Two-time world indoor champion Yomif Kejelcha was the standout performer at the Adizero Road to Records event in Herzogenaurach on Saturday (30), winning the men&rsquo;s 5km in 12:53 &ndash; the fastest debut in history.
The Ethiopian won by two seconds from Kenya&rsquo;s Nicholas Kimeli, making it the first road 5km ever in which two men have broken 13 minutes. There was also record depth in the men&rsquo;s 10km &ndash; won by Kibiwott Kandie in 26:50 &ndash; with five men finishing inside 27 minutes.
In the men&rsquo;s 5km, a relatively large lead pack passed through the first kilometre in 2:36. By the time they reached 2km in 5:19, about 12 men were still in contention. With about 6:40 on the clock, Nicholas Kimeli hit the front and started to string out the lead pack. Kejelcha stuck with him and they reached 3km in 7:58.
Levy Kibet tried to go with the lead duo, but Kejelcha started to make a break with one kilometre to go. Kimeli picked up his pace and opened a gap on Kibet, but he was unable to catch Kejelcha in the closing stages as the Ethiopian won in 12:53, just four seconds shy of the world record. Kimeli was rewarded with a Kenyan record of 12:55, while Kibet finished third in 13:02. Further down the field, Italy&rsquo;s Yemaneberhan Crippa set a European record of 13:14.
Kandie, as he so often does, timed his finish to perfection in the men&rsquo;s 10km. The former world half marathon record-holder was part of a large lead group that passed through half way in 13:34. Fellow Kenyan Sebastian Sawe was level with Kandie by the end of the third lap (7.5km), timed at 20:16 at that point, but Kandie unleashed his trademark finish to win in 26:50, taking one second off his PB and consolidating his position at No.4 on the world all-time list.
Sawe, who won the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon last month in 58:02, crossed the line in 26:54 to move to fifth on the world all-time list. Burundi&rsquo;s Rodrigue Kwizera, winner of this year&rsquo;s World Athletics Cross Country Tour, set a national record of 26:56 in third place.
World record-holder Rhonex Kipruto (26:56) and Ethiopian record-holder Tadese Worku (26:59) finished fourth and fifth respectively.
There was a close finish in the men&rsquo;s half marathon, with Mathew Kimeli earning his first ever victory over the distance in 59:30 from fellow Kenyan and namesake (but no relation) Benard Kimeli. &nbsp;Alfred Barkach of Kenya was third in 59:36 and Amos Kurgat made it a Kenyan 1-2-3-4 finish in 59:40.
Ethiopian runners dominated the women&rsquo;s races. Senbere Teferi retained her 5km title, clocking 14:37 to win by 16 seconds from compatriot Medina Eisa, whose 14:53 clocking is a world U20 and U18 best. Kenya&rsquo;s 2013 world 5000m silver medallist Mercy Cherono was third in 14:56.
Fentaye Belayneh made a convincing 10km debut, unleashing an impressive long drive for home en route to winning in 30:24, the fastest time by an Ethiopian in a women-only race. Kenyan duo Joyce Chepkemoi (30:33) and Sheila Chepkirui (30:35) took the other podium places.
Former 800m specialist Tigist Assefa took almost a minute off her PB to win the women&rsquo;s half marathon in 1:07:28. Rosemary Wanjiru was second in 1:07:36, six second ahead of Ethiopia&rsquo;s Bezabeh Zeray.
<h3>Leading results</h3>
WOMEN
5km 1 Senbere Teferi (ETH) 14:37 2 Medina Eisa (ETH) 14:53 3 Mercy Cherono (KEN) 14:56 4 Melknet Wudu (ETH) 15:11 5 Nigsti Haftu (ETH) 15:12 6 Nadia Battocletti (ITA) 15:13
10km 1 Fentaye Belayneh (ETH) 30:24 2 Joyce Chepkemoi (KEN) 30:33 3 Sheila Chepkirui (KEN) 30:35 4 Faith Cherono (KEN) 30:50 5 Esther Borura (KEN) 31:02 6 Bekelech Gudeta (ETH) 31:10
Half marathon 1 Tigist Assefa (ETH) 1:07:28 2 Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) 1:07:36 3 Bezabeh Zeray (ETH) 1:07:42 4 Aynadis Mebrit (ETH) 1:07:45 5 Nesphine Jepleting (KEN) 1:08:00 6 Cynthia Nolari (KEN) 1:08:04
 MEN
5km 1 Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) 12:53 2 Nicholas Kimeli (KEN) 12:55 3 Levy Kibet (KEN) 13:02 4 Birhanu Balew (BRN) 13:07 5 Telahun Haile Bekele (ETH) 13:11 6 Addisu Yihune (ETH) 13:12
10km 1 Kibiwott Kandie (KEN) 26:50 2 Sebastian Sawe (KEN) 26:54 3 Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 26:56 4 Rhonex Kipruto (KEN) 26:58 5 Tadese Worku (ETH) 26:59 6 Yasin Haji (ETH) 27:00
Half marathon 1 Mathew Kimeli (KEN) 59:30 2 Benard Kimeli (KEN) 59:32 3 Alfred Barkach (KEN) 59:36 4 Amos Kurgat (KEN) 59:40 5 Tadese Takele Bikila (ETH) 59:41 6 Tamirat Tola (ETH) 59:46
<a href="https://tds.sport/it/race/12598" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>

Kejelcha clocks 12:53, just four seconds shy of world 5km record

Kejelcha and Kandie victorious in Herzogenaurach

Fittingly, for an event named in memory of one of the world&rsquo;s best distance runners, the women&rsquo;s race at the Agnes Tirop Cross Country Classic is expected to be the highlight of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting in Eldoret on Saturday (12).
Before Tirop&rsquo;s tragic death in October last year, Kenya was already preparing to host a World Athletics Cross Country Tour event in Eldoret. But during Tirop&rsquo;s funeral on 23 October &ndash; the day she would have turned 26 &ndash; Athletics Kenya announced that the cross-country event will be named after their star athlete.
Tirop will be remembered and celebrated this weekend for her great achievements in athletics. In 2015, aged just 19 at the time, she won the senior world cross-country title in Guiyang, then went on to earn bronze medals over 10,000m at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships. Just one month before her death, she set a women-only world 10km record of 30:01.
Many of Tirop&rsquo;s friends, rivals and former teammates will be in action in Eldoret this weekend.
Senbere Teferi, the silver medallist behind Tirop at the 2015 World Cross, is among the entries for the women's race. At the same event in Herzogenaurach where Tirop set a world 10km record last October, Teferi set a world 5km record of 14:29. Teferi has finished fourth in both of her recent cross-country outings, in Seville and Elgoibar, so will be keen to make it on to the podium in Eldoret.
"I was preparing for another event, but I came here when I heard it was for Agnes," said Teferi. "She was my close friend, I ran with her many times and I loved her. I came here for her."
The top-performing athletes from the recent Kenyan Cross Country Championships, held on this same course last month, will also be looking to produce another strong performance on home soil.
Joyce Jepkemoi, who emerged as the surprise winner in the senior women&rsquo;s race at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships, will be hoping to confirm that she is indeed the best cross country runner in Kenya at the moment. World 5000m silver medallist Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi, who finished second behind Jepkemoi in Eldoret last month, is also entered.
Other leading Kenyan runners expected to compete include world marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich, steeplechase specialist Celliphine Chespol, Lilian Kasait, Beatrice Chebet, Edinah Jebitok and Teresiah Muthoni. Bahraini steeplechaser Winfred Yavi, the two-time Asian champion and fourth-place finisher at the 2019 World Championships, is also entered.
National 5000m champion Nicholas Kimeli, who finished fourth over 5000m at the Tokyo Olympics at fourth at the recent Kenyan Cross Country Championships, is entered for the men's race, as is 2018 world U20 5000m champion Edward Zakayo, who finished just behind Kimeli in Eldoret last month.
Other entrants in the senior men&rsquo;s race include USA&rsquo;s 2016 Olympic 5000m silver medallist Paul Chelimo, Eritrean steeplechase record-holder Yemane Haileselassie, and multiple NCAA champion Edward Cheserek.
Following feedback from competitors at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships, a number of adjustments have been made to the course. The muddy section that many runners had found tough &ndash; and lost their shoes in &ndash; has been compacted to create room for shallower mud.
Justin Lagat for World Athletics

