Ethiopians Tamirat Tola and Netsanet Gudeta collected their second victories each at the 44th edition of the Boclassic in Bolzano, Italy. Running in unseasonably warm conditions that reached 15 C, Tamrat won the men’s 10km race in 28:12 ahead of Jairus Birech while Nestanet took the honors in the women’s 5km in 15:46.
With some 15,000 spectators lining the course, Zane Robertson from New Zealand, who finished third here in 2014, went to the front in the first lap taking a six-second lead over Jairus Birech. The chasing group formed by Tamrat, Muktar Edris, this year’s Youth Olympic Games bronze medalist Oscar Chelimo and 2018 European 10,000m bronze medalist Yeman Crippa followed a few meters behind.
Tamrat and Birech ran a neck-to-neck race until the end of the penultimate lap when the Ethiopian runner broke away, launching his kick at the bell. Tamrat crossed the finish line in the Walther Square in 28:12 holding off Jairus by 12 seconds. Tamrat fell 10 seconds shy of Philemon Hanneck’s course record but ran the fastest time since Paul Kosgei’s 28:10 win in 1998.Ugandan Oscas Chelimo was third in 28:50 ahead of another Ethiopian Muktar Edris,
In the women’s race, 2015 winner Netsanet Gudeta ran at the front from the early stages, closely followed by Kenyan Kisa, the 2014 winner. Nestanet pulled away for good during the third of four laps en route to her 15:46 performance, holding off Kisa by three seconds. Vohla Mazuronak from Belarus, finished third in 16:08.
Netsanet confirmed that her 2019 ambitions include a 1:05 half marathon next month and competing at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in March. Netsanet won gold at the World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia last March.