Favor Hamilton 5th at Worlds 4K Cross
USA Teams Perform Well

By Charlie Mahler
Running USA wire
Running USA wire #28-03-02 - World Cross Day 2

DUBLIN, Ireland - (March 24, 2002) - While it may have lacked the metallic shine of the first day's successes, the USA effort in the second day of the World Cross Country Championships here was still full of luster. The teams competing in the final day of competition capped the most successful overall U.S. showing at the Championships with three more teams finishing in the top 10 and 4 more individuals finishing in the top 15.

On a less windy but more damp and chilly day than yesterday, Suzy Favor Hamilton of New Glarus, Wisc. finished fifth place in the Senior women's 4K race. She was followed closely by Team USA Minnesota's Carrie Tollefson's gutty 11th place run in the event that saw the women finish 6th as a team - just 5 points from a bronze medal. In the Senior men's 12K event, the Team USA California duo of Abdi Abdirahman and Meb Keflezighi finished 11th and 14th, respectively, to lead their team to a fifth place finish.

In the entire weekend of racing, the USA claimed the Senior women's 8K silver medal, took fifth place in three events, - the Junior women's 6K and Senior men's 4K in addition to the Senior men today - the women's short-course 6th, today and a 7th placing by the Junior men - by far the most impressive showing by the United States since the IAAF added junior and short-course (4K) racing to the program.

Hamilton and Tollefson's strong runs in the Women's short course event topped the day's excitement. Favor Hamilton established herself in the front from the beginning and held position strongly to the finish line. She finished only 17 seconds off the pace of winner Edith Masai of Kenya, clocking 13:47.

"I was counting the places in front of me and I was surprised where I was. My goal was to get in the top ten, and I achieved that and surpassed it, so I'm extremely happy," said Favor Hamilton, a three-time Olympian.

"We were so fired up after seeing the 8K women's team take the silver. We wanted to be on that podium, and we could've been if our number one runner at the Trials would've been here," she added, referring to Regina Jacobs decision not to compete at World Cross.

Tollefson, from Edina, Minn., battled fiercely throughout the contest after getting out to her own strong start. Coming into the final stretch in 17th place, she was in position to pass or be passed by at least a half dozen runners. In a manner reminiscent of Colleen De Reuck's gritty stretch run a day ago, Tollefson passed runner after runner en route to her 11th place finish in 14:05.

"These people out there are very good," Tollefson said. "You have to keep digging the whole way because there is no break. It's a good day. I'm very pleased. I expect a lot from myself. I want to be the best in the country."

"Knowing what I know now," she continued, "I probably would've been more aggressive on the first half of that second lap as opposed to trying to save it for a big kick. It's really hard to kick, and this is the kind of race where you just can't save anything."

Following Favor Hamilton and Tollefson were teammates: Sarah Toland, 32nd in 14:27, Janet Trujillo, 52nd in 14:42, Mary Jayne Harrelson, 63rd in 14:50 and Sarah Hann, 66th in 14:52.

Not unlike Tollefson, Abdirahman and Keflezighi clawed and scratched their way to the places they earned. Running near-by but not always with one-another, the two battled the 12K course and the competition from the second pack - although Abdirahman actually lead the field past the grandstand at the end of the race's first lap. Kenenisa Bekele and John Yuda ultimately broke up a 10-runner lead-pack before Bekele of Ethiopia made the move that would seal his victory, in 34:52, and establish his place in history as the first-ever men's long- and short-course champion - an impressive double.

"It was real tough. I didn't run my race and got stuck early," said Abdirahman, a 2000 Olympian and Tucson resident. "I got cut off and by the time I got to the front the gap was so big and I decided to hang with the second group. The course was hard, and it took a lot out of me."

Keflezighi, who clocked 36:09 to Abdirahman's 36:03, fought a side stitch as well as the world's best competition over the Leopardstown Racecourse.

"I tried to work with Abdi, but I ran into a bit of trouble with the stitch in the right side," he said. "I was picking it up off and on, and it would go away. I felt the stitch coming on about the third lap. I have problems with the stitch on and off, and it's unpredictable."

