From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon Mar 29 2010 - 07:41:59 EST
http://www.iaaf.org/WXC10/news/kind=100/newsid=56333.html
Sunday, 28 March 2010
Joseph Ebuya ends Kenyan draught - Men's Senior race report
As the 136 starters from 39 countries set out for the race we already knew
it was Kenya’s day with six out of six golds so far, while Ethiopia could
point to three team silvers and a solitary individual bronze.
Within 33 minutes, six Kenyan golds became eight and Joseph Ebuya brought
the individual title back to his country for the first time since Paul
Tergat won in Belfast 1999.
Once again Kenyan colours were in command of the leading pack from the
outset, though Ethiopians Abera Kuma and Trials winner Azmeraw Bekele were
in among them. The Kenyan trials winner, and therefore possible favourite,
Paul Tanui was prominent before Joseph Ebuya and Richard Mateelong emerged
at the head of a leading group of 20 or so. This did not include
Gebre-egziabher Gebremariam who could be seen heading a chasing pack on the
third lap. It was clear there was going to be a new champion.
After laps of 5:34, 5:32 and 5:33, the race got going in the fourth circuit
of 1926m as the Eritreans Samuel Tsegay and Teklemariam Medhin pushed the
pace. It was 20-year-old Medhin – ninth in Amman last year – who forced the
hardest. At the end of the fourth lap (5:26), Medhin led from Ebuya with a
10m gap to Moses Kipsiro (UGA) then Chakir Boujattaoui (MAR) and Hasan
Mahboob (BRN) with the pack slipping away.
*Bad day for defending champion *
Gebremariam was improving but he was 11th and so with two-thirds of the race
gone there was no Ethiopian in the top 10.
The fifth lap was even quicker (5:25) as the leading pair moved away. At the
bell Ebuya led from Medhin (both 27:30) with Leonard Komon and Amman runner
up Kipsiro the only ones within range.
Gebremariam was still in 11th but fighting hard. Then Ebuya did to Medhin
what he had to Kenenisa Bekele in Edinburgh two months earlier, gradually
pulling clear to leave the final result in no doubt.
It was all over by the time Komen hurdled the final obstacle, at which point
he also lapped the wonderfully-named Seychelloise Gaylord Silly.
Medhin was also untroubled in second spot, but the bronze was won with the
final stride of Kipsiro, who left it very late to out-sprint Komon at the
end of the 100m finishing straight. With four in the top eight, Kenya again
won comfortably.
*Eritrea ahead of Ethiopia in team standings*
Eritrea outpointed Ethiopia for the bronzes, but deposed champion
Gebremariam ran with honour to climb into the top 10. That team bronze was
his 16th World cross country medal but that was no consolation and it was a
shock to see this usually exuberant athlete walking away from the finish in
tears.
Further down the field Saudi Arabia-born Simon Bairu provided Canada with an
excellent 13th place, one ahead of Ethiopian-born Alemayehu Bezabeh who led
Spain to sixth place.
The best European-born athlete was Spaniard Carles Castillejo, just as he
was in Amman.
So Ebuya, whose family could not afford to send him to school and who
instead helped his parents with chores on their tiny piece of land, is now
$33,333 richer with individual and share of team awards. As emulating
Tergat, he has also matched the feat of his idol Richard Limo who was the
World short course champion for Kenya in 1999.
“I want to thank the people of Poland and especially Bydgoszcz for cheering
me up as I was racing,” said the 22-year-old whose family was originally
from the Turkana District of Kenya which is not known for its athletes. “I
had to fight a war to get into the Kenya team,” he explained, but gave
credit to the Kenyan training camp.
“The whole of the Kenyan team was training foot of mount Kenya which is as
chilly as Bydgoszcz.”
However it should be noted that the weather was sunny and a reasonable 10°
during his race. Ebuya added, through Kenyan PR Officer Peter Angwenyi, that
he was grateful his entire team had arrived three days before the
championships. This was certainly not the case for other countries competing
in Bydgoszcz.
When did Ebuya think he had won the race ? “I was not certain I would win
because I had not raced before with the one who was following [Mehdin], but
when I opened up a 10m gap, I started praying as I was racing, and I thank
God that he has given me this win that I have dedicated to the Kenyans.”
Indeed we had seen him crossing himself at an earlier point during the race.
The winner, who races in a trademark shell necklace he bought in Nairobi, is
now targeting the African Championships in Nairobi where he hopes to defeat
Kenenisa Bekele and/or gain a place for Africa to run 5000m at the IAAF
Continental Cup in Split.
It has been a good eight days for the Spanish coach / agent duo of Jeronimo
Bravo and Julia García.
Last Sunday in Lisbon, Zersenay Tadese brought them world records at 20km
and Half Marathon. Now they have the World cross country silver medal
through another Eritrean, Mehdin who trains with Tadese. He had been
threatening to break through with a series of good wins this year in Spain
and it was only in the last lap that he succumbed to the more experienced
Ebuya.
“I was thinking ‘a silver medal is enough for now’” he admitted, a thought
which was echoed by his coach. “This is already a success,” Bravo told me as
we watched the last lap unfold from the sidelines, “we know Ebuya is
better.”
Now everyone knows the quality of the Kenyan.
*Mark Butler for the IAAF*
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