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Abeylegesse Heads Entries For Euro Cup 10K
EAA News
Date: 12.04.2006
Abeylegesse heads entries for European Cup 10000m
World 5000m record holder Elvan Abeylegesse heads the entries for the 10th edition of the European Cup 10000m which takes place in Antalya, in her home country of Turkey, on Saturday 15 April.
Saturday‚s race will be Abeylegesse‚s first competition since the European Cup Second League match in Istanbul last June. The 23-year-old has been receiving treatment for kidney stones for the last ten months but now feels ready to return to competition and post a fast time.
„I am fit and healthy now and I am eager to be back in the arena after 10 months out. I am committed to run in this team competition in my country. The support will be great and could really lift me.
„This will be only the second 10000m race in my career and I ran the previous one five years ago. So I am set to discover myself and am curious to see how good I can be at the distance.
„My first aim is of course winning this competition, but a world record holder cannot set low profile targets. If it is not too windy during the race and if the race is not too crowded, I would love to run a fast time, a real fast one...‰
Abeylegesse is the current holder of the Turkish 10000m record with 32:29.20, which she ran in her one previous race at the distance when she took the bronze medal at the 2001 Mediterranean Games. If conditions are right she could threaten the championship record of 30:40.70 set by Paula Radcliffe (GBR) in 1999.
She is joined in the home team by another young star of Turkish athletics, the reigning European Under 23 5000m champion Binnaz Uslu, who makes her debut at the distance.
Portugal has won the women‚s team title in seven of the nine previous European Cups 10000m and their team this year includes Analia Rosa, who finished eighth over 3000m at the recent World Indoor Championships and Ana Dias, who set her 10000m best of 31:38.48 at the 2003 Cup.
Spain have only once finished outside the top three teams and won in 2001. Veteran Teresa Recio, who set her best time of 31:43.80 when finishing eighth at the 1999 World Championships, will compete in her eighth Cup.
Other athletes who could challenge include 2003 European Under 23 10000m champion Krisztina Papp (HUN) and the 2001 and 2002 European Cross Country champions Yamna Oubohou (FRA) and Helena Javornik (SLO). Javornik holds the quickest time in the field with the 31:06.63 she ran at the 2004 Olympic Games.
In the men‚s race Spain will be looking to continue their record of success in the Cup, having taken five team and six individual titles. However, they will face a tough challenge from the two other previous winners of the team title, Portugal and Italy, as well as France.
Spain‚s leading athlete this year is Ricardo Serrano who finished third last year with a personal best of 28:19.20.
The Portuguese team includes José Ramos, a finalist over 10000m at the 2000 Olympics and Fernando Silva who finished 25th in the 12km race at the recent World Cross Country Championships.
The French team is led by Ismaël Sghyr, who is the quickest man in the field with his best of 27:12.39 and finished eighth at the distance at the 2004 Olympics. He is joined by Mokhtar Benhari who was part of the winning French team at the 2005 European Cross Country Championships and Pierre Joncheray who finished sixth in the Cup last year.
1999 European Under 23 10000m champion Marco Mazza will be hoping to repeat his performance of the 2002 Cup when he set a personal best of 27:44.05 to finish third and led Italy to the team title. Also in the team is Gabriele de Nard who has been in good form on the country and the roads over the winter.
Also in the field are the 2005 European Under 23 10000m Silver and Bronze medallists André Pollmächer (GER) and Marius Ionescu (ROM), who was European Junior champion in 2003, and European Junior 5000m silver medallist Dusan Markesevic (SCG).
One of the aims for all the athletes will be to post qualifying times for August‚s European Athletics Championships ˆ 28:50.00 for men and 33:20.00 for women.
Note: Each team may start with a maximum of five athletes of which three score in the team competition.
(EAA Media Service - 12.04.2006)
Source: EAA
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