19 year-old Dathan Ritzenhein, the Junior bronze medalist last year but two days too old for the division this year, picked his way through the pack to finish 24th in 36:31. He was followed by Clint Wells, 87th in 38:08 and Greg Jimmerson, 94th in 38:22. Team USA Califonia's Matt Downin dropped out of the race prior to the mid-way point with a bad blister.

While the Junior men's effort may have lacked the up-front electricity of 2001's Ritzenhein/Tegenkamp romp, the team finished a solid 7th overall. Rod Kaborsi led the effort with a 30th place, 25:14 run on the 8K course. He was followed closely by Bill Nelson, 33rd in 25:18, Bobby Lockhart, 39th in 25:26, and Yong-Sung Leal, 41st in 25:30. 2001 Foot Locker National Champion Tim Moore was 54th in 25:47 and Zach Sabatino finished 81st in 26:26.

"It went out really quick and we expected that," Kaborsi explained. "I just kept trying to move up. I saw Bobby (Lockhart) up ahead of me and I worked to catch up to him and then we worked together. It was a great race. You walk around and you can feel people look at you and cheer for you because you're USA."

After the USA performances this weekend - most notably the sterling run by the USA Senior women's long-course team and their two medalists, Drossin and De Reuck - there's all the more about the U.S. and its distance runners to look at and cheer for.

IAAF World Cross Country Championships
Dublin, Ireland, Sunday, March 24, 2002

WOMEN 4.2K (Short Course)
1) Edith Masai, KEN, 13:30, $30,000
2) Werknesh Kidane, ETH, 13:36, $15,000
3) Isabella Ochichi, KEN, 13:39, $10,000
4) Benita Johnson, AUS, 13:42, $7000
5) Suzy Favor Hamilton, New Glarus, WI, 13:47, $5000
6) Abebech Negussie, ETH, 13:53, $3000
7) Sonia O'Sullivan, IRL, 13:55
8) Amina Godana, ETH, 14:00
9) Rosanna Martin, ITA, 14:01
10) Anne Keenan-Buckley, IRL, 14:03
11) Carrie Tollefson, Edina, MN, 14:05

Other Top U.S.
32) Sarah Toland, Boulder, CO, 14:27
52) Janet Trujillo, Superior, CO, 14:42
63) Mary Jayne Harrelson, Blacksburg, VA, 14:50
66) Sarah Hann, Winchester, NH, 14:52

TEAM
1) Ethiopia, 32, $20,000
2) Kenya, 34, $16,000
3) Ireland, 85, $12,000
4) Russia, 86, $10,000
5) Australia, 86, $8000
6) USA, 90, $4000

MEN 12K (Long Course)
1) Kenenisa Bekele, ETH, 34:52, $30,000
2) John Yuda, TAN, 34:58, $15,000
3) Wilberforce Talel, KEN, 35:20, $10,000
4) Richard Limo, KEN, 35:26, $7000
5) Charles Kamathi, KEN, 35:29, $5000
6) Albert Chepkurui, KEN, 35:32, $3000
7) Abderrahim Goumri, MAR, 35:43
8) Yonas Kifle, ERI, 35:47
9) Enoch Mitei, KEN, 35:49
10) Jaouad Gharib, MAR, 35:57
11) Abdi Abdirahman, Tucson, AZ, 36:03

Other top U.S.
14) Meb Keflezighi, San Diego, CA, 36:09
24) Dathan Ritzenhein, Boulder, CO, 36:31
87) Clint Wells, Boulder, CO, 38:08
94) Greg Jimmerson, Los Altos, CA, 38:22
Matt Downin, DNF

TEAM
1) Kenya, 18, $20,000
2) Ethiopia, 43, $16,000
3) Morocco, 58, $12,000
4) France, 71, $10,000
5) USA, 107, $8000

For complete results and more, go to the IAAF website: http://www.iaaf.org/wxc02/

For U.S. quotes and more, go to the USATF website: http://www.usatf.org
 

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