Entries include Senbere Teferi, Margaret Chelimo and Nicholas Kimeli

Distance-running stars set to clash in Eldoret in honour of Tirop

Kenya&rsquo;s Agnes Tirop took 28 seconds off the long-standing women-only world record for 10km*, while Ethiopia&rsquo;s Senbere Teferi set an outright world 5km record of 14:29* at the adizero Road To Records event in Herzogenaurach on Sunday (12).
Tirop, the world 10,000m bronze medallist, put in a decisive surge with little more than two kilometres to go in the 10km, breaking away from fellow Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui before eventually winning in 30:01.
Teferi, the 2015 world 5000m silver medallist, ran away from her opponents after the first kilometre with an incredible solo effort, winning the 5km in 14:29.
Tirop and Chepkirui were part of a five-woman lead pack during the early stages of the 10km and passed through 4km in 12:07. A couple of minutes later, Tirop and Chepkirui had broken away from the rest of their opponents, reaching the half-way point in 15:00 after coving the fifth kilometre in a swift 2:54.
Chepkirui then moved in front of her compatriot and tried to force the pace but was unsuccessful in making a break. The duo continued to run side by side for the best part of three kilometres, but Tirop started her long run for home with about six minutes to go.
Tirop, who won the senior world cross-country title as a teenager back in 2015, passed through 9km in 27:07 with a comfortable lead and was still comfortably inside world record pace. She didn&rsquo;t ease back for the final kilometre, though, and covered it in another 2:54 to reach the finish line in 30:01.
Chepkirui finished second in 30:17, also inside the previous mark of 30:29 set by Morocco&rsquo;s Asmae Leghzaoui back in 2002. Nancy Jelagat was third in 30:50.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m so happy to have broken the world record,&rdquo; said Tirop. &ldquo;I felt the pace was good and Sheila assisted me a lot. The course was very good too.&rdquo;
Teferi, contesting the final race of the day, ensured the event ended on a high as she smashed the world 5km record with 14:29, winning by 25 seconds from Ethiopian teenager Melknat Wudu.
Six weeks after her sixth-place finish over 5000m at the Olympic Games, Teferi ran with the pack for the first kilometre, covered just inside three minutes. Then, sensing that the pace wasn&rsquo;t quite fast enough to challenge the world record, set off on her own and covered the second kilometre in 2:49.
By 3km, which she reached in about 8:43, Teferi had an eight-second lead over the chase pack. She continued to forge ahead, passing 4km in 12:07 and then ended with a 2:52 final kilometre to cross the finish line in 14:29.
Not only did it break the women-only world record of 14:44 set by Beatrice Chepkoech and the 14:43 outright world record set by Sifan Hassan in a mixed race, she also bettered the fastest 5km clocking in history of 14:32, set by Joyciline Jepkosgei before the distance became an official world record event.
&ldquo;I'm so happy,&rdquo; said Teferi. &ldquo;After the Olympics, I knew I was ready to go after this world record. I'm so happy.&rdquo;
Wudu, a double medallist at the World U20 Championships, took second place in 14:54, just ahead of compatriot Nigisti Haftu.
In the day&rsquo;s other races, world record-holder Rhonex Kipruto won the men&rsquo;s 10km in 26:43, the fourth-fastest time in history, while recently crowned world U20 champion Tadese Worku was second in 26:56, an Ethiopian U20 record.
Abel Kipchumba was a convincing winner of the men&rsquo;s half marathon in 58:48 with fellow Kenyan Alexander Mutiso Munyao taking second in 59:20, and Brenda Jepleting added to the Kenyan success with a dominant 1:06:52 victory in the women&rsquo;s race.
Jacob Krop won the men's 5km in 13:06, breaking away from two-time world 5000m champion Muktar Edris in the second half to finish three seconds ahead of the Ethiopian.
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
<h3>Leading results</h3>
WOMEN
5km 1 Senbere Teferi (ETH) 14:29 2 Melknat Wudu (ETH) 14:54 3 Nigisti Haftu (ETH) 14:54 4 Agnes Jebet Ngetich (KEN) 15:02 5 Dawit Seyaum (ETH) 15:10
10km 1 Agnes Tirop (KEN) 30:01 2 Sheila Chepkirui (KEN) 30:17 3 Nancy Jelagat (KEN) 30:50 4 Betty Chepkemoi (KEN) 31:09 5 Dorcas Kimeli (KEN) 31:22
Half marathon 1 Brenda Jepleting (KEN) 1:06:52 2 Besu Sado (ETH) 1:08:15 3 Brillian Jepkorir (KEN) 1:08:28 4 Tgise Haileselase (ETH) 1:08:30 5 Irene Jepchumba (KEN) 1:09:02
 MEN
5km 1 Jacob Krop (KEN) 13:06 2 Muktar Edris (ETH) 13:09 3 Hosea Kiplangat (UGA) 13:13 4 Geoffrey Kimutai (KEN) 13:22 5 Daniel Kinyanjui (KEN) 13:27
10km 1 Rhonex Kipruto (KEN) 26:43 2 Tadese Worku (ETH) 26:56 3 Kennedy Kimutai (KEN) 27:09 4 Nicholas Kimeli (KEN) 27:22 5 Bayelign Teshager (ETH) 27:24
Half marathon 1 Abel Kipchumba (KEN) 58:48 2 Alexander Mutiso Munyao (KEN) 59:20 3 Amos Kurgat Kibiwot (KEN) 59:34 4 Raymond Magut (KEN) 1:00:00 5 Phenus Kipleting (KEN) 1:00:08
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2>Chepkirui and Langat victorious in Vienna</h2>
Kenya&rsquo;s Vibian Chepkirui and Leonard Langat took top honours at the Vienna City Marathon, a World Athletics Label road race, on Sunday (12) in what was the first major marathon worldwide with a strong international elite field and a mass race since the start of the corona pandemic.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Derara Hurisa actually crossed the line in first place in the men&rsquo;s race, but it transpired afterwards that his shoes were not compliant with the rules, so Langat was awarded the victory.
On a day when temperatures reached about 25C during the final part of the race, hopes of records faded during the second half of the race. Chepkirui, a marathon debutante, won in 2:24:29 while Langat clocked 2:09:25. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61407a97b474dc6c27b831e2.JPG" alt="" width="100%" /> Vibian Chepkirui wins the Vienna City Marathon (&copy; VCM / Leo Hagen)
&nbsp;
The women&rsquo;s leaders were running well inside the course record pace of 2:22:12 for most of the race as Chepkirui and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Meseret Dinke and Gelete Burka passed the half way mark in 1:100:47.
Burka had recovered from a fall earlier in the race when she stumbled at a zebra crossing where a section was slightly elevated. However, neither she nor Dinke was able to hold on to Chepkirui, who had opened up a 33-second lead at 30km.
Although she slowed in the final section, Chepkirui&rsquo;s victory was never in doubt as she crossed the line in 2:24:29, winning by more than a minute. Dinke and Burka finished in 2:25:31 and 2:25:38 respectively. Little over a month after her 12th-place finish in the Olympic marathon, Fabienne Schlumpf of Switzerland was fourth in 2:26:31.
&ldquo;Had it not been for the heat, I would have run at least two minutes faster,&rdquo; said Chepkirui.
The leading group in the men&rsquo;s race passed the half-way mark in 1:03:41, and their 30km split of 1:30:33 still pointed towards a finishing time of about 2:07:30. But soon after, when the last pacemaker dropped out, the race became much slower and more tactical.
Japan&rsquo;s Kento Kukutani joined the leading group with Langat, Hurisa, Kenya&rsquo;s Samwel Kiptoo and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Betesfa Getahun, then the pace increased again. Kukutani and Kiptoo were quickly dropped while the other three battled for victory. Hurisa had the best sprint and crossed the line first, but learned of his disqualification about 45 minutes later.
&ldquo;Of course I would have preferred to have broken the tape,&rdquo; said Langat, who achieved his first sub-2:10 performance. &ldquo;I had no clue about the disqualification until they told me. It was a good race, but the heat was a problem.&rdquo;
Organisers registered about 26,000 entries from 126 nations for the various events in Vienna across the weekend. 6000 of them were marathon runners. In the 10km race, Julia Mayer smashed the national record with a time of 32:54, becoming the first Austrian woman to break 33 minutes.
Organisers for World Athletics
<h3>Leading results</h3>
WOMEN 1 Vibian Chepkirui (KEN) 2:24:29 2 Meseret Dinke (ETH) 2:25:31 3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:25:38 4 Fabienne Schlumpf (SUI) 2:26:31 5 Lucy Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:27:47 6 Celestine Chepchirchir (KEN) 2:28:49
MEN 1 Leonard Langat (KEN) 2:09:25 2 Betesfa Getahun (ETH) 2:09:42 3 Edwin Kosgei (KEN) 2:10:10 4 Kento Kikutani (JPN) 2:10:37 5 Samwel Kiptoo (KEN) 2:11:16 6 Tadesse Abraham (SUI) 2:12:26

Kenya’s Agnes Tirop took 28 seconds off the long-standing women-only world record for 10km, clocking 30:01* to win at the adizero Road To Records event in Herzogenaurach on Sunday (12).

