Powerful displays by Tsegay and Masai in Amorebieta Cross

Amorebieta, Spain - Eritrea’s Samuel Tsegay provided a major upset today by taking a surprise win at the ‘55th Cross Internacional Zornotza’ held on a cloudy day and 10ºC on the thermometre. In doing so the 2006 World Junior 10,000m 4th placed overwhelmingly defeated by no less than 21 seconds Kenya’s Moses Masai, who finished fifth at last year’s Cross Country Worlds in Edinburgh.

On the women’s side Linet Masai of Kenya snatched a largely expected and comfortable 13-second win ahead of her compatriot and reigning World 5000m silver medallist Vivian Cheruiyot.

Tsegay against the clock - Men’s race

The men’s 10.7km event seemed to have a hot favourite in the guise of last year’s third finisher Moses Masai, who also took a creditable fourth over 10,000m at the Beijing Olympics. However, the pattern of the race became absolutely unexpected when the 20-year-old Tsegay took command of the race right from the gun to open a sizeable margin within the opening kilometre over his quality pursuers, Eritrea’s Kidane Tadese and Yonas Kifle plus Spain’s Alemayehu Bezabeh and Ayad Lamdassem among others.

The Basque Country’s athletics fans have a well-gained reputation as one of the most knowledgeable crowds in Spain and so all the talk was about Tsegay’s slim chances of coming home successful despite a handsome gap of 12 seconds he had built by the 2000m point on two sub-27:10 10,000m specialists such as Masai and Tadese.

Tsegay, who is coached by Jerónimo Bravo in Madrid, kept his clear advantage throughout the following 2000 laps, which he evenly covered in 5:57, 5:56 and 5:56 (23:41 for the 8km) while Masai and Tadese had managed to break away from the chasing group and travelled still 12 seconds in arrears by then.

Meanwhile, a fierce battle unfolded between the top Spaniards to be first local athlete home with Bezabeh and Lamdassem, who led Spain to the European XC title in Brussels in December, sharing the fifth place behind a lonesome Kifle.

Tsegay strengthened his winning chances with another powerful loop timed at 5:58 while Masai began to falter in his fruitless task of catching the relatively unheralded Eritrean and had to settle for fighting with Tadese to be runner-up after this pair ran no less than 22 seconds behind with 700m left.

Tsegay ran the closing stages with the same freshness showed during the race and romped home unopposed in 31:36 some 21 seconds ahead of Masai, who improved on his third spot from last year thanks to change of gear over the closing straight which left Tadese another five seconds behind.

The domestic battle witnessed Lamdassem’s success in fifth on Bezabeh, who performed barely four days after his 28:06 10k run for second at the New Year’s eve race in Madrid.

A joyful Tsegay commented after his win: “I’m more than happy for my victory. Last year I suffered a stomach virus but it took several months to find out the right diagnosis so I performed far from ideal conditions. This season I feel very powerful and look forward to my next outing in Fuensalida (Spain) next Sunday,” concluded Zersenay Tadese’s training mate, who placed eight at both the 2006 and 2007 World Junior XC championships.

Masai unstoppable again - Women’s race

The 6.7km women contest promised to be a Kenyan party thanks to the presence of the rising star Linet Masai and Vivian Cheruiyot, a double winner (2007 & 2008) in Amorebieta – venue of the 1993 World XC Championships - but the 19-year-old Masai, the reigning World bronze XC medallist from Edinburgh, proved to be too strong for the Osaka silver medallist in the 5000m.

With barely 1:45 on the clock Masai – still unbeaten on this winter campaign - went to the front to open a 15m advantage by the 2000m point (6:30) over her fellow Kenyan, herself 100m ahead of a chasing group comprising the last European Cross Country silver medallists in the guise of Portugal’s Ines Monteiro (2008) and Spain’s Rosa Morató (2007), the Spaniard having been fifth in Brussels last month.

For much of the race, Masai’s margin on Cheruiyot did not exceed four seconds but the latter could not join her younger compatriot at any moment. The second lap (4000m point) was covered in majestic style by the long-legged Masai in 6:27 with the threatening shadow of Cheruiyot some 20m adrift.

The key movement came in the third loop when the reigning World Junior 10,000m record holder Masai (30:26.50 for fourth at the Beijing Olympics) injected an even brisker pace which couldn’t be matched by the 25-year-old Cheruiyot, who had lost nine seconds to Masai at the bell with 700m remaining.

The European showdown saw how Monteiro managed to leave behind within the last kilometre a courageous Morató, eager to take revenge on the Portuguese who succeeded her as European bronze medallist in Brussels.

In what has been her shortest winning margin this winter season Masai get the better of Cheruiyot by 13 seconds, herself a full minute ahead of Monteiro who left Morató seven seconds in arrears.

“Today has been quite a cold day but I felt fine during the race. I like running at the front to be the in control of the race. My next outing will be next Saturday (10 January) in Edinburgh,” confirmed the Kenyan teenager, who has now a perfect card of three wins in a row at this year’s cross country season (Llodio 30 November, Alcobendas 7 December, Amorebieta 4 January), all on Spanish soil.

Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF

Leading results -

Men (10.7Km):
1. Samuel Tsegay (Eri) 31:36
2. Moses Masai (Ken) 31:57
3. Kidane Tadese (Eri) 32:02
4. Yonas Kifle (Eri) 32:14
5. Ayad Lamdassem (Esp) 32:17
6. Alemayehu Bezabeh (Esp) 32:22
7. Javier Guerra (Esp) 32:27
8. Cuthbert Nyasango (Zim) 33:00
9. José Ríos (Esp) 33:10
10. Eliseo Martín (Esp) 33:15

Women (6.7Km):
1. Linet Masai (Ken) 21:36
2. Vivian Cheruiyot (Ken) 21:49
3. Ines Monteiro (Por) 22:50
4. Rosa Morató (Esp) 22:57
5. Zulema Fuentes-Pila (Esp) 23:05
6. Meraf Batha (Eri) 23:19
7. Simret Sultan (Eri) 23:20
8. Aicha Bani (Mor) 23:53
9. Yesenia Centeno (Esp) 24:10
10. Marta Romo (Esp) 24:13