Report06 Oct 2018


Road round-up: Kiplimo triumphs in Trento, Choge and Ebongon win in Kosice, Rayner and Chekwel take inaugural Commonwealth half titles

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Jacob Kiplimo wins the Giro al Sas in Trento (© Daniele Mosna / organisers)

World U20 cross-country champion Jacob Kiplimo won the Giro al Sas road race on Saturday (6), preventing world 5000m champion Muktar Edris from winning a fourth title at the 10km event in Trento.

The world U20 10,000m silver medallist won the 72nd edition of the event in 28:17 – the fastest winning time in the north Italian town since 2005 – to become the second Ugandan winner of the race

Edris, the winner in 2014, 2015 and 2017, was a distant second in 28:31. Local favourite Yemaneberhan Crippa, the European 10,000m bronze medallist, finished just a few strides behind Edris in 28:34, much to the delight of the home crowd that had gathered along the course.

Edris and Kiplimo took the lead on the first three laps alongside Crippa, 2011 world 10,000m champion Ibrahim Jeylan, Ugandan teenager Albert Chemutai and Geoffrey Korir.

With a bonus on the line for the leading athlete at the half-way point, Edris pulled away at just the right moment to secure the prize. The mid-race sprint whittled the leading group down to just two men: Edris and Kiplimo.

Kiplimo pushed the pace during the sixth lap and broke away from Edris. The Ethiopian tried to claw his way back to Kiplimo on the following laps but the 17-year-old increased his pace with a 2:47 split on the penultimate lap and crossed the finish line in 28:17 to finish 14 seconds ahead of Edris.

“I am very happy with my win,” said Kiplimo, who intends to defend his world U20 cross-country title in Aarhus next March. “The crowd cheered me on along the course. I have recovered from an injury this summer and I am back to my best shape.”

With a strong final sprint, Crippa managed to overtake Chemutai and Korir on the last lap and finished third, winning the Memorial Cosimo Caliandro Trophy as the best Italian runner.

“It was a very special race because my home is near the course and the support from my fans was even stronger this year after my bronze medal in Berlin,” said Crippa, whose next big target is the European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg in December.

Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF

Leading results:
1 Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) 28:17
2 Muktar Edris (ETH) 28:31
3 Yeman Crippa (ITA) 28:34
4 Albert Chemutai (UGA) 28:38
5 Geoffrey Korir (KEN) 28:46
6 Ibrahim Jeylan (ETH) 29:20

 

Choge and Ebongon take Kosice Peace Marathon wins

Kenyans Raymond Choge and Milliam Ebongon raced to victory at the 95th edition of the Kosice Peace Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label road race and the oldest marathon in Europe, on Sunday (7).

Running in pleasant conditions, Choge outsprinted Ethiopian Aychew Bantie over the final 400 metres to take the four-second victory in 2:08:11, a personal best and the third best winning time in Kosice. Bantie's 2:08:15 was also a lifetime best.

 
Raymond Choge, 2018 Kosice Peace Marathon winner

 

Shumet Mengistu, another Ethiopian, was third in 2:08:50, also a lifetime best. Defending champion Reuben Kerio was fourth in 2:09:23 with Nicholas Korir, who was making his marathon debut, rounding out the top five in 2:11:33.

"I wanted to be better than last year and I was also hoping for new personal best," said Choge, who was fifth last year. "My goals were fulfilled, I must be satisfied."

The women's race provided a surprise. It wasn't Sheila Jerotich, the defending champion, who followed the fast tempo set by male pacer Cyrus Kiplagat, but instead it was Ebongon, who debuted in the marathon last spring in Enschede where she ran alone. Here, running with the pacesetter, she reached the half in a promising 1:12:00.

 
Milliam Ebongon winning the Kosice Peace Marathon

 

Jerotich tried to maintain contact but ultimately dropped back. Ebongon meanwhile was rewarded with a big personal best of 2:27:16 and a course record to secure the fifth Kenyan double at this race.

"I was not believing I could win and achieve a course record before the race," the winner said. "Now this is reality and I think I can run even faster."

Jerotich was second in 2:29:40 with Ethiopian Jemila Wortesa Shure third in 2:32:32.

Alfons Juck for the IAAF

 

Rayner and Chekwel take inaugural Commonwealth Half Marathon titles in Cardiff

Jack Rayner of Australia and Uganda’s Juliet Chekwel took the inaugural Commonwealth half marathon titles at the Cardiff Half Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label road race, on Sunday (7).

 
Jack Rayner winning the Commonwealth Half Marathon title in Cardiff

 

Rayner took pride of place as he beat off a Ugandan and Kenyan challenge in the race of his life to take the men’s title in a 1:01:01. That gave him a seven-second cushion over Fred Musobo, with a second Ugandan in third a further nine seconds back. Uganda took the team title with Australia second.

In the women’s race, Uganda’s Juliet Chekwel took the title in 1:09:45 with Australia’s Celia Sullohern coming home in the silver medal position in a six-minute PB time of 1:11:04. Uganda won the team event and Australia second.

“I knew it would be tough after looking at the start list because a lot of them had run 62, 61 and even 60 minutes," Rayner said. "I knew I was in at the deep end and I’d have to do something special to win."

“I felt I could run a lot faster than my PB and I did that. It is just amazing and it makes the win even better than this is the first time they’ve held the Commonwealth Championships.”

Looking down the list of competitors the night before the race, the 28-year-old Juliet Chekwel admitted she was unsure if she could win the title. But she dominated the race from the one-kilometre mark to win by a massive 79 seconds.

 
Juliet Chekwel after her victory at the Cardiff Half Marathon

 

“I counted the Africans in the hotel the night before and I didn’t know if I could win," Chekwel said. "I said to myself that if I did, I would be the lucky one and the best.

“It was a great surprise. I broke off after one kilometre and there were a couple of men running around me who helped me. I ran 71 minutes last month and now I have run 69 and it is my first time to win a big race like this, it is the biggest title of my life.”

Seventeen nations took part in the event and 19,057 runners started what is the second biggest half marathon in the UK. The race featured the Commonwealth Championships to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Welsh capital hosting the Empire & Commonwealth Games.

Organisers for the IAAF

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