Mestawot Tufa leads the women's 10,000m - Ethiopian Champs (© Nahom Tesfaye)
National cross country silver medallist Mestawot Tufa was an impressive winner of the women’s 10,000m on the second day of the 36th Ethiopian Athletics Championships (2 May – 6 May 2007) in Addis Ababa on Thursday (3).
In the day’s other highlights, former World Cross Country champion Gelete Burka made it safely through to the women’s 1500m final, while the 2004 World Cross course bronze medallist Maeregu Zewde and ‘unknown’ Dejen Gebremeskel led a host of other top class runners in the two men’s 5000m semi-final heats.
Tufa ‘not afraid’ of 10,000m anymore
Despite a packed programme, the highlight of the day’s action was always going to be the women’s 10,000m, which featured the likes of Tufa, Wude Ayalew (second fastest national 10km runner), Ahaza Kiros (last year’s silver medallist), Teyiba Erkesso (last year’s bronze medallist) among others.
But none of the runners in the stellar field delivered the sort of adventurous distance running which would have wowed the crowd as large periods of the 10,000m race was run at a pedestrian pace.
Following an initial burst by Tufa and Erkesso, the starting field of 29 runners dwindled down to six runners after ten laps with Kiros, Ayalew, All-Ethiopian Games 10,000m champion Ashu Kassim, and Bezunesh Urgessa all in the leading pack.
This leading group maintained their lead until virtually the last lap when Tufa and Kassim sprinted away from the rest. Tufa powered away from the Prisons Police club runner with each passing stride and held on to take victory in 33.26.74. Kassim was a comfortable second, while Erkesso edged Kiros at the end to repeat her third place finish from last year.
“I am delighted with the victory,” said Tufa after the race. “When I came home from the village in Arsi to Addis Ababa, I first started running the 10,000m. I have not run much since then and focused on the 5000m. Now I am no longer afraid of the 10000m.”
“My next race is the 5000m in Hengelo. I will focus on both the 5000m and 10,000m this year to obtain the qualification minimum.”
Tough semi-finals excite the crowd
If the men’s 5000m semi-finals in these championships are anything to go by, then the crowd can expect a top class performance from the runners in Sunday’s final (6).
In the first of the two heats, six runners remained in contention with 5 laps of the race led with Demesew Tsega, fifth in the national cross country championships doing much of the pace setting. Unknown defence club runner Tilahun Menashi threatened to break away from the group, but was always held in check by the remaining runners.
At the bell, only three runners looked capable of winning the race as Maeregu Zewde took the lead. He may have been out of action for much of the last three years due to a career-threatening injury, but the Ethiopian Banks athlete made easy work of holding off Menashi to all six runners to Sunday’s final.
The other semi-final maintained a different pattern with Mulugeta Wondimu, 10th over the 1500m at the 2004 Athens Olympics, last year’s silver medallist Ali Abdosh, and unknown Dejen Gebremeskel, hitting the front after just four laps.
Abdosh and Gebremeskel dropped Wondimu three laps later to set up a two-horse race. There was nothing to separate them until the last 200m when Abdosh launched his kick. But Gebremeskel counter-attacked with a bigger kick in the last 50m to snatch victory and lead five others into Sunday’s final.
The best of the rest
In the women’s 1500m, Gelete Burka led from the start to easily qualify for Saturday’s final. Robe Gari and Tewodros Sheferaw were the winners of the men’s 3000m Steeplechase heats, while Wetere Gelelcha, by far Ethiopia’s best sprinter in last four years, won a fourth successive 100m sprint title.
Elshadai Negash for the IAAF
36th Ethiopian Athletics Championships -
Official Results (Finals Only)
Day Two
Women’s 400m
1. Abeba Megersa (Prisons Police) 55.94
2. Abeba Aregawi (Ethiopian Banks) 56.14
3. Wesene Belay (Prisons Police) 56.23
Women’s 10,000m
1. Mestawot Tufa (Omedla) 33.26.74
2. Ashu Kassim (Prisons Police) 33.27.16
3. Teyiba Erkesso (Prisons Police) 33.30.25
Women’s Triple Jump
1. Emebet Tilahun (Ethiopian Banks) 11.75m
2. Zeyneba Zeynu (Defence) 11.12m
3. Tigist Belachew (Prisons Police) 10.96m
Men’s 100m
1. Wetere Gelelcha (Ethiopian Banks) 10.30
2. Mohammed-jud Misbah (Prisons Police) 10.50
3. Abiyot Lencho (Ethiopian Banks) 10.53
Men’s 400m
1. Zemenu Kassa (Defence) 46.69
2. Habtamu Abeje (Omedla) 47.17
3. Endale Ledamo (Defence) 47.57
Men’s 110m Hurdles
1. Ubang Abaya (Defence) 14.17
2. Feleke Degela (Defence) 15.52
3. Berisso Guya (Prisons Police) 16.06
