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Jepkemei and Kwizera the winners in Atapuerca

Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera and Kazakhstan’s Daisy Jepkemei were the winners at the Cross Internacional de Atapuerca – the second Gold standard meeting in this season's World Athletics Cross Country Tour – on Sunday (27).

With the races held in light rain, Kwizera lived up to expectations to claim his first win here in the men’s race while Jepkemei outsprinted Kenya’s Grace Nawowuna to secure the women’s title.

Right from the start of the women's 8km contest, Jepkemei, a 9:06.66 steeplechaser, took command with only Nawowuna and Burundi’s France Niyomukunzi for company. The latter surprisingly lost ground some seven minutes into the race as Jepkemei averaged a brisk 3:06/km pace. Further back, Spanish duo Carolina Robles and María Forero ran together.

After three kilometres, lead duo Jepkemei and Nawowuna had built a 10-second advantage on the Burundian, herself another 14 seconds clear of the Spanish duo. Portugal’s Mariana Machado, Germany’s Elena Burkard and Spain’s Idaira Prieto were a further eight seconds behind.

Just before the midway point, 2021 Olympic steeplechase finalist Robles broke away from 2022 European U20 cross-country champion Forero, while the lead duo’s advantage over Niyomukunzi had increased to 25 seconds.

There were few changes on the penultimate 2km circuit. During the final lap Nawowuna attempted to move into the lead but it was short-lived. Then, with about 200 metres remaining, Jepkemei finally broke away from the Kenyan to win in 25:00, finishing two seconds ahead of Naowuna.

Niyomukunzi took third place, more than a minute behind the victor, while Robles finished fourth. There was a photo-finish for fifth place between Burkard and Machado with the German getting the verdict.

Spanish steeplechaser Daniel Arce, boosted by the local crowd, was the early leader from Adel Mechaal in the men’s 9km event. Pre-race favourites Kwizera, 2022 world 5000m bronze medallist Oscar Chelimo and fellow Ugandan Martin Kiprotich initially sat behind the Spanish duo but soon caught up and passed them.

Kiprotich’s third kilometre split of 2:49 proved too much for Mechaal. Chelimo moved into the lead just before the half-way point to help ease the pressure on his compatriot, while a quiet Kwizera remained in third place, looking ominously comfortable.

When the lead pack reached the bell, Kwizera moved to the front for the first time and increased the pace which could only be followed by Chelimo and Kenya’s Mathew Kipsang with Kiprotich losing any chance of a podium place. With just over a kilometre remaining, Chelimo tried to launch an attack but Kwizera soon covered the gap and then unleashed a powerful change of speed to break away from the Ugandan.

Running down the final home straight, 25-year-old Kwizera couldn’t hide his joy as he was about to achieve his first win in Atapuerca, finishing in 25:37, two seconds ahead of Chelimo with Kipsang completing the podium another seven seconds adrift.

“The race wasn’t easy because of the rain and some muddy sections difficult to negotiate,” said Kwizera. “As usual, I preferred to stay in the middle of the group for much of the race before launching my attack far away from home as there always are very fast finishers.”

Leading results

Women (8km)

1 Daisy Jepkemei (KZK) 25:00

2 Grace Nawowuna (KEN) 25:02

3 Francine Niyomukunzi (BDI) 26:18

4 Carolina Robles (ESP) 26:40

5 Elena Burkard (GER) 26:48

6 Mariana Machado (POR) 26:48

7 Águeda Marqués (ESP) 26:50

8 María Forero (ESP) 26:54

Men (9km)

1 Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 25:37

2 Oscar Chelimo (UGA) 25:39

3 Mathew Kipsang (KEN) 25:46

4 Egide Ntakarutimana (BDI) 25:48

5 Martin Kiprotich (UGA) 25:50

6 Adel Mechaal (ESP) 26:11

7 Ayele Tadesse (ETH) 26:11

8 Efrem Gidey (IRL) 26:18

Kwizera and Niyomukunzi confirm supremacy in Amorebieta

Rodrigue Kwizera and Francine Niyomukunzi completed an unprecedented Burundian double at the Cross Internacional Zornotza – the first Gold event of this season’s World Athletics Cross Country Tour – in Amorebieta on Sunday (20).

Niyomukunzi won the women’s race by more than a minute, while Kwizera kicked ahead on the final lap to take the men’s race.

Uganda’s Dan Kibet went off like a bullet in the men’s 8.7km event, covering the opening kilometer in a swift 2:47, followed only by his compatriots Oscar Chelimo and Kenneth Kiprop as well as pre-race favourite Kwizera.

Chelimo, the 2022 world 5000m bronze metallist, took turns with Kibet at the front with the second kilometer covered in 2:50. Teenager Kiprop remained at the back of the lead quartet but was starting to struggle.

The pace settled on the second lap, which was covered in 6:03. With 14 minutes on the clock, Kwizera moved into the lead for the first time and his first change of speed was enough to leave Kiprop behind. The lead trio reached the bell together, but Kwizera then launched a devastating burst of speed on the final lap – covered in 5:48 – to win by 12 seconds from Chelimo, 25:29 to 25:41. Kibet was a further eight seconds behind while a fading Kiprop was overtaken in the later stages by Kenya’s Mathew Kipchumba Kipsang.

