Gelete Burka wins at Elgoibar
Elgoibar, Spain – Kenya’s reigning World junior 3000m Steeplechase champion Conseslus Kipruto and Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka grabbed the victories at the ‘70th Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza’ in Elgoibar on Sunday (13).
Burka is an overwhelming victor
After her brilliant win at the New Year’s Eve 10km race in Madrid with a superb 30:59 clocking, Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka began the 6.6km event as the woman to beat. Although her compatriot World junior 5000m champion Buze Diriba and Kenya’s Mercy Cherono were tipped as her toughest rivals, the early stages of the event were dominated by European athletes like European cross-country bronze medallist Adrienne Herzog and the Spanish pair of Diana MartÃÂn and Alessandra Aguilar.
The 26-year-old Burka confirmed that she is now targeting the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz next March.
It was also a day of celebration because exactly 50 years ago the 1968 Olympic Marathon champion Mamo Wolde took the first of his four victories in Elgoibar. The trophy for the junior men’s race is named in Wolde’s honour, and on this occasion it was won by Italy’s Lorenzo Dini, while Spain’s Claudia Estévez won the junior women’s race. This year also marked the 10th anniversary of Kenenisa Bekele’s victory in Elgoibar.
Women (6.62km):
1 Gelete Burka (ETH) 22:53
2 Mercy Cherono (KEN) 22:59
3 Irine Cheptai (KEN) 23:08
4 Buze Diriba (ETH) 23:10
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