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Abeylegesse returns to defend European Cup 10,000m title

Posted April 6th, 2007 at 8:43 AM by Bob Ramsak

Section: News & Results

Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey returns to defend her title to highlight the 11th European Cup 10,000m in Ferrara, Italy, on Saturday.

Competing on home turf in Antalya, Turkey, last year, the 24-year-old Abeylegesse produced an impressive 30:21.67 performance in a torrential downpour, to move up to the No. 4 spot all-time among Europeans, and breaking Paula Radcliffe’s meet record of 30:40.70 set in 1999. Her time was also the fastest in the world in 2006.

The Ethiopian-born Abeylegesse, who set a world record of 14:24.68 over 5000m at the 2004 Bislett Games in Bergen, Norway, was slowed by injury for much of the remainder of last season, but took the bronze in the 5000m at the European Championships last summer five days after dropping out of the 10,000.

In her last race, Abeylegesse was a distant 28th at the World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa 13 days ago, where she succumbed to the hot and humid conditions in the race’s latter stages.

The solid women’s field also includes Briton Jo Pavey, who will make her first 10,000m appearance on the track. The 33-year-old produced a notable indoor season this winter, capped by an 8:31.50 Commonwealth indoor record. A bout of flu slowed her to sixth at the European Championships last month, but she’s reportedly been training well since at her winter training base in South Africa.

Germany’s Sabrina Mockenhaupt is in the field as well. In 2005, the 26-year-old took the Cup title in 31:21.28, still a career best. Other favorites include Ukraine’s European cross country champion Tetyana Holovchenko, Belgian Nathalie De Vos and Hayley Yelling of Great Britain.

The men’s race could be a showdown between the host team and the always formidable Spanish squad. Cosimi Caliandro, the surprise winner of the European indoor 3000m title last month, leads the Italian squad in his first serious outing over the distance against top Spanish marathoner Jose Rios, and Carles Castillejo, twice a runner-up at this competition. Austrian steepler Gunther Wiedlinger, who has a 13:13.44 5000m personal best to his credit, could be a factor as well.

Spain has won five of the ten men’s team titles, while Portugal has been the dominating force on the women’s side, with seven team triumphs.

The Cup, formerly the European 10,000m Challenge, was launched in 1997 to provide European athletes with a high caliber early season opportunity to chase qualifying times for major championships. The ‘A’ standards for this summer’s World Championships in Osaka are 27:49.00 for men and 31:40.00 for women. The ‘B’ standards are 28:06.00 for men, 32:00.00 for women.

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