Hannut and Elgoibar stage European Athletics Cross Country Permit Races | 21.01.2012
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| European cross country champion Atelaw Bekele of Belgium. |
Belgium's 2011 SPAR European Cross Country Championships winner Atelaw Bekele, who also won at the same venue 12 months ago, is the big name in the men's 9.5km race in Hannut, having also been named as the European Athletics Athletics of the Month on Thursday.
Another victorious runner from the Slovenian city of Velenje last month, under 23 women's gold medallist Great Britain's Emma Pallant, features in the women's 6.5km race.
She will be up against Italy's Nadia Ejjaffini, who was fourth in the senior women’s race in Velenje, as well as a strong contingent of Ethiopian and Kenyan runners.
Local interest in the women's race is provided by the top Belgian runners Barbara Maveau and Veerle Dejaeghere.
The Elgoibar organisers have signed up Portugal's 2011 SPAR European Cross Country Championships bronze medallist Jose Rocha as well as the leading Spanish runners Chema Martinez, the 2010 European Athletics Championships marathon silver medallist, and Javier Guerra.
Among the African runners on the start line of the 10.8km men's race are the Kenyan pair of 10km road world record holder Leonard Komon and 2011 World Cross Country Championships junior men's winner Geoffrey Kipsang.
Well-known local runners Alessandra Aguilar and Diana Martin feature in the women's 6.6km race.
The last of this winter's nine European Athletics Cross Country Permit Races will be the White Cross Cross Country in the Serbian capital Belgrade, the venue for the 2013 SPAR European Cross Country Championships on 29 January.
