Imane Merga motivated to defend his IAAF World Cross Country Championships title in Bydgoszcz

Monaco – Ethiopia’s defending senior men’s champion Imane Merga can hardly wait to stand on the start line at the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, which will be held in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz on Sunday 24 March.

“Training has been going very well. I feel very strong, very confident and I’m very motivated to do my best to defend the title I won in Punta Umbria two years ago,” said Merga.

“Last summer was a disappointment. I had some slight injuries in July and lost my chance to go to the Olympics, but since November I have been steadily improving,” added the 24-year-old runner.

He won at the high-quality IAAF Cross Country Permit meeting in Atapuerca, near Burgos, in Spain last November and then took the honours at the famous Boclassic road race in Bolzano, Italy, on New Year’s Eve. Read more