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From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon Jan 03 2011 - 09:49:37 EST
http://www.iaaf.org/LRR10/news/newsid=58995.html
Saturday, 01 January 2011
Fulfilling favourite roles, Tadese and Augusto prevail in Madrid
Madrid, Spain – Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadese (28:27) and Portugal’s Jessica
Augusto (31:59) clinched respective victories at the 46th ‘*San Silvestre
Vallecana*’ - an *IAAF Silver Label Road Race* - held in the Spanish
capital on New Year’s Eve (31).
Tadese and Augusto suceeded In a very different ways. While the World Half
Marathon record holder took advantage of Spain’s Ayad Lamdassem’s route
mistake over the closing stages, the Portuguese European Cross Country
champion became an overwhelming victor as she built a massive 55-second
advantage on Spain’s European 1500m champion Nuria Fernández.
*Lamdassem the strongest but Tadese victorious
*
As he had hinted at the pre-event press conference Tadese’s early pace was
far from his usual terrific rhythm. Actually, the 28-year-old let the
Spanish athletes set the pace for the first half of the race.
The opening splits were a cautious 3:01, 5:52 and 8:45 times with no fewer
than 15 men still in contention. The first serious movement came with the
clock reading 10:25 when Spain’s reigning World indoor 3000m silver
medallist Sergio Sánchez injected a brisker pace (2:47 for the fourth
kilometre) to open a 10 metre gap over his closest pursuers, Tadese and the
European 5000m silver medallist Jesús España of Spain. The big surprise in
the leading pack was the presence of Tadese’s youngest brother Merhawi
Tadese, an 18-year-old also based in Madrid.
The halfway point was crossed in 14:12 and soon afterwards Sánchez was
reeled in by his chasers in the guise of the Spanish trio of European XC
silver medallist Lamdassem, España and Chema Martínez, Morocco’s Mohamed
Marhum and the Tadese brothers.
With 15:30 on the clock Tadese moved to the front for the first time and his
relentless pace forced all the others to run in single file behind him. One
by one his pursuers began to lose ground, the last three being Sánchez,
Martínez and finally España at the eighth kilometre point crossed in 22:10
by Tadese and Lamdassem.
Some 8600m into the race the Moroccan-born Lamdasem unleashed a strong
change of speed to open a sizeable gap on Tadese in a matter of few strides.
By the 9000m point Lamdassem had a seven-second advantage on the Eritrean, a
margin which seemed to be more than enough to romp home unopposed but the
big surprise happened with exactly 600m left when the 29-year-old leader
kept on straight ahead by mistake instead of taking a right bend.
That circumstance was taken advantage of by Tadese as when Lamdassem made
amends and regained the right route both athletes were virtually even. For a
few seconds it seemed that Lamdassem would be the eventual winner as he
opened a slight gap again but when Tadese managed to catch and pass him with
some 300 metres to go, a mentally devastated Lamdassem surrendered and
started to jog to the finish line.
The Eritrean’s winning time was 28:27 with a nine-second advantage on
Lamdassem while España completed a classy podium in 28:40. Tadese, who got
his first win at the event after his runner-up spot in 2006, said: “It’s
true that I’m not at my peak after the injury I sustained during the World
Half Marathon championships but I think I would have won even without
Lamdassem’s mistake.”
*Augusto in a class on her own*
On the women’s side –it was a joint men and women event – Augusto built a
handsome margin from her chasers from the gun and her win was never in
jeopardy. By the halfway point, the 29-year-old had a 20-second advantage on
Fernández while Russia’s Liliya Shobukhova ran 1:20 adrift Augusto.
Mixed up with the male athletes – she came 38th overall – Augusto even
increased her gap on Fernández over the second half to grab her third
consecutive win in barely five days (26, 28 and 31 December). Augusto
clocked a fine 31:59 time but the manner of her way suggests she could have
run faster if needed. While Fernández took second in a PB of 32:54, the
40-year-old María José Pueyo finished a surprise third in 33:19, the same
time given to Diana Martín, both of Spain. Shobukova was a distant seventh
in 34:48.
The winner confirmed that she will make her Marathon debut next 16 April in
London while her next appearance will come at the IAAF Cross Country permit
in Edinburgh next Saturday 8 January.
*Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF*
Leading Results (10,000m):
Men -
1. Zersenay Tadese (Eri) 28:27
2. Ayad Lamdassem (Esp) 28:36
3. Jesús España (Esp) 28:40
4. Chema Martínez (Esp) 28:49
5. Sergio Sánchez (Esp) 28:53
6. Javier Carriqueo (Arg) 29:13
7. Mohamed Marhum (Mor) 29:14
8. Pablo Villalobos (Esp) 29:18
9. Merhawi Tadese (Eri) 29:18
10. Enrique Sánchez (Esp) 29:24
Women -
1. Jessica Augusto (Por) 31:59
2. Nuria Fernández (Esp) 32:54
3. María José Pueyo (Esp) 33:19
4. Diana Martín (Esp) 33:19
5. Elena Espeso (Esp) 33:42
6. Sonia Bejarano (Esp) 34:12
7. Liliya Shobukhova (Rus) 34:48
8. Beatriz Ros (Esp) 35:07
9. Azahara García (Esp) 35:22
10. Paula Mayobre (Esp) 35:41
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