Previews17 Dec 1998


1998/99 Cross Challenge starts Sunday 20 December - Lebid and Radcliffe versus Africa

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Paula Radcliffe in front of the leading pack at the 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships (© Getty Images)

Sergey Lebid, the twenty-three year old Ukrainian who won the European cross country title in Ferrara a week ago, will be competing in Brussels on Sunday, in the first stage of the 1998-99 IAAF World Cross Challenge. Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe, who won the women’s European title on the same day, will be among the stars of the women’s race.

This season’s Challenge will incorporate six races: after Brussels, Durham (GBR) on 2 January, Seville (ESP) on 17 January, Vilamoura (POR) on 7 February, Mombasa (KEN) on 14 February and Chiba (JPN) on 21 February. The Challenge will end with the 27th IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Belfast on 27-28 March.

A total of $140,000 in prize money is up for grabs by the Challenge contenders - $70,000 for the men and $70,000 for the women. Each of the winners will receive $25,000, the 2nd place $15,000, 3rd $12,000, 4th $10,000, 5th $5,000 and 6th place $3,000.

The Challenge standings will be compiled on the basis of 25 points for the winner of each race, 23 for second, 19 for 3rd, 17 for 4th, down to one point for the 20th place. World Cross Country Championships positions arte worth double points.

In Brussels on Sunday, in the park which surrounds the Heysel Stadium, we can look forward to closely fought contests in both the men’s race, run over 10.5km and in the women’s where the contenders compete over 6km. Some of the top runners from Kenya and Ethiopia will compete, with only four-time world cross champion Paul Tergat (KEN) missing from the line-up. But even if Tergat – who will be aiming for a fifth consecutive title in Belfast – will start his season later, there will still be Paul Koech (KEN), silver medallist in Marrakech last March and winner of the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in September. Koech will be accompanied by his countrymen Wilson Boit Kipketer, Tom Nyariki, Paul Kosgei, Josphat Machuka and David Chelule, who won the world junior title in 1996.

Kenya seems determined to assert its traditional domination of this discipline, even if Ethiopia has three exceptional talents participating, with Assefa Mezegebu, the bronze medallist in Marrakech in the long cross; the young revelation Haylu Mekonen (3rd in the world juniors in Morocco) and Hapte Jifar.

Europe’s best will be countering the African challenge: the young champion Lebid will be backed up by Belgian’s Mohammed Mourhit, ex-European champion Carsten Jorgensen from Denmark, Spain’s Fabian Roncero and Keith Cullen from Great Britain.

We can look forward to an exciting women’s race too, with a return match between Paula Radcliffe and Annemari Sandell (FIN) in addition to the Europe-Africa clash. Africa’s front line will include Ethiopians Gete Wami (gold, bronze and silver medals from the last three editions of the world cross country championships), Aeylech Worku and Merime Denboba, with Kenya fielding Jackline Maranga, Susan Chepkemei and Leah Malot; Europe will also be counting on other star athletes, like Marleen Renders (BEL), Blandine Bitzner-Ducret (FRA), Chantal Dallenbach (FRA) and, above all, Spain’s Julia Vaquero.

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