Running News Daily

Kwizera and Mohamed Katir, duel at the summit in the San Silvestre Vallecana International

The Burundian athlete Rodrigue Kwizera, dominator in the cross season, starts as a favorite against Mohamed Katir, who leads the Spanish representation with Ayad Lamdassem, Dani Mateo, Yago Rojo and Abdessamad Oukhelfen in the Nationale-Nederlanden San Silvestre Vallecana Internacional, which will be dispute this December 31 in the ‘heart’ of Madrid.

La San Silvestre is reunited with its traditional layout and Rodrigue Kwizera’s favorite poster. The athlete from Burundi arrives in Madrid after having shone in the national cross season, with victories in Itálica, Soria, Venta de Baños, Alcobendas and Lasarte, and a second place in Atapuerca.

With a performance that is very reminiscent of Jacob Kiplimo when he pulverized the Nationale-Nederlanden San Silvestre Vallecana record, the 26 minutes and 41 seconds of the Ugandan could be at risk this year if Kwizera brings out all that class that they have shown in this winter season.

The competition that you will find on the asphalt will contribute to this. And it is that Shadrack Koech and Abel Sikowo, already confirmed for the race as representatives of the NN Running Team, are joined by the very young 19-year-old Kenyan Emmanuel Kiplagat, who has 28 minutes and 28 seconds as the best mark in 10,000 meters in the open air, and the great star of national athletics today, Mohamed Katir.

In a dreamy summer, the Murcian of Moroccan origin broke three national records that seemed eternal – 1,500, 3,000 and 5,000 meters -, achieved two victories in the Diamond League against the best in the world, and was an Olympic diploma in 5,000 meters at the Games Tokyo 2020.

With ambition and courage as the flag, Katir will seek to climb to the top of the podium at the Vallecas Stadium, a victory that would be historic, because a Spaniard has not won since Chema Martínez was crowned in the 2003 edition.

Along with Katir, the Nationale-Nederlanden San Silvestre Vallecana will have the best Spanish athletes of the moment. Ayad Lamdassem knows what it is like to be very close to victory in the Vallecana. The national marathon record holder -2: 06: 35- and fifth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, has been second three times in Vallecas and will seek to approach the positions of honor. Of course, his personal best is very far in time, 28:09 in 2010.

Dani Mateo shattered this year the national record of the hour of a mythical, Mariano Haro. After his Olympic experience in Japan, the marathoner from Soria will seek to overcome his best position in the race, a ninth place, and try to go down for the first time in his career of 29 minutes in 10K (29:07 as a personal best).

For his part, Yago Rojo has dropped this year from 2 hours and 9 minutes in the marathon, which confirms him as one of the young talents of the distance. In the Vallecana he has already been tenth, in 2018, with a personal best time of 28:48.

The Spanish army is completed by Abdessamad Oukhelfen, current national cross champion and who has just been twelfth in the European cross country in Ireland, confirming the progression of this 23-year-old talent; the canary by birth Nassim Hassaous, the best of the Spaniards in the 2021 European Cross Country, with a seventh place; Ignacio Fontes, Olympic finalist in 1,500 meters in Tokyo 2020; Jesús Ramos, runner-up in Spain in 10,000 meters and with a personal best of 27:49; or Jesús Gómez, double European runner-up of 1,500 meters on the indoor track in 2019 and 2021, among others.