By Jörg Wenig
Hayley Yelling triumphed in Dublin’s Santry Park. © www.photorun.net
African running talent and British indomitability were present at the Spar European Cross Country Championships on Sunday. The event took place in Dublin’s Santry Park. Five thousand spectators attended the race which was held on a muddy course in dry, cold conditions. The up-and-coming Alemayehu Bezabeh of Spain won the 9.997-kilometer men’s race, while 35-year-old English runner Hayley Yelling made one of the greatest comebacks in the history of cross country to win the women’s gold.
For the first time in the history of the European Cross Country Championships, a Spaniard won the men’s race. Bezabeh is only the sixth runner to become European men’s champion in its 16-year history. The reason for such a small number of champions is due to Serhiy Lebid’s eight victories.
Hoping to use his speed to his advantage, one of the favorites, Mo Farah, decided to push the pace early on. Farah hoped this surge would drop Lebid. Yet while the 26-year-old Londoner was forcing the pace at the front, Farah was unable to drop Alemayehu Bezabeh. The 23-year-old had caught the eye of the press when he placed seventh in the European Cross Country Championships in Brussels last year.
On the fourth lap, Bezabeh, who was the leading European in the 5,000-meter Olympic final last year, took over the lead from Farah. But Mo Farah stuck with the Spaniard. Lebid was in a distant third. On the fifth lap, Bezabeh began to draw away but Farah fought his way back into contention on the final circuit. The Briton courageously gave all he had, running to the point of total exhaustion, but in the final 500 meters, Bezabeh broke clear and finished in 30:45 minutes. Farah came in second with 31:02 and collapsed to the ground after his all out effort.
“This is my first big win, so I’m especially delighted,” said Alemayehu Bezabeh afterwards. Staying positive and optimistic, third-place finisher and former champion Serhiy Lebid had this to say about the race: “It was a typical cross-country race—hard and fast. I had a groin injury two weeks before Dublin so couldn’t train for three days. I wanted to win but having had the injury, I’m happy with the bronze.” Spain’s Sergio Sanchez (31:26) and Ayad Lamdassem (31:30) finished behind Lebid, ensuring their country won the team gold ahead of Great Britain and Italy.
It was the women’s race that produced the biggest surprise of the day, however. Hayley Yelling had originally decided to retire a year ago and had since been working as a mathematics teacher on the outskirts of London. In her comeback race, she ran away from the rest of the field to win in a solo effort. “I never thought I could qualify for a place at the European Championships, let alone win it,” said Yelling who covered the 8.018K course in 27:49. Rosa Morato (Spain/27:56) and Adrienne Herzog (Netherlands/28:04) finished second and third respectively. This was Hayley Yelling’s second victory at the European Cross Country Championships following her success in Heringsdorf in 2004.
None of the top-seeded runners followed Yelling when she went broke away early in the race. The British runner decided to run her own race, assuming that she would soon be overtaken. “I simply wanted to start fast because I knew that I always run better that way—I just go from the gun and try to stay in front as long as possible. I thought they would all catch me but thankfully that never happened.”
Just after the halfway point, a strong chase pack of five caught up about 20 meters behind Yelling. The group consisted of Jessica Augusto, Adrienne Herzog, Rosa Morato, Dulce Felix, and Ines Monteiro.
Rosa Morato made a move to catch Yelling. Augusto went along as well, while the rest of the followers dropped back. It looked as if it would only be a matter of minutes before Morato and Augusto caught the leading Yelling. But that never happened. Yelling carried on strongly and even ran wide to avoid the muddiest sections of the course—ultimately a good tactical decision. Although it meant she had further to go, it saved her strength that she needed in the end. In contrast to Yelling, Morato decided to take the most direct route and grew increasingly tired. An elated Yelling celebrated at the finish line. The sensational comeback was complete: Hayley Yelling had won the title!
Besides the individual and team wins, it’s worth pointing out that Britain fielded a very deep squad of runners this year. It was the only country to win team medals (including the four junior races) in all six events.
