Jamal Bilal Salem runs away with the World Military long race title (© Slim Gomri)
Ksar Said, Tunisia416 athletes representing 38 nations gathered at the Ksar Said’s hippodrome to promote ‘Friendship through Sport’ at the 52nd World Military Cross Country Championship.
The men’s races were dominated by Qatar, who took five out of the six available individual medals thanks to fielding much of their “A” string runners who will also compose most of their squad for the 34th IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Fukuoka, Japan (1 – 2 April).
Shami well beaten by Salem
The Qataris were most impressive in the men’s long race, in which after a steady start they ran as a team and took all three podium positions. World Half Marathon silver medallist Mubarak Hassan Shami (33:57) was beaten emphatically by Jamal Bilal Salem (33:34), who was fifth at the World Cross Country short race last year. In third came Abdullah Ahmad Hassan, who is the reigning World Cross long race bronze medallist, and was much further adrift (34:14).
However, not everything went right for Qatar, as in his first participation in the World Military Cross, Bahrain’s Tarek Mubarek showed his good shape and won the men’s short race in 12:26. He was followed home in a desparately close finish by another pair of the internationally renowned Qataris who were on show at these championships, 21-year-old James Kwalia (12:27) and Moussa Omar Obaid (12:28). The latter is only 20-year-old, and as a junior took fourth place at the Olympic 3000m Steeplechase in Athens.
The race was a tense affair throughout, and the battle was fought out by a large group of runners from gun to tape. The winner from Bahrain later complained about the hot weather and said that he found the course a bit difficult due to the sand which provided the course.
El Kamch victorious once more
In the women’s race as the past championships, Morocco was the undisputed ruler, with Zhor El Kamch, the winner of this race in Turkey in 2002, Lebanon in 2004, and was second in France in 2003, finishing first in 14:01. El Kamch dominated the competition from start to finish followed by France’s Julie Coulaud (14:13) and Hind Dehiba (14:32).
Slim Gomri for IAAF
Results:
Men individual Long Cross (11900m)
1- JAMAL BILAL SALEM (Qatar) 33:34
2- MUBARK SHAMI (Qatar) 33:57
3- AHMED HASAN ABDULLA (Qatar) 34:14
Men team Long Cross
1- Qatar 28pts
2- France 96pts
3- Rwanda 102pts
Men individual Short Cross (4600m)
1- TAREK MUBAREK (Bahrain) 12:26
2- JAMES KWALIA (Qatar) 12:27
3- OBAID MUSSA AMER (Qatar) 12:28
Men Team Short Cross
1- Qatar 9pts
2- Bahrain 20pts
3- Algeria 41pts
Women individual Cross (4600m)
1- ZHOR EL KAMCH (Morocco) 14:04
2- JULIE COULAUD JULIE (France) 14:13
3- HIND DEHIBA (France) 14:32
Women team
1- France 12pts
2- Italy 29pts
3- Morocco 34pts
