Aregawi and Yavi unstoppable in Elgoibar

Bahrain’s Olympic 3000m steeplechase champion Winfred Yavi and Ethiopia’s Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Berihu Aregawi lived up to their status as pre-race favourites by capturing commanding wins at the Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza – a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting – in the Spanish town of Elgoibar on Sunday (18).

While Yavi dominated to clinch her first win at the event, Aregawi completed a hat-trick of consecutive victories as he prevailed against Eritrea’s rising star Saymon Amanuel.

Yavi took command of the women's 7.62km race from the start and covered the opening lap on the track in 1:15 with only Tunisia’s Marwa Bouzayani and Kenya’s Sheila Jebet in close attendance. By then, the British pair of Lucy Jones and Kate O'Neill plus the Spanish tandem of Isabel Barreiro and Angela Viciosa headed the large chasing pack three seconds back.

Yavi’s relentless pace soon paid off as Bouzayani began to cede ground some 2.1km into the race and the Yavi-Jebet clash only lasted a couple of minutes as the former broke away before reaching the third kilometre. Yavi covered the first big lap in 6:55 and she had built a five-second margin on Jebet, the 20-year-old Kenyan herself 15 seconds clear of world 3000m steeplechase fourth-place finisher Bouzayani. Jones, Barreiro and Viciosa travelled 45 seconds adrift of the lonesome leader.

The penultimate 2.2km circuit saw an outstanding Yavi gradually extend her lead as she enjoyed a huge 26-second advantage on Jebet and 52-second gap over Bouzayani at the bell following another brisk 6:57 loop. Over the closing lap, the 2023 world champion maintained her swift rhythm and the final circuit was covered in 6:56 as she reached the finish line unopposed. Her winning margin grew to 1:06 on Jebet, while Bouzayani secured her third place a further 19 seconds behind. In the fight to become the top European, Barreiro and Jones battled fiercely to the finish line, the 26-year-old Spaniard finally prevailing over the Briton by one second.

“I’m delighted,” said Yavi. “In Elgoibar, the people are so nice and they make me feel special. I came here very well prepared both physically and mentally. It’s a great success for me to win here after my third place some years ago. I’ll next compete at the World Military Cross Country Championships in Trikala (Greece) at the end of February.”

The men’s 9.71km contest was held after a heartfelt one-minute silence observed in memory of Great Britain’s Lachie Stewart, a three-time winner in Elgoibar in 1969, 1970 and 1972 and the Commonwealth 10,000m champion in 1970.

The race kicked off at a very comfortable pace, the opening 400m on the track being covered in 1:14 with Spain’s Nassim Hassaous and Britain’s Edward Buck at the helm, while the favourites Aregawi, Thierry Ndikumwenayo and Amanuel ran effortlessly close to them.

The first serious move came some nine minutes into the race when Said Mechaal, fresh from a Spanish 10km record of 27:25 in Valencia the previous weekend, injected a brisker pace to cover the opening big lap in 6:29 and whittle down the head pack to eight athletes.

The 18-year-old Amanuel moved to the front just before the midway point and his pace was only followed by Aregawi and Ndikumwenayo, while Mechaal dropped back a few metres in fourth. After a second big loop timed at 6:22, Amanuel and Aregawi led three seconds clear of Ndikumwenayo, himself another two seconds ahead of Mechaal, while Uruguay’s Santiago Catrofe travelled one second behind the latter.

The fascinating Aregawi-Amanuel duel came to an end when Aregawi – back in action eight days after securing his third consecutive silver medal at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee – found another gear with the clock reading 22 minutes. That saw him drop the emerging Eritrean who lost four seconds at the bell after an impressive 6:12 circuit by Aregawi, while Mechaal, Ndikumwenayo and Catrofe formed a trio some 20 seconds behind the Ethiopian.

Over the final lap Aregawi kept Amanuel at bay, the Eritrean never threatening his rival’s lead as Aregawi built an eight-second advantage on Amanuel before the closing kilometre. By the tape the 24-year-old Ethiopian stamped his authority thanks to another 6:10 circuit to finish seven seconds clear of his young rival, while a powerful Mechaal proved to be in great form as he unleashed an attack inside the final 500 metres to speed away from Ndikumwenayo – the eighth-place finisher at last weekend’s World Cross Country Championships – and Catrofe.

“Today’s win is my third consecutive win here and that makes me very happy,” said Aregawi, who joins Spain’s Mariano Haro in winning the men’s race three times in a row. “The circuit is tough but I already know how to manage it.”

Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics

Leading results

Women (7.6km)
1 Winfred Yavi (BRN) 25:23
2 Sheila Jebet (KEN) 26:29
3 Marwa Bouzayani (TUN) 26:49
4 Isabel Barreiro (ESP) 27:07
5 Lucy Jones (GBR) 27:08
6 Angela Viciosa (ESP) 27:29
7 Andrea Romero (ESP) 27:50
8 Kate O’Neill (GBR) 27:50
9 Marta Serrano (ESP) 28:00
10 Rosalia Tarraga (ESP) 28:09

Men (9.7km)
1 Berihu Aregawi (ETH) 29:33
2 Saymon Amanuel (ERI) 29:40
3 Said Mechaal (ESP) 30:09
4 Thierry Ndikumwenayo (ESP) 30:12
5 Santiago Catrofe (URU) 30:15
6 Nassim Hassaous (ESP) 30:32
7 Yahya Aouina (ESP) 30:35
8 Javier Guerra (ESP) 30:39
9 Carlos Mayo (ESP) 30:44
10 Mesfin Escamilla (ESP) 30:54

Full results