Tirop and Teferi smash world records in Herzogenaurach

Over the past few years, people have taken note of the rise of Ethiopian steeplechasers.
Although a few Ethiopian women have enjoyed moderate success in recent Olympic cycles, until recently the men&rsquo;s steeplechase has been mostly a Kenyan domain. Part of the reason for Ethiopia&rsquo;s delayed success in the men&rsquo;s event &ndash; as compared to the other middle and longer distance events at which they have been so competitive &ndash; has to do with access.
&ldquo;The problem in Ethiopia has been the obstacles,&rdquo; said Teshome Kebede, who has been on a mission to popularise the event in the country and help rear a new generation of Ethiopian steeplechase talent.
Obstacles here are both literal and figurative &ndash; both the economic and physical barriers. &ldquo;The only availability [of hurdles] is in cities &ndash; in Addis Ababa and in some academies.&rdquo;
Kebede has made it his personal mission to develop Ethiopian athletes in the steeplechase, and studied the discipline before going around to regions in the country to recruit potential talent. His early prot&eacute;g&eacute;s include 2019 Diamond League champion Getnet Wale and world silver medallist Lamecha Girma.
Finding new events and opportunities in a place like Ethiopia is crucial, too, because the level of competition in long-distance running events is so high. Making Olympic and World Championship teams in the 10,000m and 5000m can even be harder than bringing home hardware from the championship events. But, as will be evident at the FBK Games in Hengelo on 6 June &ndash; which will be followed two days later by the Ethiopian Olympic track trials &ndash; range and quick adaptation are prerequisites for all Ethiopian hopefuls, regardless of what is already on their resumes.
<h2>Gebere Lij &ndash; a farmer&rsquo;s child</h2>
Wale, in many ways, has been the face of athletic versatility and variability.
He says his athletic and mental assets are derived from the grit and strength of being a gebere lij &ndash; a farmer&rsquo;s child &ndash; growing up in rural Ethiopia. Wale was born in Sek&rsquo;ela, Ethiopia, in the province of Gojjam, which is in the north-western part of the Amhara region, and he grew up helping his parents and six siblings tend to their crops. 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZvgFygrMSFU" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> (&copy; Guillaume Laurent)
&nbsp;
&ldquo;My parents encouraged me, telling me to be courageous and strong. My father first didn&rsquo;t know anything about sport but when I started he would listen to the radio and hear about Ethiopian athletes. When I started to show some success, he told me I could do less work on the farm, so I could better focus on school and sport. And as much as he could, he would try to buy me some sports clothes to support me.&rdquo;
Wale did not know much about the steeplechase, but Hiwot Ayalew, who just missed the podium in the steeplechase at the London 2012 Olympics, also grew up in Gojjam. As a result, Wale had some rudimentary interests when Kebede paid him a visit.
Seeing potential, Kebede invited Wale to train at the Ethiopian Youth Sport Academy in Addis Ababa &ndash; partially funded by the Ethiopian government to allow athletes in 11 sports to grow and develop &ndash; and hone his skills.
&ldquo;To be honest, I didn&rsquo;t know anything about the steeplechase when I started,&rdquo; Wale said. &ldquo;There is none in the countryside. [Before my first competition] I watched some videos about how to jump over the obstacles and then I went to Addis Ababa to run my first race. But because I&rsquo;m a farmer&rsquo;s child, I was eager to run well and was selected for the national team.&rdquo; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60ba3069a906b67fed469fac.JPG" alt="" width="950" height="619" /> Ethiopian steeplechaser Getnet Wale (&copy; Guillaume Laurent)
&nbsp;
In his first competition abroad, Wale ran at the World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz and finished third. Shortly after, the government invested in more barriers and a water pit, making it one of the few places in Ethiopia where steeplechasers can adequately practice.
The next year, while still an U18 athlete, Wale competed at the World Championships in London, where he finished ninth overall. In 2018, he won his second bronze medal at the World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland. And in 2019, after winning the Diamond League title, he just missed out on the podium at the World Championships in Doha.
But his new training partner, and Kebede&rsquo;s new apprentice, Lamecha Girma, seemed to come out of thin air, and shook the running world.
<h2>Coaching two kings</h2>
Girma, who is from the Asella region of Ethiopia, was focusing on the 1500m at the Tirunesh Dibaba Athletics Club before Kebede brought him, too, north to the Youth Academy to train.
Training alongside Wale, Girma blossomed quickly, with 2019 being a banner year. That year, he won the trial race in Hengelo in 8:08.18 to secure his spot on the World Championships team. And in the final in Doha, he just missed out on a gold medal to Kenyan star Conseslus Kipruto.
Managing two top athletes and training partners can be tough, Kebede admits. &ldquo;What I tell them is to be good athletes they need to support each other, to love each other, to work together, and to care for each other.
&ldquo;Every training session is like a competition between the two of them,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Sometimes, it is difficult to have two kings on a single team. So they love each other but they compete with each other.&rdquo; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60ba3136a906b67fed469faf.JPG" alt="" width="950" height="660" /> Lamecha Girma and his training partners talk to some local children during a training session (&copy; Guillaume Laurent)
&nbsp;
Despite this, the two have become close friends. Not only do they eat and train together, but when they have down days the two sometimes venture out in Addis Ababa, and in pre-pandemic times were known to enjoy rest days at the cinema.
Wale has been keen on offering his insights to Girma who rose so quickly to global success.
&ldquo;Sport needs patience,&rdquo; says Wale of some of the most important insights he has learned. &ldquo;When you are not winning, you need to accept not winning. You will face different problems in sport, but you need to persevere.&rdquo;
Wale, who is keen to soon move up in distance to the 5000m, expects more and more Ethiopian steeplechasers to rise to prominence soon too. Like the other events, and in addition to Girma, &ldquo;there are a lot of reserve runners who are very good. In the future I will expect even better results.&rdquo;
<h2>Running is Teferi&rsquo;s injera</h2>
The reserve runners to whom Wale refers are present in nearly every middle distance and distance event for both Ethiopian men and women. It makes event specialisation and choice a complicated undertaking for athletes, coaches, and selection committees. Many Ethiopian runners have incredible range, but representing the country can be a tricky calculus of measuring not only the international, but the domestic competition.
Senbere Teferi, for example, has excelled in every distance from the 1500m up to the marathon, and slides up and down the distance scale, and between the track, roads, and grass, to compete in nearly every discipline.
At the Oromia Club in Ambo, Ethiopia, where she began running, Teferi focused initially on the 1500m and the 5000m. In 2011, she left Ethiopia for the first time to race the World U18 Championships in France, where she took home the silver medal. But the first time she wore the Ethiopian singlet at the senior stage was at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, where she again finished second. The following year, she represented Ethiopia at the Rio Olympic Games, where she finished fifth in a time of 14:43.75. 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kujem-6ZFjg" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> (&copy; Guillaume Laurent)
&nbsp;
&ldquo;The 5000m is internal to me,&rdquo; Teferi explains with glee. &ldquo;Why? The first time I represented Ethiopia I was able to win silver. So the 5000m is still inside of me. So I really want to run the 5000m well. That&rsquo;s my interest.&rdquo;
Since then, Teferi has proved she has ability and potential in longer distances as well. In addition to running the 10,000m on the track, where she is one of the top ranked athletes in the world, she has held the half-marathon national record, running 1:05:45 and earning the title of the fastest debut in history. She clearly has potential on the roads, too, shown by her 2:24:11 debut in 2018.
&ldquo;Running comes with two things,&rdquo; Teferi said. &ldquo;Naturally, you have &lsquo;it&rsquo;. The rest comes from training. My ability is natural and comes from inside me. So I can run in the middle distances up to the marathon. This is just natural for me so I am able to run.&rdquo; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60ba31bfa906b67fed469fb2.JPG" alt="" width="950" height="837" /> Ethiopian distance runner Senbere Teferi (&copy; Guillaume Laurent)
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While Teferi no doubt has natural talent, she also is known to be an incredibly meticulous athlete, notorious for stretching for 40 minutes after training, never missing a gym session, and maintaining a varied and calculated diet.
In addition to regularly eating the Ethiopian staple injera, it&rsquo;s how she relates to the sport itself. &ldquo;Running is everything to me,&rdquo; Teferi emphasises, further explaining her tremendous range. &ldquo;Running is my injera. It&rsquo;s my life.&rdquo;
<h2>Trials</h2>
When it comes to a packed trials, few events compare to the distance races that will take place in Hengelo. Although the Ethiopian Athletics Federation can make adjustments following the competition, Ethiopian athletes need to be in world-class shape to show their readiness for the Olympics.
Teferi, Girma, and Wale will be trying to prove themselves worthy of representing Ethiopia at the Tokyo Games, alongside dozens of others. And choosing the correct distance at the right time is a part of that uniquely difficult preparation.
Hannah Borenstein for World Athletics

Over the past few years, people have taken note of the rise of Ethiopian steeplechasers.

