MADRID, 30 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish athlete Mohamed Katir will try this Saturday to return to reign in the Nationale-Nederlanden San Silvestre Vallecana, the traditional 10-kilometer race that serves to say goodbye to the year by running through the streets of Madrid, although he will have the added difficulty of having to face a high-level rival like the Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei.
The long-distance runner from Mula was crowned champion with great authority last year in the Madrid event to close a great 2021, ending a 19-year wait since the last national victory (Chema Martínez), and now he hopes to fight for the victory again to culminate an almost better 2022 with his world bronze in 1,500 meters and his European silver in 5,000.
However, the challenge is extremely demanding because, in addition to the fact that no one has managed to repeat the victory since the Kenyan Mike Kigen did it in 2015, this year the race presents a very important rival in Joshua Cheptegei, undoubtedly the great star international is the great star of this edition.
The Ugandan arrives in Madrid as a rival to beat for his status as world record holder of 5,000, a distance of which he is the current Olympic champion, and 10,000 meters outdoors, and current cross-country world champion. This will be his debut in a test that he was also going to run in 2018, but in the end he was unable to do so due to injury, although he will do so after not having run since the last World Cup in Oregon.
Now, the presumable duel with a motivated ‘Mo’ Katir can help to see a new men’s record for San Silvestre, held by another renowned Ugandan like Jacob Kiplimo, who won in 2018 with a time of 26: 41.
The Murcian will not be the only asset on the Madrid asphalt, as a good specialist in 10-kilometre events will also try to shine, such as Carlos Mayo from Aragon, who is making his debut in the race, and Nassim Hassaous, who was on the podium in the last edition as third classified. , or a regular of the test like the obstacle player Fernando Carro. At the international level, Cheptegei will be accompanied by a young compatriot like 18-year-old Dan Kibet.
On the other hand, the women’s race is presented with the usual favoritism of African athletes, with the Ethiopian Tsehay Gemechu and the Burundian Francine Niyonsaba as favorite theorists to maintain the dominance of Africa, which since 2011 has taken all the victories except that of 2014, which was for the British Gemma Steel.
Gemechu has a 30:15 mark in the 10 kilometer route and will deal with a Niyonsaba, Olympic silver medalist in 2016 in the 800 meters, who in Tokyo 2020 was fifth in the 10,000 meters and who a few weeks ago already triumphed on Spanish soil in the Cross of Sale of Bathrooms.
Along with them, the Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech, the Ugandan Prisca Chesang and the Ethiopian Mahelet Mulugeta could be other candidates to encourage the race, while on the Spanish side, Laura Priego, sixth in 2021, will try to lead the options along with Naima Ait Alibou and Laura Luengo.
