Cheptegei claims second win in Europe

By Norman Katende

Cross de la Constitucion Cross Country

Men results (9.985km)

Samuel Tsegay (ERI) 28:06

Amanuel Mesel (ERI) 28:37

Dickson Huru (UGA) 28:41

Women 6.1km

Rebecca Cheptegei (UGA) 19:15

Dolores Checa (ESP) 19:21

Alessandra Aguilar (ESP)   19:39

UPDF runner Rebecca Cheptegei showed little respect for seasoned athletes as she won her second European cross country event on Sunday in the Spanish town of Aranda.

Cheptegei, who failed to qualify for the World Championships in Moscow early this year, has been working on her form and proved that by clocking 19 minutes 15 seconds to win the  women’s 6.105km race  at the 28th edition of the ‘Cross de la Constitucion’ cross country championships. 

She is preparing for the African Cross Country Championships due in Kampala in March 2014.

She raced against athletes like Moscow IAAF World Championships 5000m finalist Dolores Checa and Alessandra Aguilar, who finished fifth in the marathon at the same event.

She broke clear towards the end to beat Aguilar by six seconds in the annual race.

Another Ugandan Dickson Huru, who won the first leg of the IAAF Cross Country Permit Series at another Spanish race in Soria last month, was checked by the Eritrean duo of Samuel Tsegay and Amanuel Mesel, who took the top two positions at the race.

Tsegay commanded an outright 31 second victory over his compatriot and 2010 winner Mesel.

Spaniard Roberto Alaiz beat Uganda’s Simon Ayeko in the 10km road race by 13 seconds, after he clocked 29 minutes 43 seconds over the distance.

Cheptegei was narrowly denied her second victory in the space of 24 hours after she was outsprinted in a closely-contested women’s 7km race by Morocco’s Saïda El Mehdi at the 22nd edition of the ‘Hiru-Herri’ cross-country race in Burlada, on the outskirts of Pamplona.