The trials and tribulations of being a top Ethiopian distance runner

Spain&rsquo;s Ouassim Oumaiz and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Senberi Teferi captured commanding victories at the 16th Cross Internacional de Atapuerca, the opening leg of the 2019-20 IAAF Cross Country Permit series held in windy conditions on Saturday (9) in Burgos, Spain.
In doing so, Teferi notched up her fourth consecutive victory here and she is just one win behind her compatriot Imane Merga&rsquo;s record tally of five. 20-year-old Spaniard Oumaiz, meanwhile, was a totally unexpected winner to achieve the first local victory since 2008.
The women&rsquo;s 8km event, which preceded the men&rsquo;s race, kicked off conservatively as the opening two kilometres were covered in a comfortable 6:55 with nine women at the front, headed by Kenya&rsquo;s Eva Cherono with Britain&rsquo;s Charlotte Arter and Venezuela&rsquo;s Joselyn Brea near the back of the pack.
Cherono&rsquo;s relentless pace soon whittled down the main group to five women, with only her compatriot Gloria Kite, the Ethiopian tandem of Teferi and Fikadu Zenebu plus Uganda&rsquo;s Peruth Chemutai for company.
It was midway the third and penultimate two-kilometre loop that Teferi first took command of the race, although she didn&rsquo;t increase the pace as the leaders covered that lap in 6:33 compared to the previous one&rsquo;s 6:24. Even so, Chemutai lost ground and by the bell the race witnessed the usual Kenyan-Ethiopian battle in the guise of Cherono and Kite versus Teferi and Zenebu.
Some 1.3km from home, Teferi stepped up the pace to open a 15-metre margin on Cherono while Zenebu and Kite ran in single file way back. Although Teferi&rsquo;s advantage over the Kenyan was never big, the Ethiopian&rsquo;s win didn&rsquo;t seem in jeopardy at any time and she crossed the line first for the fourth time in as many appearances in Atapuerca. While Cherono secured the runner-up spot, Zenebu outsprinted Kite in a thrilling sprint to take the third place on the podium.
Arter was the first European home, head and shoulders clear of Spain&rsquo;s Teresa Urbina in seventh and eighth place respectively.
&ldquo;It was a tough race because of the cold and wind but I felt comfortable throughout and managed to unleash my attack over the last kilometre and win,&rdquo; said Teferi, the 2015 world 5000m and cross-country silver medallist. &ldquo;I hope to return next year to match my compatriot Imane Merga&rsquo;s five victories. After my wins at the Valencia Half Marathon and today, I now plan to return to Ethiopia.&rdquo;
<h3>Oumaiz upsets the favourites</h3>
The men&rsquo;s 9km race always looked wide open, but nobody would have imagined that four of the top 10 finishers from this year&rsquo;s World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus would be beaten by rising Spaniard Ouassim Oumaiz, the European U20 cross-country silver medallist.
Right from the start it was Uganda&rsquo;s Thomas Ayeko who made most of the pace with his compatriot Timothy Toroitich and Eritrea&rsquo;s Aron Kifle always in close attendance.
Successive two-kilometre circuits covered in 5:46 and 5:50 left a six-man heading pack also including Burundi&rsquo;s Thierry Ndikumwenavo and the Spanish duo of Oumaiz and European U23 5000m bronze medallist Abdessamad Oukhelfen.
To the surprise of the crowd, Oumaiz moved to the front with the clock reading 16:00 and first Ndikumwenavo and then Oukhelfen began to falter, losing any winning chance.
Shortly before the bell, the Spaniard fell when he was negotiating a tight bend, allowing Ayeko, Kifle and Toroitich to open a 30-metre gap. It seemed as though the victory would be contended by that lead trio, but the Spaniard bounced back and rejoined the pack. In the final kilometre Oumaiz made his move with a brisker pace that the other three men couldn&rsquo;t follow. 
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Ouassim Oumaiz wins at the Cross de Atapuerca</div>
&nbsp;
The leader romped home unopposed, clearly ecstatic by the fact he had defeated some of the world cross country cr&egrave;me on home soil.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m over the moon,&rdquo; said Oumaiz, who finished 20th in Aarhus earlier this year. &ldquo;Obviously, I knew my fitness was fine and was expecting a good performance today, but I didn&rsquo;t dream of winning against some of the best specialists in the world. Unfortunately I picked up an injury after the World Cross and missed the track campaign. I had to settle for watching the World Championships on TV and was eager to come back to competition.
&ldquo;My short-term goal is the European Cross in Lisbon on 8 December; I&rsquo;m still eligible for the under-23 category but I&rsquo;ll contest the senior race and hope to fight for the podium places. I&rsquo;ll next run in Soria on Sunday 17 November.&rdquo;
Asked on whether he had chatted with his podium mates today, Oumaiz laughed and said: &ldquo;yes, Toroitich congratulated me and said, &lsquo;now it&rsquo;s your time, guy&rsquo;.&rdquo;
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men (9km) 1 Ouassim Oumaiz (ESP) 25:54 2 Thomas Ayeko (UGA) 25:56 3 Timothy Toroitich (UGA) 25:56 4 Aron Kifle (ERI) 25:59 5 Abdessalam Oukhelfen (ESP) 26:09 6 Thierry Ndikumwenavo (BUR) 26:15 7 Carlos Mayo (ESP) 26:17 8 Awet Habte (ERI) 26:18 9 Nassim Hassaous (ESP) 26:20 10 Hassan Chani (BRN) 26:24
Women (8km) 1 Senbere Teferi (ETH) 25:38 2 Eva Cherono (KEN) 25:42 3 Fikadu Zenebu (ETH) 25:44 4 Gloria Kite (KEN) 25:45 5 Deborah Samun (KEN) 26:15 6 Peruth Chemutai (UGA) 26:19 7 Charlotte Arter (GBR) 26:29 8 Teresa Urbina (ESP) 27:14 9 Jenny Nesbitt (GBR) 27:18 10 Celia Ant&oacute;n (ESP) 27:19

Spain’s Ouassim Oumaiz and Ethiopia’s Senberi Teferi captured commanding victories at the 16th Cross Internacional de Atapuerca, the opening leg of the 2019-20 IAAF Cross Country Permit series held in windy conditions on Saturday (9) in Burgos, Spain.

Teferi takes title No.4 while Oumaiz defeats the favourites in Atapuerca

The 2019-20 IAAF Cross Country Permit series will kick off in Burgos on Saturday (9) with the Cross de Atapuerca, one of five stops in Spain, where Ethiopia&rsquo;s Senbere Teferi will chase an unprecedented fourth win in the women&rsquo;s race.
Already a three-time winner here, the 2015 world cross-country and 5000m silver medallist showed she was in great form two weeks ago in Valencia where she broke her own national half marathon record with her 1:05:32 victory.
Teferi is completing a solid 2019 season which also includes a sixth-place finish in the 10,000m at the World Championships in Doha. An accomplished track runner with PBs of 4:01.86 for 1500m and 14:23.33 for 5000m, Teferi&rsquo;s knowledge of the Burgos circuit should play in her favour.
But the same applies for Kenya&rsquo;s Margaret Chelimo, the runner-up over the past two years. The 26-year-old Kenyan earned the 5000m silver medal at the recent World Championships, improving her lifetime best to 14:27:49, and then won a low-key 4km race in the Italian city of Biella eight days later.
The toughest opposition for Teferi could come from Kenya&rsquo;s world U20 cross-country and 5000m champion Beatrice Chebet, who holds a 14:46.12 performance for the distance, and Uganda&rsquo;s Peruth Chemutai, who finished fifth in the steeplechase at the World Championships.
Norah Tanui, the third-place finisher last year, will also be in contention. The 24-year-old Kenyan is one of just five women to have bettered nine minutes in the 3000m steeplechase, a feat she achieved in 2018 thanks to her 8:59:62 performance in Brussels. She is also the only woman this year to beat world record-holder and world champion Beatrice Chepkoech in the steeplechase.
Fellow Kenyan Gloria Kite should fight for a top-five spot after her fourth-place finish last year. Still 20 years of age and a winner in Soria last year, she produced a fine 30:26 10km clocking in Valencia in January. The Kenyan contingent also includes Eva Cherono, a cross-country specialist who finished eighth at this year&rsquo;s World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus and first in Alcobendas last year.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Zenebu Fikadu, 10th in Aarhus, and Bahrain&rsquo;s 2017 world marathon champion Rose Chelimo also cannot be discounted.
<h3>Wide open men's race</h3>
The men&rsquo;s 9km contest features four athletes who finished in the top 10 at this year&rsquo;s World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus: Eritrea&rsquo;s Aron Kifle, Ugandan duo Thomas and Joel Ayeko and Burundi&rsquo;s Thierry Ndikumwenayo.
The Spain-based Kifle finished a creditable fourth in Aarhus and should be eager to improve on his runner-up spot from 12 months ago in Burgos. The 21-year-old is also a renowned road specialist, having earned bronze at the 2018 World Half Marathon Championships.
After a below-par performance at the World Championships in Doha where he was hampered by a stomach infection and finished 15th in the 10,000m, Kifle returned to competition two weeks ago and finished 10th at the Valencia Half Marathon in 1:00:25. He will compete alongside his compatriot and training partner Yemane Hailesilassie, a steeplechase specialist who holds the national record, claimed silver at the 2016 World U20 Championships and reached the 2016 Olympic final.
Thomas Ayeko was seventh in Aarhus, his best senior performance to date at a World Cross, and should be one of the athletes to beat on Sunday. The 27-year-old has fond memories of racing on Spanish soil as he earned the U20 men&rsquo;s silver medal at the 2011 World Cross in Punta Umbr&iacute;a. His last outing came three weeks ago when he clocked a half marathon season&rsquo;s best of 1:00:56 for third in Lisbon.
Joel Ayeko, no relation to Thomas, finished 10th at this year&rsquo;s World Cross and earned the team gold medal. More recently he set a 10-mile career best of 46:42 to finish third in Zaandam.
They will be joined by Timothy Toroitich, a multiple winner at Spanish cross-country permit meetings in recent seasons. The 28-year-old set a lifetime best of 1:00:53 at last month&rsquo;s Lisbon Half Marathon, finishing three seconds ahead of Thomas Ayeko.
The Ugandan contingent also includes Albert Chemutai, holder of an 8:12:29 steeplechase best, and watch out for Burundi&rsquo;s Thierry Ndikumwenayo, a surprise top-10 finisher in Aarhus.
The best Spaniards entered include national champion Ouassim Oumaiz, 2017 European cross-country silver medallist Adel Mechaal, world steeplechase finalist Fernando Carro, Daniel Mateo, who finished 10th in the marathon at the World Championships, Javier Guerra, Toni Abad&iacute;a and Carlos Mayo.
More than 6000 athletes from 16 countries will take part in the event in what promises to be an athletics party on Saturday. Weather forecasters predict a rainy and windy day with temperatures between 6-8C.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF

The 2019-20 IAAF Cross Country Permit series will kick off in Burgos on Saturday (9) with the Cross de Atapuerca, one of five stops in Spain, where Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi will chase an unprecedented fourth win in the women’s race.

