Cross de l'Acier | |
---|---|
Date | Late November |
Location | Leffrinckoucke, France |
Event type | Cross country |
Distance | 9.95 km for men 6.55 km for women |
Established | 1990 |
Official site | Cross de l'Acier |
Participants | 135 (2019) |
The Cross de l'Acier (English: Cross of Steel) was an annual cross country running competition held in late November in Leffrinckoucke, France. First held in 1990, it was one of the foremost competitions of its type in France. Ten races were held at the event for athletes of varying abilities. [1] Around 2200 runners took part in the day's event in 2010. [2] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and disagreements with the National Athletics League, it was announced that the race would be discontinued in 2022 after two years absence. [3]
The course of the competition was held around the Fort des Dunes – part of a set of military fortifications used in the First World War known as the Séré de Rivières system. [4] The men's international elite race covered 9.95 km while the women's race took place over 6.55 km. [1] These races were often used by French athletes to gain selection for the national team at the European Cross Country Championships, which is held a month after the event. [4] The elite competition held permit status from European Athletics. [5]
Over its history, the cross attracted elite runners of the highest calibre and former winners include multiple world record breaker Haile Gebrselassie, World Cross Country champions Zola Budd and Joseph Ebuya, and track world champions Fernanda Ribeiro and Linet Masai. [6] Although many of the competition's most successful runners hail from East Africa, the race also features prominent European runners: Paulo Guerra and Mo Farah both won the European Championships after winning in Leffrinckoucke a month previously. [7]
Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (m:s) | Women's winner | Time (m:s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 1990 | Bruno Levant (FRA) | Nancy Pattee (BEL) | ||
2nd | 1991 | Thierry Pantel (FRA) | Albertina Dias (POR) | ||
3rd | 1992 | Wilson Omwoyo (KEN) | Albertina Dias (POR) | ||
4th | 1993 | Vincent Rousseau (BEL) | Zola Budd (RSA) | ||
5th | 1994 | Paulo Guerra (POR) | Fatuma Roba (ETH) | ||
6th | 1995 | Worku Bikila (ETH) | Fernanda Ribeiro (POR) | ||
7th | 1996 | Tom Nyariki (KEN) | Margarita Marusova (RUS) | ||
8th | 1997 | Tom Nyariki (KEN) | Jackline Maranga (KEN) | ||
9th | 1998 | Hailu Mekonnen (ETH) | Jackline Maranga (KEN) | ||
10th | 1999 | Hailu Mekonnen (ETH) | Naomi Mugo (KEN) | ||
11th | 2000 | Luke Kipkosgei (KEN) | Ayelech Worku (ETH) | ||
12th | 2001 | Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) | Tereza Yohannes (ETH) | ||
13th | 2002 | Hailu Mekonnen (ETH) | Mestawet Tufa (ETH) | ||
14th | 2003 | John Yuda (TAN) | Gelete Burka (ETH) | ||
15th | 2004 | Tibebu Yenew (ETH) | Isabella Ochichi (KEN) | ||
16th | 2005 | Dennis Ndiso (KEN) | Teyba Erkesso (ETH) | ||
17th | 2006 | Mohammed Farah (GBR) | Dorcus Inzikuru (KEN) | ||
18th | 2007 | Imane Merga (ETH) | Linet Masai (KEN) | ||
19th | 2008 [8] | Imane Merga (ETH) | 28:15 | Abebu Gelan (ETH) | 18:20 |
20th | 2009 | Imane Merga (ETH) | