Athletics
Titles for Ethiopia and Eritrea as Africa shines at World Road Running Championships
Ethiopean Likina Amebaw and Eritrean Dawit Seare delivered Africa’s first titles at the World Road Running Championships which took place in a cold Copenhagen today (Saturday 19 Sept), holding off strong fields to clinch gold medals in the respective Men’s and Women’s 5km Races.
The event proved a triumph for Africa as the continent placed eight athletes (from six countries) in the top ten in the men’s race and five out of ten in the women’s.
It took the mercurial talent of Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen to prevent an African clean sweep of the podium. In a thrilling finish it appeared that the Norwegian was set to take the title to add to his 5000m track victory at the Ultimate Championship in Budepest last weekend, when he took the lead 250 metres from home.
But Seare, 22, who finished 4th at the inaugural World Road Running Championships in 2023, was determined not to miss out on this occasion, producing a final burst which took him to victory.
The Eritrean – who won the African 5000m title earlier this year – crossed the line in a national record of 12:56. Ingebrigtsen followed three seconds later in a Norwegian record of 12:59, while Seare’s teenage teammate Saymon Amanuel completed the podium in a PB of 13:00.
“In the end it was a matter of timing,” said Ingebrigtsen. “I was a little surprised that the leaders were going full on with 1200m to run. But I guess I produced my final surge too early. You need a bit of luck in these close contests and in the end I was unlucky. But Seare was running very strongly and I was completely spend before the finish.”
Ingebrigtsen was racing on his 26th birthday in only his second road 5km – and his first in six years – and his third consecutive weekend of major championship racing.
The early stages belonged to France with Mediterranean Games 1500m champion Flavien Szot darting to the front shortly after the start and immediately injected pace into the race. His teammate Jimmy Gressier, who had run a European record of 12:51 in Lille earlier this year, positioned himself just behind alongside Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune and Kenyan youngster Charles Kiboino.
Gressier then assumed control, with Yihune and Amanuel closest behind. By 3km Ingebrigtsen had moved steadily through the field and was now about seventh, while Gressier surrendered the lead to Amanuel. Kiboino remained prominent, as did Seare, who had kept himself within striking distance throughout.
Amanuel, still only 19, capped an excellent day for Eritrea by taking bronze behind Ingebrigtsen in 13:00.
Australia’s Ky Robinson and winner of the Commonweath 10 000m, finished just outside the medals, clocking an Oceanian record of 13:04.
Uganda’s Keneth Kiprop matched Robinson’s 13:04 with a PB in fifth, followed by Yihune in 13:07 and Sime in a season’s best of 13:08.
South Africa’s Maxime Chaumeton lost vital training with a torn hamstring eight weeks back, but had recovered to be able to contend strongly, rounding out the top ten with a 13:13 time, 7 seconds off his best. “I’m determined to return to the Championships next year to take a medal,” Chaumeton remarked.
Earlier Ethiopian Likina Amebaw lived up to her pre-race favourite billing, adding another global title to her collection just six days on from claiming the Ultimate 5000m crown, securing a convincing victory in the women’s race. “It’s my winning week,” Amebaw confessed. “So I had to make the most of it. I felt really good out there today.
“I’m coming straight from Budapest, but the shift from track to road was not really difficult as I have been training both at the same time,” she explained. “The track was a bit difficult for me so running the 5km today was better and I felt good – I had prepared for road racing.
“I knew I had to push from the very start and it worked as planned. There was a little bit of wind, but it was okay and I managed to find some good spots on the course.”
The 28-year-old Ethiopian took control of the race during the first kilometre and made her winning move as she reached the 4km mark, kicking away from Kenya’s Caroline Gitonga, who had led the race through the third kilometre.
The leaders, who covered the first kilometre down Østerbrogade in just outside three minutes, picked up the pace and by the time they reached the 2km marker in around 5:54, Amebaw led a breakaway group of three – ahead of her compatriot Aleshign Baweke and Gitonga, who was strong throughout the race.
But when it came to the business end there was no stopping Amebaw who crossed the line with her arms raised in 14:41.
Gitonga secured silver in 14:48, while Australia’s Rose Davies finished strongly to clinch bronze in an Oceanian record of 14:50 to clinch the final podium place just a second ahead of South Africa’s fast-finishing Tayla Kavanagh. Baweke was fifth in 14:53.
The Durban-based Kavanagh was a revelation, showing the form which took her to the national track titles over 5000m and 10 000m this year. “Tayla Kavanagh is running the race of her life,” screamed the commentator as she moved through the field in the final 600m to fall a fraction short of podium glory but fully 19 seconds inside Elana Meyer’s 32 year old best in a new national record.
“I ran that in Providence 5k in the USA in 1994,” recalled Meyer. “It was a great achievement back then. Well done to Tayla for taking on the leading women in the world !! A great day for SA women.”
World Road Running Championship
Results – Men 5km
1 Dawit Seare (ERI) 12:56
2 Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 12:59
3 Saymon Amanuel (ERI) 13:00
4 Ky Robinson (AUS) 13:04
5 Keneth Kiprop (UGA) 13:04
6 Addisu Yihune (ETH) 13:07
7 Mezgebu Sime (ETH) 13:08
8 Mathew Kipchumba Kipsang (KEN) 13:11
9 Egide Ntakarutimana (BDI) 13:12
10 Maxime Chaumeton (RSA) 13:13
Results – Women 5km
1 Likina Amebaw (ETH) 14:41
2 Caroline Gitonga (KEN) 14:48
3 Rose Davies (AUS) 14:50
4 Tayla Kavanagh (RSA) 14:51
5 Aleshign Baweke (ETH) 14:53
6 Marta García (ESP) 14:59
7 Georgia Griffith (AUS) 15:01
8 Samiya Hassan Nour (DJI) 15:04
9 Hannah Gapes (NZL) 15:06
10 Hannah Nuttall (GBR) 15:08
Mixed team medallists
1 United States (Addison Wiley, Gracie Hyde, Yared Nuguse, Vincent Ciattei) 16:49.89
2 Australia (Linden Hall, Sarah Billings, Oliver Hoare, Jude Thomas) 16:50.61
3 Kenya (Mirriam Cherop, Naomi Korir, Brian Komen, Kyumbe Munguti) 16:51.36
The post Titles for Ethiopia and Eritrea as Africa shines at World Road Running Championships appeared first on Sports Network Africa.