Rampant victory! Lornah Kiplagat wins the women's senior race in style (© Getty Images)
Lornah Kiplagat top of the bill in Brussels Lotto Iris Cross Cup
Brussels, Belgium - Reigning World Cross Country champion Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands has elected the Lotto Iris Cross Cup in Brussels as her only competition ahead of the 2008 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on 18 January.
Kiplagat faces a strong European participation in her race. The men’s field is led by Paul Kipsiele Koech. The world class steeplechaser from Kenya enters a very competitive field with a handful of tough African challengers.
The course on which the 2004 World Championships were held is very demanding indeed, with steep hills and muddy sections.
A test of strength, endurance and competitiveness for Kiplagat
At the age of 33 Lornah Kiplagat celebrated her lifetime best athletics season in 2007. In March, she became the surprising World Cross Country champion in Mombasa and in October she added a World Road Running title to her tally in Udine. On her way to the gold medal, Kiplagat eventually shattered the World Half Marathon record when she stormed through the finish in 1:06:25. For quite some time however Kiplagat has set her mind on performing impressively in the Marathon.
In her preparation that is geared towards the 2008 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon she has chosen Brussels as the only cross country race that she will appear in before 18 January. The course in Brussels - on which she finished 6th in the 2004 World Championships - offers an ideal opportunity to test her strength and endurance.
But there is no doubt that the strongest test for Kiplagat will be provided by the deep field that includes Julie Coulaud from France and Aniko Kalovics from Hungary. Coulaud finished second in the European Cross Country Championships in Toro recently, in which other steeplechasers such as Rosa Morato and Ancuta Bobocel showed impressive form and progression. It will be interesting to discover whether Moroccan steeplechaser Hanane Ouhaddou can live up to that expectation as well.
Kalovics finished second in Brussels last year and the Hungarian is one of the most consistent cross country runners of the last decade. Monica Rosa (POR), Nathalie De Vos (BEL) Fionnuala Britton (IRL), Tatyana Holovchenko (UKR) and Susanne Ritter (GER) will certainly claim their spot between the runners up. Special attention will go to Emebt Etea of Ethiopia, only 17 years of age, but quickly developing on the international scene with second placings already in Leffrinckoucke and in Addis Abeba this year.
A duel between Kenya and Ethiopia in the men’s race
On the Brussels course the versatility of the steeplechasers will be tested against the stamina of the long distance specialists. Kenyans Paul Kipsiele Koech and Moses Masai are considered as the main protagonists in Sunday’s race. Koech is the World leading performer in the steeplechase in 2007, while Moses Masai is one of the most promising young distance runners on the track these days. The 21-year-old Kenyan set a 10,000m personal best of 26:49.20 at the Brussels Golden League this year and posted a World’s best junior performance in the marathon in 2005. The Ethiopian squad is led by Eshetu Wondimu and Habtamu Fikadu. Both have strong 10,000m performances to their credit.
Amongst the other favourites in the men’s race are Tareq Mubarak Taher of Bahrain and Ahmed Baday from Morocco. But the main contender for the Africans may well be six time European Champion Sergey Lebid from the Ukraine who holds an impressive record in the Brussels cross country as well. Lebid won in 2001 and finished second on four consecutive occasions between 2002 and 2005. At the age of 32, Lebid looks as ambitious and dedicated as he’s ever been.
Hardly less awarded and four times European champion Paulo Guerra from Portugal returns to Brussels to thank the organisers and the spectators for their support and sympathy. Indeed Belgium has a strong tradition in cross country racing and the local crowd will be loudly cheering Pieter Desmet and Tom Van Hooste, who can rise to the occasion.
Great sports and a good Christmas atmosphere are guaranteed around the Brussels Atomium next Sunday. There was even some little snowfall on Thursday in Brussels but the freezing temperatures will drop by Sunday and the weather conditions will be cold and humid. Typically Belgian…
Ivo Hendrix for the IAAF
