Mike Kigen of Kenya wins the men's race in Hannut, Belgium (© Nadia Verhoft)
Hannut, BelgiumA tremendous sprint effort allowed the 18-year-old junior Ghirma Chaltu from Ethiopia to hold off her compatriot Teyiba Erkesso from victory in the Lotto Cross Cup de Hannut - EAA Permit - cross country, today.
Chaltu was the only athlete to follow the pace imposed by Erkesso from the early stages of the race. Bouchra Ghezielle (FRA) who beat Erkesso in France two weeks ago had to settle for third place. The men’s race was impressively won by Mike Kigen (KEN) who blasted away from the start and never dropped the pace. Kigen made it the fastest ever race in the long history of the Hannut cross. Ethiopians Gebo Burka and Tola Tadesse took the other podium places, the only athletes to finish inside a minute of the astonishing Kenyan.
WOMEN - Erkesso takes revenge on Ghezielle but Chaltu catches victory
There was no way Teyiba Erkesso would allow Ghezielle to repeat her showcase victory of the “Ouest France” cross in Le Mans two weeks ago. On the contrary, in Hannut it was Erkesso who imposed the early pace and the 18-year-old Girma Chaltu proved to be a strong ally in that race plan.
Bouchra Ghezielle, back from a tough training camp in Portugal, lacked punch to hang on and could eventually only secure third position.
From the point that the two Ethiopians had broken clear many spectators reckoned that Erkesso would easily stroll to a second victory in Hannut but they were not counting on Chaltu’s resolve, and she may well be one of the greatest distance running prospects ever to emerge from her country. The youngster battled all the away with Erkesso and showed no respect for her more experienced colleague as she beat her in a breathtaking sprint finish.
Further back, Ghezielle’s training partner Maria Martins was beaten into fifth place by Belgian Nathalie De Vos, loudly cheered on by the local fans.
MEN - Kigen flies over frozen course
It was freezing very hard this week and the Hannut course looked rough and uneven, but very fast for those able to handle the conditions. Mike Kigen definitely came out to demonstrate that today. With fellow Kenyans Stephen Koech and David Langat and Ethiopian Hussein Adilo, Kigen went off for a very fast start. But Kigen soon broke away alone from the leading pack.
To illustrate the blistering pace, it is worth mentioning that Kigen crossed the unofficial 5K mark inside 14 minutes. He extended his lead gradually throughout the race, and Koech, Langat and Adilo who put in every effort to stay with him paid for that effort later on and were overtaken by Ethiopians Gebo Burka and Tola Tadesse in the last lap.
“Clearly, with a 20-year old winner in the men’s race and an 18-year old junior in the women’s race, it was youngsters’ day in Hannut and we’re proud about that,” said race organiser Jos Van Roy. “On this course, we have honoured many great cross country runners, but we have also discovered many big talents. Two years ago, Erkesso was one of those. We expect Girma Chaltu and Mike Kigen to be successful on the international arena in the years to come.”
The medals were awarded by 1964 Olympic steeplechase champion Gaston Roelants, the most famous Belgian cross country runner of all time.
Ivo Hendrix for the IAAF
Results
Men (11km)
1 Mike Kigen KEN 32:51
2 Gebo Burka ETH 33:29
3 Tola Tadesse ETH 33:30
4 Stephen Koech KEN 34:17
5 David Langat KEN 34:25
6 Hussein Adilo ETH 34:28
7 Pieter Desmet BEL 34:31
8 Tom Van Hooste BEL 34:40
9 Bart Evens BEL 34:42
10 Bouazza Saji MAR 34:44
Women (5.5km)
1 Girma Chaltu ETH 17:49
2 Teyiba Erkesso ETH 17:50
3 Bouchra Ghezielle FRA 18:22
4 Nathalie De Vos BEL 18:35
5 Maria Martins FRA 18:45
6 Selma Borst NED 18:49
7 Mieke Geens BEL 19:01
8 Nelly Jepkurui KEN 19:03
9 Linda Byrne IRL 19:03
10 Rkia Chebili FRA 19:04