Cross Country Permit season gets underway in Atapuerca

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Senbere Teferi will aim to win her fourth successive title at the Cross de Atapuerca in Burgos on 9 November, the opening fixture on the 2019-2020 IAAF Cross Country Permit calendar.
The 2015 world 5000m and cross-country silver medallist made history with her victory at last year&rsquo;s Cross de Atapuerca, becoming the first woman to win three times in Burgos. More recently, Teferi broke her own Ethiopian half marathon record with her 1:05:32 victory in Valencia last weekend.
Teferi&rsquo;s 24:48 clocking in Burgos in 2016 &ndash; beating the then world cross-country champion Agnes Tirop &ndash; is the fastest time ever recorded on the women&rsquo;s 8km course. In 2017 and 2018 Teferi finished just ahead of world 5000m silver medallist Margaret Kipkemboi to win.
The Cross de Atapuerca is one of eight meetings in the 2019-2020 IAAF Cross Country Permit series, which once again includes some of the most prestigious international cross-country races in the world.
After Burgos, the series will take in four other Spanish meetings alongside two stops in Italy before reaching its conclusion in the Portuguese city of Albufeira on 15 March 2020.
Organisers for the IAAF

Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi will aim to win her fourth successive title at the Cross de Atapuerca in Burgos on 9 November, the opening fixture on the 2019-2020 IAAF Cross Country Permit calendar.

