Kipruto, Kipkemboi denied year ending victories in Italy

Uganda’s Oscar Chelimo and Ethiopia’s Dawit Seyaum became two-time winners of the Boclassic, a World Athletics Label road race, in Bolzano, Italy, on Saturday after managing to outwit Kenya’s Amos Kipruto, the 2022 London Marathon champion, and world 10,000m bronze medallist Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi.

In the men’s 10km, a six-strong leading group featuring Kipruto, South Africa’s Maxime Chaumeton, Uganda’s Martin Kiprotich, European 10,000m champion Yemaneberhan Crippa and Pietro Riva of Italy, and Chelimo was formed in the early stages.

Racing on a 1.25km loop course, they went through the second lap mark in 6:56 and the third lap in 10:29. Chaumeton set the pace for most of the race and led at halfway, closely followed by Kiprotich, Kipruto, Crippa, Riva and Chelimo.

However, Kipruto was the first to lose ground during the fifth of the eight laps and the rest of the group remained together until the bell when Chelimo broke away from Crippa over the final lap to cross the finish line in 28:14, holding off Crippa by three seconds.

Chelimo claimed Boclassic victory for the second time in his career, following his triumph in 2020 when he won the 5km at the Safety Park in Vadena. He crowned a successful season that was highlighted by the world 5000m bronze medal he claimed in Oregon.

“I decided to wait until the last lap and I knew that I could rely on my kick,” said Chelimo, who will next race at the Campaccio cross country on 6 January.

“I am happy that I could finish the year on a high note with my second win at the Boclassic. I thank the crowd for the support along the course.”

Crippa took second place in 28:17, achieving the best result of his career in Bolzano after finishing fourth in 2017 and 2020.

“I ended a special year very well,” he said. “We started too fast, but we had no other choice. In the final lap I hoped to take the win, but Chelimo was stronger than me.”

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Chaumeton crossed the finish line in third place in 28:19 ahead of Kiprotich (28:21) and Riva (28:23). Kipruto was sixth, three years after his third-place finish.

The women’s 5km was won by world 5000m bronze medallist Seyaum for the second consecutive year. The Ethiopian crossed the finish line in 15:33 to triumph by eight seconds.

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European 3000m steeplechase champion Luiza Gega from Albania was second in 15:41, edging two-time Boclassic winner Kipkemboi by three seconds.

A six-woman leading group of Gega, Seyaum, Kipkemboi, Croatia’s European marathon silver medallist Matea Kostro Parlov and Italy’s Anna Arnaudo and Federica Del Buono went through the first of the four laps in 4:03. European cross country mixed relay gold medallist

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Del Buono was the first athlete to lose touch, as Seyaum pushed the pace during the second lap.

Seyaum, Kipkemboi and Gega pulled away from Parlov during the third lap before Seyaum launched her kick on the final lap to take the win.

Gega overhauled Kipkemboi in a sprint for second place to become the first Albanian athlete to reach the top three in Bolzano.

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Leading results

Women (5km)

1 Dawit Seyaum (ETH) 15:33

2 Luiza Gega (ALB) 15:41                           

3 Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi (KEN) 15:44

4 Matea Parlov Kostro (CRO) 16:04

5 Anna Arnaudo (ITA) 16:05

 Men (10km)

1 Oscar Chelimo (UGA) 28:14

2 Yemaneberhan Crippa (ITA) 28:17

3 Maxime Chaumeton (RSA) 28:19

4 Martin Kiprotich (UGA) 28:21

5 Pietro Riva (ITA) 28:23

Reporting by World Athletics.