Never has any global sporting event become such a procession. The East African dominance of the World Cross Country Championships is not a recent trend, and all the evidence from Saturday’s races in Belgrade suggests that is not about to change.
The unseasonably searing heat in the Serbian capital didn’t help the European cause, but of the 27 medals on offer across the five races, all except for one were divided between three countries: Kenya (11), Ethiopia (10), and Uganda (5).
Great Britain, who won bronze in the mixed relay team race, were the only other country among the 51 competing nations to make it onto the medal podium. Truth is few came even close to the East Africans, on both an individual and team level.
Conditions in the city’s Friendship Park also made for fast running throughout, temperatures of 27 degrees surely favouring the East Africans too, and for the eight Irish entries the goal was to finish in the top half of the race, Hugh Armstrong leading the way on the senior men’s front in 50th place.
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The 29-year-old from Ballina, making his debut in the event, ran sensibly too, moving up the field in the second half of the 10km race, won by defending champion Jacob Kiplimo from Uganda, ahead of Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi and Kenya’s Benson Kiplangat. That was the only gold medal not won by Kenya or Ethiopia.
Not far behind Armstrong, fellow Mayo athlete Keelan Kilrehill finished in 56th.
Encouraging perhaps, the best Irish performances of the day came in the women’s under-20 race, Anna Gardiner from East Down AC and Kirsty Maher from Moy Valley AC both getting inside the top-40, finishing 37th and 39th respectively.
For Gardiner, who only turned 18 on the day, it represents further progress, that race won by little known Ethiopian Marta Alemayo, reportedly still only 15, leading home an Ethiopian medal sweep, with Asayech Ayichew and Robe Dida finishing second and third respectively.
Kenya filled the top five places in the senior women’s race, Beatrice Chebet defending her title as Kenya also won the team race with just 10 points, Ethiopia second on 41. Irish cross country champion Fiona Everard from Bandon AC finished in 63rd, two places ahead of Danielle Donegan from Tullamore Harriers AC.
In the men’s under-20 race, Harry Colbert from Waterford AC and Seamus Robinson City of Derry Spartans AC, both on the Irish team that won gold at the European Cross Country Championships in Brussels late last year, finished 55th and 70th respectively.
Samuel Kibathi also ensured that race remained a mere Kenyan possession, as they won another team and individual gold.
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