Teferi targets title No.4 at Atapuerca

Valary Jemeli Aiyabei smashed the 2:20 barrier at the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on Sunday (27), winning the IAAF Gold Label road race in a course record of 2:19:10 to move to 12th on the world all-time list.
In a thrilling men&rsquo;s race, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Fikre Tefera broke clear from his compatriot Dawit Wolde to win by just two seconds in 2:07:08.
Just one week after Brigid Kosgei clocked a world record of 2:14:04 at the Chicago Marathon, spectators in Frankfurt wondered if another record was about to happen in the German city after Aiyabei went through 10km in 31:44, on schedule for a 2:13:54 finish.
The 28-year-old Kenyan was paced by her husband Kenneth Tarus until he had to drop out at 15km because of stomach problems, but Aiyabei continued in imposing style, going through halfway in 1:07:42.
Aiyabei&rsquo;s pace slowed in the second half, but she continued to operate inside the required schedule to finish inside the course record of 2:20:36 set 12 months ago by one of her distant pursuers, Meskerem Assefa. Aiyabei eventually crossed the line in 2:19:10, improving the course record by 86 seconds.
&ldquo;My aim was to break my personal best,&rdquo; said Aiyabei, whose previous PB was 2:20:53. Despite her tremendously fast early pace, she hadn&rsquo;t planned an attack on the world record. &ldquo;Running alone isn&rsquo;t easy. I had to struggle and grind it out.&rdquo;
The chasing group, some way behind, comprised high class talent who were themselves on course for sub-2:20 much of the time. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Megertu Kebede emerged to take second place in a PB of 2:21:10. Defending champion Meskerem Assefa finished third in 2:22:14 ahead of European 10,000m champion Lonah Salpeter of Israel, who came home in 2:23:11.
The leading group in the men&rsquo;s field set off slower than intended and the prospect of a finishing time inside of 2:05 soon drifted out of reach. The 14-strong leading group went through halfway in 1:03:29 and were without pacemakers from 25km onwards. The fastest man in the field, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tsegaye Mekonnen, dropped out before 30km.
It was only at about 35km that the group started to break up. Mark Kiptoo, the Kenyan who set a world M40 best of 2:07:50 on this course last year, dropped off the pace and eventually finished sixth in 2:08:09. Four men pulled away: Kenya&rsquo;s Martin Kosgey, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Fikre Tefera and Dawit Wolde and Bahrain&rsquo;s Aweke Yimer, the latter making his marathon debut.
The outcome was decided with fewer than 300 metres to run before they reached the red carpet in Frankfurt&rsquo;s Festhalle. At that point the 21-year-old Fikre Tefera went clear and won in 2:07:08.
&ldquo;I had hoped for a faster time but the pacemaker wasn&rsquo;t fast enough, although the conditions were good,&rdquo; said Fikre, who has a PB of 2:06:27. Wolde finished two seconds behind Fikre and two seconds ahead of Yimer in what was the closest finish ever in Frankfurt.
Organisers for the IAAF
LEADING RESULTS
Men 1 Fikre Tefera (ETH) 2:07:08 2 Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:07:10 3 Aweke Yimer (BRN) 2:07:12 4 Martin Kosgey (KEN) 2:07:20 5 Maru Teferi (ISR) 2:08:09 6 Mark Kiptoo (KEN) 2:08:09 7 Kenneth Keter (KEN) 2:09:29 8 Daniele Meucci (ITA) 2:10:52 9 Benard Kipyego (KEN) 2:11:38 10 Derek Hawkins (GBR) 2:12:49
Women 1 Valary Aiyabei (KEN) 2:19:10 2 Megertu Kebede (ETH) 2:21:10 3 Meskerem Assefa (ETH) 2:22:11 4 Lonah Salpeter (ISR) 2:23:11 5 Caroline Rotich (KEN) 2:24:42 6 Askale Wegi (ETH) 2:25:03 7 Sylvia Kibet (KEN) 2:26:04 8 Stephanie Twell (GBR) 2:26:40 9 Hiwot Yemer (ETH) 2:26:40 10 Katharina Steinruck (GER) 2:27:26
<h3> Teferi breaks Ethiopian record to win Valencia Half Marathon</h3>
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Senbere Teferi and world indoor 3000m champion Yomif Kejelcha were victorious at the Medio Marat&oacute;n Valencia Trinidad Alfonso EDP on Sunday (27), winning in 1:05:32 and 59:05 respectively at the IAAF Gold Label road race.
At yesterday&rsquo;s technical meeting, pre-race favourite Sifan Hassan was cautious on her chances of breaking the world record. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how my body has recovered from the Doha efforts,&rdquo; said Hassan, who won the 1500m and 10,000m at the recent World Championships.
But right from the start, perfectly paced by compatriot Roy Hoornweg and Morocco&rsquo;s Yakoub Labquira, Hassan seemed determined to chase the record as she went through the opening 5km in 15:19 with only Teferi and Kenya&rsquo;s Joan Chelimo for company as the women-only record holder and world half marathon champion Netsanet Gudeta ran eight seconds in arrears.
With exactly 22:15 on the clock, Hassan tripped and fell hard, losing ground on the leaders. Even though the pacemakers didn&rsquo;t seem to notice her fall, the European record-holder soon re-joined the lead group.
The lead trio reached 10km in 30:43 &ndash; still inside world record pace &ndash; with Teferi and Chelimo heading the race while Hassan trailed by four seconds, likely hampered by her fall.
Although Hoornweg remained pacing Hassan throughout, Teferi and Chelimo&rsquo;s leading margin increased to 16 seconds by the 15km checkpoint, which the lead duo reached in 46:16.
Chelimo began to fade shortly afterwards and Teferi went on to win by a clear margin. The 24-year-old reached the finish in 1:05:32, taking 13 seconds off the Ethiopian record she had set in Ras Al Khaimah earlier this year. Hassan, who overtook Chelimo just before 20km, finished second in 1:05:53 with Chelimo finishing third in 1:06:09. 
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Senbere Teferi wins the Valencia Half Marathon</div>
&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really satisfied with my performance,&rdquo; said Teferi, the 2015 world 5000m silver medallist. &ldquo;In addition to winning the race, I managed to improve my PB so I can&rsquo;t ask for more.&rdquo;
On a perfect day for road running (a slight wind and 12C), the men&rsquo;s race opened according to plan with the main pack passing the opening 5km in 13:55. By the 10th kilometre, the pace had dropped slightly as the leading pack went through that checkpoint in 27:56. By then, only the Ethiopian duo of Jemal Yimer and Kejelcha plus the Kenyan quartet of Benard Ngeno, Albert Kangogo, Leonard Barsoton and Geoffrey Koech remained with winning chances.
Once the pacemakers had dropped out, the leading quintet of Ngeno, Kejelcha, Yimer, Barsoton and Koech passed 15km in 42:09, indicating the course record of 58:18 would remain intact.
Once Koech lost ground, Kejelcha, Yimer, Ngeno and Barsoton fought hard for the victory in the closing stages after passing 20km in 56:15. Kejelcha unleashed a significant change of pace with about 700 metres to go and went on to cross the finish line in 59:05.
Ngeno was runner-up in a lifetime best of 59:07 while Yimer completed the podium after a thrilling sprint finish with Barsoton, both being credited in 59:09, a PB for the Kenyan.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
LEADING RESULTS 
Men 1 Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) 59:05 2 Benard Ngeno (KEN) 59:07 3 Jemal Yimer (ETH) 59:09 4 Leonard Barsoton (KEN) 59:09 5 Shadrack Korir (KEN) 59:40 6 Geoffrey Koech (KEN) 59:58 7 Henry Rono (KEN) 1:00:13 8 Sondre Moen (NOR) 1:00:15
Women 1 Senbere Teferi (ETH) 1:05:32 2 Sifan Hassan (NED) 1:05:53 3 Joan Chelimo (KEN) 1:06:09 4 Alia Saeed Mohammed (UAE) 1:08:01 5 Tigst Assefa (ETH) 1:08:24 6 Netsanet Gudeta Kebede (ETH) 1:08:35 7 Molly Huddle (USA) 1:09:35 8 Genet Kassahun (ETH) 1:11:09
<h3> Chepkirui clocks 2:21:26 to smash Ljubljana Marathon record</h3>
Kenyan Bornes Chepkirui smashed the race record at the 24th Volkswagen Ljubljana Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race, on Sunday (27).
Breaking away from Shitaye Eshete in the 40th kilometre, Chepkirui forged on alone over the waning stages to clock 2:21:26, clipping more than a minute and a half from the 2:22:58 race record set by Visiline Jepkesho last year.
In the men's race, Kelkile Gezahegn of Ethiopia lived up to his favourite's billing with a convincing victory in 2:07:29.
"I'm very happy, I didn't know I could run 2:21," said Chepkirui, 31, who also knocked nearly three minutes from her previous best of 2:24:19 set when winning the Prague Marathon last year.
A group of eight were still in the running through 25 kilometres, covered in 1:24:07, including past Boston and Toronto winner Sharon Jemutai Cherop, fastest entrant Shitaye Eshete, and sub-2:23 runners Afere Godfay and Sentayehu Lewetegn. Then the second half began to take its toll, leaving just four in fight at 35 kilometres: Chepkirui, Eshete, Ethiopian Kuftu Tahir Dadiso and debutante Diana Chemtai. 
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Bornes Chepkirui Kitur wins the Ljubljana Marathon</div>
&nbsp;
Dadiso was next to drop a kilometre later followed by Chemtai another kilometre after that, leaving Chepkirui and Eshete at the front until the Kenyan made her decisive move in the heart of the Slovenian capital's old town centre.
Eshete held on to clock 2:21:33, eclipsing the 2:22:39 career best that propelled her to the runner-up spot in Prague earlier this year. Chemtai finished off her first marathon in impressive style, clocking 2:22:07 to round out the podium.
Further back, Dadiso was fourth in 2:23:14 with Cherop fifth in 2:25:11 to match her position in this race last year.
Similarly, a group of eight remained in contention through 25 kilometres in the men&rsquo;s contest after opening splits of 14:54 and 30:04 at five and 10 kilometres. That group was reduced to five 10 kilometres later, then to just two by the 40th kilometre with Gezahegn biding his time before making his move to drop Anthony Kiplangat Maritim. That came about a kilometre later.
&ldquo;The run was very good,&rdquo; Gezahegn said, despite the warm temperatures that reached 20C midway through the race that prevented him from making an assault on both his own 2:05:56 lifetime best and the 2:04:58 race record set last year by Sisay Lemme.
Maritim was second in 2:07:52 with Kenyan compatriot Vincent Rono rounding out the top three in 2:08:06. Goitom Kifle of Eritrea was next in 2:08:09, knocking more than two minutes from his previous best.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
LEADING RESULTS
Men 1 Kelkile Gezahegn (ETH) 2:07:29 2 Anthony Kiplangat Maritim (KEN) 2:07:52 3 Vincent Rono (KEN) 2:08:06 4 Goitom Kifle (ERI) 2:08:09 5 Ezekial Omullo (KEN) 2:08:41 6 Regasa Bejiga (ETH) 2:09:38
Women 1 Bornes Chepkirui Kitur (KEN) 2:21:26 2 Shitaye Eshete (BRN) 2:21:33 3 Diana Chemtai (KEN) 2:22:07 4 Kuftu Tahir Dadiso (ETH) 2:23:14 5 Sharon Jemutai Cherop (KEN) 2:25:11 6 Sentayehu Lewetegn (ETH) 2:25:26 7 Medina Armino (ETH) 2:27:51 8 Olga Skrypak (UKR) 2:27:58 9 Fetale Dejene Tsegaye (ETH) 2:28:41 10 Afera Godfay (ETH) 2:29:18
<h3> Anbesa and Korir triumph in Venice</h3>
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tesfaye Anbesa Lencho and Kenya&rsquo;s Judith Korir took the honours at the Huawei Venice Marathon, an IAAF Bronze Label road race, winning with respective PBs of 2:10:49 and 2:29:20.
Pacemakers Cornelius Kangogo and James Murithi led an eight-man leading group, which featured Andrew Ben Kimtai, Daniel Gatheru, Geoffrey Yego, Anbesa Tesfaye, Moses Mengich and Henry Kiprop. They went through 10km in 30:49, 15km in 46:07 and at the halfway mark in 1:04:57.
The front group was whittled down to six when Yegon took the lead ahead of Mengich, Gatheru, Anbesa, Kiprop, Kimtai and Mengich and they passed 30km inside the San Giuliano Park in 1:32:46. The race turned into a tactical affair when the course took athletes to Venice through the Liberty Bridge and Gatheru and Yegon were the first runners to lose ground.
Kiprop and Anbesa pulled away from Kemtai at 35km and were level until the final seven kilometres. The 22-year-old Ethiopian launched his decisive kick on the final part of the course and crossed the finish line in 2:10:49 with a six-second gap over Kiprop, who improved his PB to 2:10:55. 
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Tesfaye Anbesa Lencho wins the Venice Marathon</div>
&nbsp;
&ldquo;I managed my effort throughout the race and I saved some energy for the final kilometres,&rdquo; said Anbesa. &ldquo;The competition was good until 40km, but the course was very tough in the final two kilometres with a lot of ups and downs, but I held on.&rdquo;
A leading trio formed by Cynthya Jerop, Meka Wake Washo and Judith Korir emerged at the front during the early stages of the women&rsquo;s race, going through 5km in 17:14, 10km in 34:20 and 15km 51:39.
Jerop and Korir had opened up a 22-second gap on Washo by the half-way point, reached in 1:12:45. Korir pulled away from Jerop at 30km and ran alone for the final 12km, eventually winning in 2:29:20.
&ldquo;I am happy that I improved my previous PB of 2:45,&rdquo; said the 23-year-old Kenyan, who won in Belgrade earlier this year. &ldquo;I started pushing at 25km and I gave everything in the final part.&rdquo;
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
LEADING RESULTS
Men 1 Lencho Anbesa Tesfaye (ETH) 2:10:49 2 Henry Kiprop (KEN) 2:10:55 3 Andrew Ben Kimtai (KEN) 2:11:58
Women 1 Judith Korir (KEN) 2:29:20 2 Cynthia Jerop (KEN) 2:31:33 3 Wake Meka Washo (ETH) 2:34:3
<h3> Kebede and Teshome set course records in Changsha</h3>
In cold and wet conditions, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Abdi Kebede registered his first international marathon title with a course record, while compatriot Tigist Teshome broke the women&rsquo;s record at the Changsha International Marathon, an IAAF Bronze Label road race, on Sunday (27).
The 22-year-old Kebede, who debuted over the classic distance last year, stayed in the leading pack soon after the gun and won a last-kilometre three-man battle to cross the line in 2:10:23, cutting 50 seconds from the course record set last year by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Fikadu Teferi.
The top three finishers all beat Teferi&rsquo;s course record. David Kiprono of Kenya clocked a PB of 2:10:26 to finish second, improving his best by 44 seconds, while Ethiopia&rsquo;s Workneh Tesfa finished third in 2:10:30.
It was Kebede&rsquo;s second PB this season, following his 2:11:46 clocking at the Wuxi Marathon in March.
A leading group of eight runners, including defending champion Teferi and local runner Peng Jianhua, paced the race to 15km in 46:16 and 20km in 1:01:29. Teferi gave up his title defence before 25km, while an unsuccessful attempt to break away from Paul Maina of Kenya at 33km further trimmed the leaders to five.
Maina and Morocco&rsquo;s Mohamed El Talhaoui quit the title contest one after the other near the 40km water station, before Kebede launched his final charge to outrace Kiprono and Tesfa in the home stretch.
The top three athletes in the women&rsquo;s race also finished inside the course record of 2:32:56 set by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Bekelu Beji, who pulled out of the race at the last minute.
Teshome emerged victorious from a last 500-metre duel against Soud Kanbouchia of Morocco to finish in 2:31:43, which was more than two minutes shy of her PB of 2:29:17 set in Barcelona seven months ago.
The 32-year-old Ethiopian knelt down and kissed the ground after breaking the tape to celebrate her first title claimed in China. She has previously won races in Castellon, Medellin and RIga since her marathon debut in 2013.
The 37-year-old Kanbouchia, who also renewed her PB this year with a 2:29:48 clocking from her fifth-place finish in Wuhan, lagged five seconds behind Teshome to finish second.
Ayantu Abera of Ethiopia remained in the leading group for most of the race but dropped back near the 38km mark, and the 24-year-old went on to finish third with a clocking of 2:32:34.
Vincent Wu for the IAAF
<h3> Adugna retains Marseille Cassis 20km title</h3>
Olika Adugna of Ethiopia became the first runner in more than a decade to retain a Marseille Cassis 20km title, while Brillian Jepkorir Kipkoech prevailed for the first time in the challenging French race on Sunday (27).
A group of eight runners &ndash; Shadrack Korir Kipyegon, who entered the race at last minute, Joseph Koech, Gilbert Korir, Gerald Vincent, Dennis Rutoh, Josphat Kiprono Menjo, Adugna and his compatriot Yasin Haji &ndash; went through 5km in 15:09.
The leading pack then tackled the first slopes of the tough 327-metre climb up to the Col de la Gineste. Adugna changed gears on the steepest slopes of the Col de la Gineste, breaking the field and building a small lead from the first chasers to hit the summit 10km into the race in 32:15, 11 seconds ahead of Kipyegon and 12 seconds ahead of Haji.
Adugna covered the next five kilometres &ndash; mainly downhill &ndash; in 14:26 to reach the 15km checkpoint in 46:41, nine seconds ahead of Haji. Kipyegon started to fade and was now 23 seconds adrift the leader.
Adugna held on to capture his second win at this race in 1:01:10, 41 seconds slower than last year.
Haji was eventually forced to withdraw in the waning stages. Menjo, who was fourth at 10km, finished strongly to place second in 1:01:50 as Korir Kipyegon rounded the podium in 1:02:13.
In the women&rsquo;s race, a trio of Kenyans &ndash;Brillian Jepkorir Kipkoech, Lucy Macharia and Lydia Nialaka Simiyu &ndash; separated themselves from the gun and hit 5km in 16:49, 37 seconds ahead of the rest of the field.
As expected, pre-race favourite Jepkorir ratcheted up the pace in the Col de la Gineste and reached the summit and the 10km mark in 35:52, almost one minute ahead of Simiyu and 1:04 ahead of Macharia. The gap continued to grow over the next kilometres.
Jepkorir Kipkoech, who improved her half marathon PB to 1:07:12 one month ago, didn&rsquo;t fade in the closing stages to seal the win in 1:07:54, 2:23 ahead of Simiyu and 2:42 ahead of Macharia.
Quentin Guillon for the IAAF

Valary Jemeli Aiyabei smashed the 2:20 barrier at the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon on Sunday (27), winning the IAAF Gold Label road race in a course record of 2:19:10 to move to 12th on the world all-time list.

