robinson’s final burst to win in 1:45.07, 16 hundredths faster than the USA silver medallist who fell at 250m at the Super Grand Prix in London on Friday losing all his chances. In the 1500 specialists’ fight Spain’s Juan Carlos Higuero defeated Portugal’s Rui Silva, with 1:46.00 (PB) and 1:46.77 their respective clockings.

The hurdling events saw double American victories on the men’s side. 20-year-old Bershawn Jackson was a decisive winner in the 400 Hurdles. Drawn in lane 4  Jackson only took the lead over the last 100m, finishing superbly in 48.65 well ahead of Olympic champion, fellow American Angelo Taylor (49.22) while another US hurdler Dawane Wallace took the 110 event in 13.38 with a tailwind of 1.4 m/s.

In other events Kenya’s Ezra Sambu won the 400m in 45.24, America’s Marcus Brunson topped the field in the 100m with 10.18 into a 0.8 headwind  while his compatriot Chris Brown took top spot in the Discus with a 65.63 second round release. Spain’s World indoor champion Manuel Martinez was the strongest in the Shot with a 20.45 put.

In the women’s competition, winning days returned for Spain’s European champion Glory Alozie who won the 100m hurdles in 12.90 (-0.5) from Poland’s Aurelia Trywianska (12.95) and America’s Donica Merriman also inside the 13 seconds barrier with 12.99.

Nigeria’s Olabisi Afolabi had no real challenge in the 400m and clocked 50.91 for her season’s best. France’s Latifa Essarokh made a big improvement in the 1500m setting a new PB of 4:06.07 to win from Canada’s Courtney Babcock (4:06.50) and a former (1997) World 1500m champion Portugal’s Carla Sacramento third in 4:06.64.

Spanish jumpers performed quite well, the high jumpers making a 1-2 double with Ruth Beitia going over 1.95 and Marta Mendía clearing 1.92 while World junior silver medallist Poland’s Anna Ksok had to settle for third with a 1.89 clearance. Concepción Montaner leapt a winning 6.69 metres in the Long Jump and Carlota Castrejana soared to 14.17 in the Triple.

In other disciplines Ukraine’s Anzhela Kravchenko set her season’s best in the 100m with an 11.23 (+1.0) win well ahead of Nigeria’s Endurance Ojokolo, 11.37 and Jamaica’s Beverly Mc Donald, third in 11.44. Morocco’s Soltana Ait Hammou won the 800m only six hundredths clear of Russia’s Svetlana Klyuka (2:00.54 to 2:00.60) with the promising Charlotte Moore of Britain in third with 2:01.21.

Once the meeting was over the Spanish Federation decided two late additions to the Spanish team for Paris, both in the 5000m: Juan Carlos de la Ossa (season’s best of 13:20.46) and José Ríos (13:19.58), who will also compete in his specialist 10,000m. They complete a 51-member group for the 9 th IAAF World Championships to be held in Paris later this month.