Yenenesh Shimket (centre) after winning at the Cinque Mulini (© Fierro / organisers)
Prodigious talent shone through at the Cinque Mulini with Kenya’s Mathew Kipruto and Ethiopia’s Yenenesh Shimket taking top honours at the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting in San Vittore Olona on Sunday (17).
While Kipruto was among the pre-race favourites in the men’s 10.2km race, Shimket was a surprise winner of the women’s 6.2km title, upstaging home star Nadia Battocletti, the Olympic bronze medallist and double European champion.
Kipruto, the world U20 cross-country bronze medallist, positioned himself towards the front of a large lead pack on the first longer lap, which was covered in 6:13. By the end of the second lap, Kipruto had just Tanzania’s John Wele and Kenya’s world U20 5000m champion Andrew Kiptoo for company.
Not wanting to leave it all to the finish, Kipruto ramped up the pace on the third lap and opened up a seven-second gap on his compatriot Kiptoo. He was unable to maintain that tempo on the fourth lap, but he still managed to extend his lead slightly over Kiptoo. Wele, meanwhile, dropped back through the field while Eritrean teenager Saymon Amanuel moved into third.
Kiptoo made up some ground on the final lap, but Kipruto’s lead was too great and he went on to cross the line in 27:26, winning by three seconds. Further back, Mathew Kipchumba came through for third place in 27:45, completing a Kenyan podium sweep.
Battocletti lead the field at the start of the women’s race, covering the longer first lap in 6:56 with fellow Italian Ludovica Cavalli close behind. Shimket, Kenya’s Sheila Jebet and Burundi’s Elvanie Nimbona were also in the early lead group.
By the end of the second lap, though, Shimket had edged in front of Battlocletti with Jebet tucked in third, the trio having formed a small breakaway pack.
On the final lap, 17-year-old Shimket increased the pace with a 5:43 circuit and Battocletti had no response, eventually dropping down to third. Shimket, the African U20 cross-country silver medallist, won comfortably in 18:35 from Kenyan teenager Jebet (18:48) with Battocletti crossing the line in third (18:49).
Leading results
Women (6.2km)
1 Yenenesh Shimket (ETH) 18:35
2 Sheila Jebet (KEN) 18:48
3 Nadia Battocletti (ITA) 18:49
4 Elvanie Nimbona (BDI) 19:11
5 Ludovica Cavalli (ITA) 19:13
Men (10.2km)
1 Mathew Kipruto (KEN) 27:26
2 Andrew Kiptoo (KEN) 27:29
3 Mathew Kipchumba (KEN) 27:45
4 Saymon Amanuel (ERI) 27:48
5 John Wele (TAN) 27:50
