Eleni Gebrehiwot defends her Diekirch Cross Country crown

Eleni Gebrehiwot‘s margin of supremacy wasn’t as decisive as last year but the German-based Ethiopian still ran out a dominant winner at the ING Eurocross in the Luxembourg town of Diekirch on Sunday (9).

The 31-year-old, who first broke the sub-2:30 barrier for the marathon last September with 2:29:12 in Munster, prevailed over a much shorter 5.5km course at the penultimate IAAF Cross Country Permit meeting of the winter, winning in 20:28.

The threat from 2012 winner and arguable pre-race favourite Almensch Belete, from Belgium, never really materialise. The 24-year-old, who has been in good cross country form this winter with top-three finishes recently on home soil in Hannut and at the IAAF Permit race in Antrim last month, finished second and 20 seconds adrift of Gebrehiwot.

Four German women have won the senior women’s race in the past but Sabrina Mockenhaupt, who was also beaten by Gebrehiwot at the German Cross Country Championships last year, had to settle for third in 21:03. Read more