Ethiopia’s Abebe Dinkesa takes win in Seville (© Juan Rodelas Diaz)
Ethiopia’s Abebe Dinkesa is the star name of the men's division while Wude Ayalew Yimer also of Ethiopia leads the women’s line-up at Sunday’s (17 December) 27th Cross Internacional de Venta de Baños in Spain.
The 22-year-old Dinkesa clinched two remarkable wins last cross country season at the IAAF permits held in Brussels (18 December ahead of Sergiy Lebid and Paul Tergat) and Seville (15 January from countryman Sileshi Sihine) but he had a lacklustre track season and his performances both at 5000mand 10,000mcame far from the impressive times he had managed the previous year (2005), 12:55.58 and 26:30.74 respectively.
Dinkesa’s sole appearance this winter campaign took place last October in Rennes when he finished runner-up defeated by Kenya’s Peter Kamais at a 10km race in Rennes (France) being clocked in 28:38.
Trying to deny Dinkesa top spot will be no less than three top-ten finishers from this year’s World Cross Country Championships held in Fukuoka (Japan) in the guise of Kenya’s Hosea Macharinyang (6th) and the Eritrean pair of Ali Abdallah (8th) and Tesfayohannes Mesfen (9th) in what should be a fierce battle between these world-class athletes who represent the three countries which made up the long race team podium in Fukuoka, Kenya (gold), Eritrea (silver) and Ethiopia (bronze).
The stiffest opposition for Dinkesa will likely come from Abdallah, winner at the XC permits in Soria (19 Nov.) and last Sunday in Yecla.
Dinkesa will be accompanied by two countrymen in Mamo Eshetu Gezhagne (31th at the Worlds) and the Spain-based 20-year-old Alemayehu Bezabeh who snatched victory at a 10km road race in Madrid last 19 November clocking 28:39.
The Moroccan charge will be headed by Hicham Bellani (5000m PB of 13:55.52) and Ayad Landassem, a 27:46.67 10,000 athlete. Eritrea’s Samuel Tsegay (5th in Llodio) completes the powerful bunch of nine Africans on show on Sunday.
De la Ossa to threaten African dominance
Two athletes who managed to be in the top-five at last Sunday’s European Cross Country Championships held in San Giorgio su Legnano (Italy) will also be in contention, Spain’s bronze medallist Juan Carlos de la Ossa and France’s Khalid Zoubaa, fifth on that occasion.
De la Ossa will be making his fourth consecutive outing following a respectable 7th place in Llodio (26 November), a 6th spot in Alcobendas (3 December) and the bronze medal at the Europeans last Sunday, his third continental medal over the last four years.
Spain’s reigning European 10,000m silver medallist ‘Chema’ Martínez should be eager to make up for his slightly below-par performance at the European where the in-form Spaniard had to settle for 16th.
Other well-known Spanish specialists should also be in the hunt for a top-ten position on Sunday: European reigning double (1500 and 5000m) bronze medallist Juan Carlos Higuero, steeplechasers José Luis Blanco who took silver in Gothenburg and Antonio Jiménez.
Four win in a row for Wude Ayalew Yimer?
Ethiopia’s Wude Ayalew Yimer is the woman to beat on Sunday. The 19-year-old is one of the latest products of Ethiopia’s phenomenal long distance running production line.
She has shown an interesting cross country pedigree with a fifth place at this year’s World Championships in Fukuoka in the long race. In addition Yimer dipped under 15:00 for the first time last summer with a 14:57.23 clocking to her credit.
The Spanish cross country season which got underway in November is being very successful for the talented Ethiopian who has already been an undisputed victor in Quintanar (5 Nov.), Torredonjimeno (12 Nov.) and last Sunday in Yecla.
Expected to give chase are Kenya’s Alice Chelangat, fresh from a clear win over Spain’s 3000m Steeplechase record holder Zulema Fuentes-Pila last 2 December in Aranda de Duero, also Spanish soil; Eritrea’s Simret Sultan and the usual solid Portuguese contingent formed by Leonor Carneiro (12th in San Giorgio), Ana Días and Monica Rosa.
Spain’s reigning European 5000m champion Marta Domínguez who was born in Venta de Baños will obviously have the strongest support from the local crowd although she is not at her peak as her only major target for this season is the World championships in Osaka next August.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
