Norah Jeruto led a Kenyan 1-2-3 finish at the Cross Internacional de Itálica on the outskirts of Seville in what was the fifth World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting of the season on Sunday.
Jeruto clocked 24:22, with 2019 World 5000 silver medallist Margaret Chelimo was placed second in 24:23 as 2018 World under 20 5000m gold medallist Beatrice Chebet rounded of the podium in 24:25
Right from the start of the women’s 7.9km contest, Jeruto took command of the race and led a quartet that included compatriot Beatrice Chebet, Ethiopia’s 5km world record-holder Senbere Teferi and recent Atapuerca winner Rahel Daniel.
Margaret Chelimo, the defending Cross de Italica champion and was a few seconds adrift of the leaders within the first few kilometers.
While Jeruto and Chebet took charge of the pacing duties, Teferi and Daniel ran at the back of the lead pack. Just before the halfway point, Chelimo made contact with the lead group and moved to the front alongside Chebet and Jeruto. Daniel, meanwhile, began to lose contact after the fourth kilometre as the race became a duel between the Kenyan trio and Teferi.
Halfway through the final circuit, Teferi couldn’t live with the pace being set by Chelimo and Jeruto. Chebet lost ground on her compatriots in the final kilometre, leaving Jeruto and Chelimo to battle for victory.
It briefly seemed as though the long-legged Chelimo would reel in the long-time leader, but Jeruto, who this year clocked a world-leading 8:53.65 in the steeplechase to move to third on the world all-time list, found an extra gear in the home straight to win marginally ahead of Chelimo, herself two seconds clear of Chebet.
In the men's category Burundi's Rodrigue Kwizera posted 28:33 to win with Ethiopia's Tadese Worku and compatriot Nibrit Melak completing the podium positions in identical times of 28:34