Weekend road round-up: Aiyabei sets Frankfurt Marathon record, Teferi breaks Ethiopian record in Valencia

Kenya&rsquo;s Stephen Kiprop continued where he left off last year by winning the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon on Friday (8) in an equal course record of 58:42, moving to joint sixth on the world all-time list. In a close women&rsquo;s race, Senbere Teferi won in 1:05:45, the fastest debut half marathon time in history, with just one second separating the top three finishers.
The race broke new ground as it was the first half marathon in history in which 11 men finished inside an hour. It was also the first time that five women had finished within 1:06:30.
The men&rsquo;s field got off to a steady start with a large lead group passing through five kilometres in 14:13 and 10 kilometres in 28:10. 15 men were still in the front pack at that stage, all operating well within the required schedule for a sub-60-minute finish.
The pace continued to increase, though, and by 15 kilometres &ndash; reached in 41:48 &ndash; Kiprop and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Abadi Hadis had broken away from the rest of the pack. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Fikadu Haftu, Switzerland&rsquo;s Julien Wanders and Kenya&rsquo;s Morris Gachanga formed a chase trio about eight seconds adrift of the leaders.
Hadis and Kiprop gradually increased their lead in the closing stages. After passing 20 kilometres in 55:46, it became clear they could challenge Bedan Karoki&rsquo;s course record of 58:42 set last year. Haftu and Wanders, meanwhile, had dropped Gachanga by this point and were 17 seconds behind the lead duo with a larger chasing pack not too far behind.
Kiprop, still just 19 years of age, proved to have the stronger finish and outkicked Hadis to win in 58:42, the fastest time in history by a teenager. It was another big step forward for Kiprop, who first broke through last year when winning the Venloop Half Marathon in 59:44 on his debut at the distance. He went on to win the Usti Nad Labem Half Marathon in 59:41 and reduced his PB to 59:21 when finishing fifth in Valencia.
Hadis, the world cross-country bronze medallist, finished second in 58:44, tying the PB he set last year in Valencia.
Haftu finished third in 59:08 while Wanders placed fourth in 59:13, taking 19 seconds off Mo Farah&rsquo;s European record. In fifth place, Gachanga matched his finishing position from last year but was rewarded with a PB of 59:22. 
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Senbere Teferi wins the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon</div>
&nbsp;
Fewer athletes featured in the early lead pack of the women&rsquo;s race, but the podium places were hotly contested.
A group of six women passed through five kilometres in 15:32 and maintained their pace through 10 kilometres, reached in 31:02. Teferi was one of four Ethiopian women in the pack along with world half marathon champion Netsanet Gudeta, Zeineba Yimer and Degitu Azimeraw. Kenya&rsquo;s Valary Jemeli Aiyabei and Paskalia Kipkoech were also among the early leaders, but the latter began to drift off the pace at about the half-way stage.
Aiyabei and the Ethiopian quartet went through 15 kilometres in 46:43 while Kipkoech trailed by about 50 seconds, now running alongside former world half marathon record-holder Peres Jepchirchir, who was competing internationally for the first time since having a baby.
Just a few kilometres later, the race had become a three-woman contest between Teferi, Gudeta and Yimer. Having done so since the start, they continued to run shoulder-to-shoulder until the very end when 2015 world 5000m silver medallist Teferi was able to edge ahead just enough to claim victory in 1:05:45.
Teferi made her marathon debut last year in Dubai and withdrew from the New Delhi Half Marathon later in 2018, but this was her first standalone and complete half marathon race.
Gudeta, who finished one place behind Teferi at the 2015 World Cross Country Championships, was given the same finishing time in second place, a 16-second improvement on the PB she set when winning the world half marathon title last year.
Yimer finished a close third in 1:05:46 while Azimeraw and Aiyabei finished fourth and fifth respectively in 1:06:07 and 1:06:14. The top five women all set lifetime bests.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Stephen Kiprop (KEN) 58:42 2 Abadi Hadis (ETH) 58:44 3 Fikadu Haftu (ETH) 59:08 4 Julien Wanders (SUI) 59:13 5 Morris Gachanga (KEN) 59:22 6 Mule Wasihun (ETH) 59:34 7 Daniel Kipchumba (KEN) 59:36 8 Amedework Walelegn (ETH) 59:39 9 Abel Kipchumba (KEN) 59:40 Shadrack Kiminning (KEN) 59:42
Women 1 Senbere Teferi (ETH) 1:05:45 2 Netsanet Gudeta (ETH) 1:05:45 3 Zeineba Yimer (ETH) 1:05:46 4 Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) 1:06:07 5 Valary Aiyabei (KEN) 1:06:14 6 Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) 1:07:36 7 Paskalia Kipkoech (KEN) 1:07:38 8 Naom Jebet (KEN) 1:08:19 9 Gerda Steyn (RSA) 1:12:35 10 Anne-Mari Hyrylainen (FIN) 1:13:40

Kenya’s Stephen Kiprop continued where he left off last year by winning the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon on Friday (8) in an equal course record of 58:42, moving to joint sixth on the world all-time list. In a close women’s race, Senbere Teferi won in 1:05:45, the fastest debut half marathon time in history, with just one second separating the top three finishers.

Kiprop equals course record, Teferi clocks fastest debut at Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon 

Uganda&rsquo;s Jacob Kiplimo and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Senberi Teferi were victorious at the 15th &lsquo;Cross Internacional de Atapuerca&rsquo;, the opening race of the 2018-19 IAAF Cross Country Permit series held in windy conditions on Sunday (11) in Burgos, Spain.
In doing so, the Ethiopian ace completed a hat trick of wins in Atapuerca while the youngster Kiplimo, who will turn 18 on Wednesday, showed stellar form to destroy the classy field assembled although Ethiopia&rsquo;s Getaneh Molla couldn&rsquo;t return to defend his title because of visa problems.
The men&rsquo;s 9km race opened at a moderate pace led by Kenya&rsquo;s Vincent Rono, who was a creditable seventh at last year&rsquo;s World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, but 15 athletes still formed the lead pack 3000 metres into the race.
The first serious movement came with the clock reading 10 minutes when Kiplimo took command of the race, setting a much brisker rhythm to whittle down the lead group to eight after a 5:44 1.95km loop. Closest to the Ugandan was Eritrea&rsquo;s reigning world half marathon bronze medallist Aron Kifle, who was wearing a blue hairband, Uganda&rsquo;s Timothy Toroitich and Bahrain&rsquo;s Aweke Ayelew, the 2016 winner. Kenya&rsquo;s reigning world U20 5000m champion Edward Zakayo, the Ethiopian tandem of Muktar Edris and Abadi Hadis plus Bahrain&rsquo;s Birhanu Balew completed the head pack.
After the 5:37 second circuit, Kifle took charge of the pace for some 1000m at halfway but he was overtaken by Kiplimo who injected an ever faster rhythm. Only Kifle could follow the 2:46 kilometre pace.
By the bell, Kiplimo and Kifle had a 20-metre advantage over the triumvirate formed by Ayalew, Zakayo and Hadis.
The key moment came with 1500m remaining when Kiplimo pushed hard and broke away easily from Kifle to become the first Ugandan to succeed in Atapuerca. At the tape, he built a 13-second advantage over Kifle thanks to an impressive 5:23 closing loop. The minor spot on the podium was taken by the promising Zakayo, still 16, after out-dueling Hadis in a fierce sprint finish.
Britain&rsquo;s Andy Vernon was the first European home in 12th, just one place ahead of Spain&rsquo;s Toni Abad&iacute;a, while &lsquo;Mr Atapuerca&rsquo; Imane Merga was never a factor, finishing 17th 1:20 in arrears.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Today&rsquo;s was a very important win for me, my first IAAF permit victory after several second places,&rdquo; said Kiplimo, the reigning world junior 10,000m silver medallist. &ldquo;I came here very well prepared and I&rsquo;m very satisfied because I could hold off the challenge of all my rivals.&rdquo;
<h3>Teferi strikes again</h3>
The women&rsquo;s 8km event, which preceded the men&rsquo;s race, kicked off conservatively as the opening two kilometres were covered in a comfortable 6:58 with no fewer than nine women at the front. 
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A familiar site - Senbere Teferi wins the Atapuerca Cross Country</div>
&nbsp;
It was the Kenyan pair of top steeplechaser Norah Tanui and Gloria Kite, a 19-year-old with 8:39:07 3000m credentials, who made most of the early pace setting while the main favourites, Teferi and Kenya&rsquo;s Margaret Chelimo, travelled comfortably in the middle of the group.
The first major casualty was Swede Meraf Batha, the silver medallist at last year&rsquo;s European Cross Country Championships, who could not live with the increasingly faster pace (6:40 and 6:28 loops) dictated by the Kenyans.
Kite and Tanui&rsquo;s relentless pace left her compatriot Eva Cherono and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Belaynesh Oljira way back just before the bell with just Kite, Tanui, Chelimo and Teferi left fighting for the win.
The Ethiopian moved to the front midway through the closing lap and Kite soon dropped from the main group, leaving Teferi, Tanui and Chelimo. Although the latter made a brave try to break away from inside the final kilometre, Teferi ran comfortably at her shoulder before unleashing a powerful final kick to romp home victorious for the third time in a row.
The Kenyan had to settle for the runner-up place two seconds adrift --as was the case last year-- with Tanui taking third to complete a quality podium.
&ldquo;I would say today&rsquo;s has been my most difficult victory here because of the strong wind and the artificial barriers,&rdquo; the 23-year-old said.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
 Men (9km) 1 Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) 25:10 2 Aron Kifle (ERI) 25:23 3 Edward Zakayo (KEN) 25:25 4 Abadi Hadis (ETH) 25:26 5 Aweke Ayalew (BRN) 25:33 6 Timothy Toroitich (UGA) 25:44 7 Muktar Edris (ETH) 25:47 8 Birhanu Balew (BRN) 26:00 9 Teklemariam Medhin (ERI) 26:01 10 Vincent Rono (KEN) 26:12&nbsp;
Women (8km) 1 Senbere Teferi (ETH) 25:51 2 Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi (KEN) 25:53 3 Norah Tanui (KEN) 25:55 4 Gloria Kite (KEN) 25:59 5 Eva Cherono (KEN) 26:11 6 Belaynesh Oljira (ETH) 26:13 7 Meraf Bahta (SWE) 26:35 8 Trihas Gebre (ESP) 26:36 9 Charlotte Arter (GBR) 26:47 10 Carla Salome Rocha (POR) 27:09

