Athletics round-up
Mar 29 2010 The Journal
ETHIOPIA’S Tirunesh Dibaba failed to collect a fourth World Cross Country title yesterday after being run out of the medals in Poland.
Dibaba, whose last victory came in Edinburgh two years ago, was unable to master the muddy conditions in Bydgoszcz and had to settle for fourth place as Kenyan duo Emily Chebet and Linet Masai dominated the race.
Chebet edged Masai into second for the second successive year by one second, with Meselech Melkamu of Ethiopia finishing third.
Former European junior champion Stephanie Twell (23rd) led the British team to sixth place with the backing of Faye Fullerton (33rd), Chester-le-Street’s Freya Murray (37th) and Stevie Stockton (47th).
Meanwhile, Sunderland Harriers regained the senior men’s Division One trophy after the final meeting of the Start Fitness North Eastern Harrier League at Prudhoe High School on Saturday.
Sunderland, successful for the previous ten years, surrendered their title to Wallsend in 2009, but comfortably won this time by three points.
The Wearsiders finished sixth on the day behind host club Tynedale.
The individual winner in the windy conditions was Ian Twaddle of North Shields Poly, whose margin of victory was 2mins 42secs. Jon Archer of Low Fell clocked the fastest time, finishing 13th from the Fast Pack.
Gateshead Harriers and Gosforth Harriers won the Division Two and Three titles respectively.
Morpeth’s Matthew Nicholson, absent on this occasion, won the Overall Grand Prix, with Paul Merrison of Sunderland taking the veterans’ award.
Heaton Harriers, also successful on the day, won the senior women’s trophy for the third successive year.
Morpeth’s Jane Mooney won her third successive race from the Fast Pack and deservedly took the Individual title. Other fast pack runners Sam Hearn of Tynedale, third behind Jarrow’s George Lowry, won the under-17 men’s title and Philip Winkler of Morpeth, third behind Tynedale’s Jonathan Anderson, was the overall victor in the under-13 boys’ age-group.
Junior international Ricky Stevenson of New Marske gained his third successive victory in yesterday’s sixth Hartlepool Marina 5M Road Race.
However, any hopes of a course record were ruined due to the cold windy conditions.
Stevenson came home with 27secs to spare over his Teesside clubmate Andrew Wiles.