“It was a tough race for me because it was hot,” said Kwizera. “The first kilometers were quite fast and I preferred to stay at the back of the leading pack; then I moved to the front to asses my rivals’ energy and at the bell I decided to push hard, not to wait to the later stages. It’s important for me to accumulate points for the Cross Country Tour as I have been the winner for the last two seasons. I’ll next race in Atapuerca on Sunday.”

In the women’s 8.7km race, 2021 winner Niyomukunzi took command from the outset, closely followed by Spanish marathon record-holder Majida Maayouf. They slowly began to open up a gap on a chase quintet comprising Hungary’s Lili Anna Vindics Toth, Ecuador’s Katherine Tisalema and the Spanish trio of Carolina Robles, Cristina Ruiz and Ángela Viciosa.

Maayouf couldn’t live with Niyomukunzi’s swift cadence for much longer, though, and the Burundian reached the 3km mark with a four-second lead over Maayouf, herself 16 seconds ahead of Vindics-Toth and Robles.

At the bell, Niyomukunzi’s lead had grown to 44 seconds and she extended that to more than a minute by the time she reached the finish line in 30:07. On the final lap, Maayouf managed to dispose of Robles’ challenge while Vindics-Toth finished fourth.

“I decided to push from the start, but Maayouf joined me in the lead so I kept on increasing the pace and fortunately I broke away from her,” said Niyomukunzi, who’ll also be racing in Atapuerca next weekend. “I felt quite strong throughout the race.”

Leading results

Men (8.7km)

1 Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 25:29

2 Oscar Chelimo (UGA) 25:41

3 Dan Kibet (UGA) 25:49

4 Mathew Kipchumba Kipsang (KEN) 26:07

5 Kenneth Kiprop (UGA) 26:16

6 Egide Ntakarutimana (BDI) 27:09

7 Nassim Hassaous (ESP) 27:15

8 Fernando Carro (ESP) 27:18

9 Abdisa Fayisa (ETH) 27:33

10 Abderrahman El Khayami (ESP) 27:35

Women (8.7km)

1 Francine Niyomukunzi (BDI) 30:07

2 Majida Maayouf (ESP) 31:11

3 Carolina Robles (ESP) 31:19

4 Lili Anna Vindics-Toth (HUN) 31:34

5 Cristina Ruiz (ESP) 31:46

6 Carla Arce (ESP) 31:51

7 Katherine Tisalema (ECU) 31:56

8 Angela Viciosa (ESP) 32:08

9 Azucena Díaz (ESP) 32:53

10 Irene Pelayo (ESP) 33:05

Tsehay Gemechu and Nibret Melak claimed a double win for Ethiopia at the Cinque Mulini, the second leg of the World Athletics Cross Country Permit series

Gemechu and Melak secure Ethiopian double at Cinque Mulini, it was Gemechu’s second high-profile victory in as many weeks, following her triumph last weekend at the Campaccio meeting.

The Cinque Mulini, meaning 'five mills' in Italian, boasts one of the most iconic cross-country courses in the world. Back in the 1930s, the course passed through five mills along the Olona river. The race has had to adapt over time and it is now held on a two-kilometre loop which passes through the Cozzi and Meraviglia water mills.

In 2019 the Cinque Mulini was awarded the World Athletics Heritage Plaque.

Gemechu, fellow Ethiopian Alemitu Tariku and Kenya’s Sheila Chelangat and Beatrice Chebet pulled away from Burundi’s Francine Niyomukunzi in the early stages and completed the first lap in 6:45.

Chebet, Gemechu and Chelangat stepped up the pace on the second lap, opening up an 11-second gap on Tariku. Chelangat was the next to drift back, leaving Chebet and Gemechu to battle it out on the final lap.

Chebet led for most of the final lap, but Gemechu launched her kick in the final straight to take a three-second win in 18:53.

“I feel good,” said Gemechu, the fourth-place finisher in the 5000m at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019. “It was a great race for me. I am happy that I won my second consecutive race. I will now return to Ethiopia to prepare for my next race over 10,000m in Hengelo.”

Melak took the honours in the 10.2km men’s race in 28:57, holding off last year’s Cinque Mulini winner Leonard Bett Kipkemoi by one second and two-time world 5000m champion Muktar Edris by two seconds in a close sprint.

Bett led a nine-man lead group that included Melak, Edris, Uganda’s Samuel Kibet and Hosea Kiplangat, Italian marathon record-holder Eyob Faniel, Marouan Razine, Yohannes Chiappinelli and Oscar Chelimo.

The lead pack was whittled down to seven runners during the second lap as Bett took the initiative, going through the second lap mark in 12:14, closely followed by Melak, Kibet, Edris, Kiplangat, Chiappinelli and Chelimo.

The pace increased on the fourth lap when Melak, Bett, Kiplangat, Edris broke away from Kibet with the leading quartet going through 8km in 23:30.

In a dramatic final sprint, Melak edged ahead of Bett to win by one second in 28:57. Edris, who won the Cinque Mulini in 2013 and 2015, finished third in 28:59, sharing the same time as Chelimo.

It was Melak’s second consecutive podium finish in the Cross Country Permit series, following his runner-up spot at the Campaccio in San Giorgio su Legnano last week.

The 21-year-old has a 5000m PB of 13:07.27, set as an U20 athlete in 2018, but it’s cross country where he excels. Earlier this year he successfully defended his senior men’s title at the Jan Meda Cross Country, which doubles as the Ethiopian Championships.

“It was a very competitive race,” said Melak. “I expected that the battle for the win would be very close, as I ran against great athletes. Cross country is the perfect build-up to the track season.”