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo and Ethiopia’s Senberi Teferi were victorious at the 15th ‘Cross Internacional de Atapuerca’, the opening race of the 2018-19 IAAF Cross Country Permit series held in windy conditions on Sunday (11) in Burgos, Spain.

Kiplimo and Teferi reign at Atapuerca as IAAF Cross Country Permit kicks off in Burgos

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Getaneh Tamire Molla and Senberi Teferi captured respective close wins at the 14th Cross Internacional de Atapuerca, the opening race of this winter&rsquo;s IAAF Cross Country Permit series, held on a pleasant and sunny Sunday (12).
While Teferi&rsquo;s win was somewhat expected, Molla surprisingly beat some of the more favoured and better-known runners including the likes of world 5000m champion Muktar Edris and world U20 cross-country champion Jacob Kiplimo.
The men&rsquo;s 9km race opened at a reasonable fast pace led by Spain&rsquo;s Adel Mechaal, who placed fourth in the 1500m at the IAAF World Championships London 2017. He set a 2:50 per kilometre rhythm in the early stages which was easily followed by a 20-man pack.
Successive 1.95km loops of 5:38 and 5:31, headed mostly by Kiplimo, whittled down the main group to five men in the guise of the Ugandan rising star, Eritrea&rsquo;s Aron Kifle, Molla and the main favourites Bahrain&rsquo;s Aweke Ayalew and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Imane Merga.
A frantic sixth kilometre, covered by that quartet in 2:39, left Edris and Uganda&rsquo;s two-time Atapuerca runner-up Timothy Toroitich without any winning chances.
The penultimate lap took 5:27 and shortly afterwards, much to the surprise of the large crowd assembled, first the five-time victor Merga and then the defending champion Ayalew lost valuable distance. It soon became clear a new king would be crowned in Atapuerca.
Kiplimo&rsquo;s relentless pace was followed only by Molla while Kifle lost ground with one kilometre remaining. The 16-year-old Ugandan tried desperately to leave the Ethiopian behind but Molla managed to keep him at bay before finding an extra gear over the closing 150 metres to successfully reach the tape in 24:45. Kiplimo was given 24:46 with Madrid-based Kifle completing the surprise podium, nine seconds adrift the victor but well ahead of Ayalew and Merga.
&ldquo;It has been a surprise for me to defeat such a strong line-up today,&rdquo; said Molla, who despite winning three national titles at 5000m and two national titles at cross country is still not as well-known as some of his compatriots. &ldquo;I felt very good and managed to out-sprint Kiplimo at the end.&rdquo;
<h3>Teferi strikes again</h3>
Held immediately before the men&rsquo;s race, the women&rsquo;s 8km event kicked off conservatively as the opening two kilometres was covered in a comfortable 6:44 with 10 women at the front.
The two-time European cross country champion topped the large lead group which included Kenya&rsquo;s World Championships 5000m fifth-place finisher Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi, a late replacement following the withdrawal of world cross-country bronze medallist Lilian Kasait Rengeruk.
Spain&rsquo;s Trihas Gebre proved to be in fine form and was among the top five during the early stages, sandwiched between the Kenyan duo of Chelimo and Alice Aprot, Teferi, McCormack and Britain&rsquo;s Stephanie Twell.
After a moderate 6:31 for the following loop, the latter two could not respond to Aprot&rsquo;s sudden change of pace. The world cross-country silver medallist tried to kill the race with a 3:07 sixth kilometre but both Teferi and Chelimo managed to live with her pace while Gebre began to falter and ran alone in fourth.
Once the podium became a certainty &ndash; thanks to a 6:14 split for the penultimate lap &ndash; the only question mark left was its eventual order. A 3:01 seventh kilometre proved to be too quick for Aprot who lost ground on the last circuit and the race then turned into a two-horse battle between defending champion Teferi and late addition Chelimo.
The Ethiopian led throughout the final lap but Chelimo seemed a serious threat and ran virtually alongside Teferi throughout the final straight. As was the case in the 5000m final at the World Championships, Teferi finished just ahead of Chelimo, the pair being credited with the same time of 25:21.
Aprot recorded a comfortable third spot, 16 seconds in arrears but 13 seconds ahead of Gebre. Further back, McCormack overtook Twell in the closing stages.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an honour to defend my title from last year,&rdquo; said Teferi, who earned silver medals at 5000m and cross country in 2015. &ldquo;I like this course and the crowd. The surface is fine and I won again, so I can&rsquo;t ask for more.&rdquo;
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men (9km) 1 Getaneh Tamire Molla (ETH) 24:45 2 Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) 24:46 3 Aron Kifle (ERI) 24:54 4 Aweke Ayalew (BRN) 25:02 5 Imane Merga (ETH) 25:07 6 Muktar Edris (ETH) 25:11 7 Justus Soget (KEN) 25:12&nbsp; 8 Yemane Haileselassie (ERI) 25:17&nbsp; 9 Timothy Toroitich (UGA) 25:21&nbsp; 10 Jairus Birech (KEN) 25:25
Women (8km) 1 Senbere Teferi (ETH) 25:21 2 Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi (KEN) 25:21 3 Alice Aprot (KEN)&nbsp; 25:37 4 Trihas Gebre (ESP) 25:50 5 Fionnuala McCormack (IRL) 26:13&nbsp; 6 Stephanie Twell (GBR) 26:21&nbsp; 7 Mar&iacute;a Jos&eacute; P&eacute;rez (ESP) 26:35&nbsp; 8 Lily Partridge (GBR) 26:36&nbsp; 9 Marta P&eacute;rez (ESP) 26:38&nbsp; 10 Cavaline Nahimana (BUR) 26:38

Ethiopia’s Getaneh Tamire Molla and Senberi Teferi captured respective close wins at the 14th Cross Internacional de Atapuerca, the opening race of this winter’s IAAF Cross Country Permit series, held on a pleasant and sunny Sunday (12).

Molla and Teferi secure Ethiopian double in Atapuerca 

Bahrain&rsquo;s Aweke Ayalew and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Senbere Teferi will defend their titles at the Cross de Atapuerca in Burgos on 12 November, the first of seven IAAF Cross Country Permit meetings for the 2017-2018 winter season.
Last year Ayalew put an end to Imane Merga&rsquo;s winning streak. Following five successive wins, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Merga could only finish a distant third last year as Ayalew and Uganda&rsquo;s Timothy Toroitich finished almost level with one another.
The defending champion was also beaten in the women&rsquo;s race last year as Teferi won convincingly in 24:48 with 2014 and 2015 winner Belaynesh Oljira down in fourth place. Both Ethiopian women will return to Atapuerca next month.
Rwandan youngsters Onesphore Nzikwinkunda and Jean Marie Vianney Niyomukiza will also be in action in the men&rsquo;s race.
Organisers for the IAAF

Bahrain’s Aweke Ayalew and Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi will defend their titles at the Cross de Atapuerca in Burgos on 12 November, the first of seven IAAF Cross Country Permit meetings for the 2017-2018 winter season.