Atapuerca win launches Kiplimo’s Serbia quest

Jacob Kiplimo has played a low-key card since suffering an acute injury near the hamstring area of the right leg in early August.

The prolific long-distance runner then missed the Budapest World Athletics Championships in Hungary but he returned to full strength by setting the pace during the Berlin Marathon in Germany.

Kiplimo returned to full competition in style by matching his favourite-tag billing to win the Cross Internacional de Atapuerca in Spain on Sunday.

“It was not bad,” he said in a brief chat after posting a winning time of 26 minutes after braving gusts of wind and then rain over the 9km route.

The race is part of Kiplimo’s attempt to retain his title come the World Athletics Cross-country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia next March.

Kiplimo won the senior men’s 10km world x-country title in Bathurst, Australia seven months ago. 

He also won this event in Atapuerca in 2018 before picking a silver medal over the senior men's 10km behind Ugandan compatriot Joshua Cheptegei at the 2019 World x-country championships in Aarhus, Denmark.

Meanwhile, another Ugandan Sarah Chelangat came second in the women’s 8km race, posting a time of 25:36 behind Kenyan Beatrice Chebet.

Elsewhere, Samuel Kibet won the 44th Marseille-Cassis Race, conquering the 20km route linking the two cities in one hour and 36 seconds.

In Ireland, Geoffrey Kusuro finished second at the Dublin Marathon after clocking a time of 2:10:45 behind Ethiopian Husen Kemal who posted a new course time of 2:06:52.

Kusuro is still outside the qualifying time of 2:08:10 to the Paris 2024 Olympics and will need another race early next year to try again for a ticket to France.

WORLD ATHLETICS CROSS COUNTRY TOUR

CROSS INTERNACIONAL DE ATAPUERCA

WOMEN (8KM) RESULT

1 Beatrice Chebet (KEN) 25:21

2 Sarah Chelangat (UGA) 25:36

3 Edinah Jebitok (KEN) 25:44

MEN (9KM) RESULT

1 Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) 26:00

2 Ronald Kwemoi (KEN) 26:15

5 Leonard Chemutai (UGA) 26:48

DUBLIN MARATHON

MEN’S 42KM RESULT

1 Husen Kemal (ETH) 2:06:52

2 Geoffrey Kusuro (UGA) 2:10:45

3 Stephen Scullion (GBR) 2:11:51

MARSEILLE-CASSIS RACE

1 Samuel Kibet (UGA) 1:00:36

2 Joseph Koech (KEN) 1:00:46

3 Nicolas Navarro (FRA) 1:03:24

ROAD TO PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS - UGANDAN MARATHONERS

1 Victor Kiplangat (Osaka Marathon, 2nd, 2:06:03 on Feb 26, 2023)

2 Andrew Kwemoi (Milan Marathon, 1st, 2:07:14 on Apr 2, 2023)

3 Stephen Kissa (Tokyo Marathon, 11th, 2:07:16, Mar 5, 2023)

4 Solomon Mutai (Venice Marathon, 1st, 2:07:41, Oct 22, 2023)

Entry Standard: 2:08:10, Qualifying window: Nov 1, 2022 - Apr 30, 2024