Phil Minshull in Spain for the IAAF
21 January 2000 - Kenya’s Paul Tergat, the five-times IAAF world cross country champion, is rarely defeated in cross country races but he had to stomach second place on Sunday as he was out-sprinted by his compatriot Abraham Chebii in Elgoibar.
Tergat couldn’t put his defeat down to lack of familiarity with the course—he won the famous Basque race two years ago—but at least he could point to the fact that he has not run over rough terrain since his world championship winning streak came to an end in Portugal last March.
The reigning IAAF World Half Marathon champion accepted his defeat with his usual good grace but could console himself that he is held in such high esteem by his fellow runners that he contributed to the greatest day, so far, in the 21-year-old winner’s running career.
"This is my biggest ever victory. I can’t tell you how happy I am," said a delighted Chebii.
"I have worked hard all winter and knew I was in good shape but to beat Tergat is something special. He is an example to all Kenyan runners. However, I was running confidently throughout the race and thought this could be my day, even though Paul was at my back,"
Chebii is hardly an unknown quantity as he ran 13:01.90 for 5,000 last summer and also finished 5th in the IAAF World Cross Country Championship short race last year but few pundits would have bet on him being able to hold off Tergat in the home straight.
However, tellingly, the prodigy of former steeplechase world record holder and world champion Moses Kiptanui—who discovered Chebii when he was still at school—also has a mile best more than three seconds faster than Tergat, and it was this sustained speed that brought him home first.
The race quickly became an all-African affair with five Kenyans and the lone Ethiopian Alemu Dagne in a pack at the front.
Two kilometres from home the group started to break up, however the duel between Chebii and Tergat was not started in earnest until the final 400 metres.
Chebii made his move and opened up a small gap on Tergat but the Olympic 10,000 silver medallist came back to the shoulder of his younger rival with 150 metres to go.
However, Chebii was not to be denied and found another gear to edge home a second in front of Tergat, stopping the clock at 31:56 after a gruelling 10.445km of rolling hills and mud.
Despite Chebii’s success in Spain, he insisted that he is still focusing on the 4km race at this year’s IAAF World Cross Country Championships, which will be held in Dublin on March 24-25.
The women’s race also boiled down to a contest between two Kenyans, with Sally Barsosio winning her battle with Naomi Mugo after the pair had got away from the chasing contingent of Ethiopians in the final third of the 5,150 metres race.
Initially, it looked like Mugo was going to pull away for victory but Barsosio sprinted past her friend and training partner with 300 metres to go to notch up her first win of the year.
Barsosio won in 17:47 with Mugo three seconds in arrears. Back in third, Ethiopia’s Eagauou Diababa produced another solid run, finishing in 17:58, and could well find herself on the team going to this year’s World Cross Country Championships. If Diababa does make the Dublin-bound team then she will have the best guide possible to provide her induction as she is the cousin of the reigning world cross country champion, and two-times Olympic 10,000 gold medallist, Derartu Tulu.
Results
Men (10.445km)
1. Abraham Chebii (Kenya) 31:56
2. Paul Tergat (Kenya) 31:57
3. Albert Chepkirui (Kenya) 32:10
4. Alemu Dagne (Ethiopia) 32:36
5. Salim Kipsang (Kenya) 33:04
6. James Moiben (Kenya) 33:24
7. Karl Keska (Britain) 33:32
8. Kibede Tekeste (Ethiopia) 33:33
9. Jon Brown (Britain) 33:35
10. Alejandro Gomez (Spain) 33:43
Women (5.150km)
1. Sally Barsosio (Kenya) 17:47
2. Naomi Mugo (Kenya) 17:50
3. Eagauou Diababa (Ethiopia) 17:58
4. Eyerusalem Kuma (Ethiopia) 18:00
5. Fatuma Roba (Ethiopia) 18:21
6. Hareg Sidelil (Ethiopia) 18:44
7. Dolores Pulido (Spain) 18:50
8. Yemenashu Taye (Ethiopia) 19:01
9. Amaia Piedra (Spain) 19:08
10. Angelines Rodriguez (Spain) 19:21
