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Hellen Obiri won the World Athletics Cross Country Tour silver meet in Dundonald, Northern Ireland on Saturday. The meet took place in Billy Neill Country Park, on the eastern outskirts of Belfast.

The Kenyan led from gun to tape and spread the field early, eventually winning by nearly 20 seconds in the time 26:44.

Northern Ireland’s Hanna Irwin, who recently finished fourth in the Cardiff Challenge in Wales, and Scottish runner Mhari MacLennan, took second and third, respectively.

Irwin dropped the Scot over the final run over a series of steep hills to better her by three seconds.

“It is my first time running cross country here. The course was good, it was challenging, but I am used to doing a lot of cross country. It is a sign of my preparation towards my outdoor season,” Obiri told BBC Sport NI.

We will be seeing a lot of Obiri in 2022. The two-time World Championships and Commonwealth Games 5000m champion expects to compete in the Diamond League as well as the Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Championships in Eugene, OR.

The 32-year-old owns three national records the mile at 4:16.15, 3000m that she ran in 8:20.68 in Doha in 2014, and in the 5000m distance with her 14:18.37 performance from Rome in 2017.

Men’s race

In the men’s race, which was run over 10K, England’s Zak Mahamed won in the time of 29:49.

Italy’s Iliass Aouani finished second.

Mahamed, Aouani, and Scotland’s Stuart McCallum led mid-way through the race. However, McCallum fell back on the final lap, leaving Mahamed and Aouani to battle it out for the win.

The 21-year-old Mahamad had a breakthrough in this race, as his bests are 14:59.70 in the 5000m and just 29:13 over a 9.8K cross country course.

The 4K women’s U20 race was won by Scotland’s Hannah Ryding. The men’s U20 6K race was won by England’s Sam Mills.

Men’s 10km
1 Zak Mahamed (GBR) 29:49
2 Iliass Aouani (ITA) 29:56
3 Stuart McCallum (GBR) 30:03
4 Hugo Milner (GBR) 30:14
5 Jack Millar (GBR) 30:26

Women’s 8km
1 Hellen Obiri (KEN) 26:44
2 Hannah Irwin (GBR) 27:04
3 Mhairi Maclennan (GBR) 27:07
4 Eleanor Bolton (GBR) 27:21
5 Megan Keith (GBR) 27:25

Yalemzerf Yehualaw breaks record at Great Ethiopian Run

Yehualaw won the Total Energies Great Ethiopian Run 10K Sunday. In so doing she took 38 seconds off her own race record with a 31:17 performance. The 22-year-old matched her own personal best which she ran in Spain in 2020.

The performance is considered the fastest ever at elevation as Addis Ababa is located at 2350m.

Results from World Athletics.

Women
1 Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH) 31:17
2 Girmawit Gebrzihair (ETH) 31:29
3 Melknat Wedu (ETH) 31:45
4 Gete Alemayehu (ETH) 32:06
5 Bosena Mulate (ETH) 32:17
6 Hawi Feyisa (ETH) 32:18
7 Birtukan Wolde (ETH) 32:22
8 Anchinalu Desse (ETH) 32:38
9 Mebrat Gidey (ETH) 32:42
10 Ayenaddis Teshome (ETH) 32:49

Men
1 Gemechu Dida (ETH) 28:24
2 Getaneh Molla (ETH) 28:25
3 Boki Diriba (ETH) 28:26
4 Moges Tuemay (ETH) 28:31
5 Getachew Masresha (ETH) 28:33
6 Cornelius Kibet Kemboi (KEN) 28:39
7 Teresa Ggnakola (ETH) 28:43
8 Solomon Berihun (ETH) 28:55
9 Ashenafi Kiros (ETH) 28:59
10 Antenayehu Dagnachew (ETH) 29:05

SHOESTRINGS Down in Sri Lanka, Indians Sanjeewam Bahuraro and Karthik Kumar won the women’s and men’s races with a clear lead at the Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) centenary marathon. The half marathon Health Run saw over 800 athletes take in the race.

Women

  • Sanjeewam Bahuraro Jadahav – India – 01:16:06
  • M.S.P.M. Perera – Sri Lanka Navy – 01:19:48 
  • H.M.C.S Herath – Sri Lanka Army – 01:21:02

Men

  • Karthik Kumar – India – 01:05:02
  • Dharmender – India – 01:07:15
  • K. Shanmuge Shawaram – India – 01:07:28

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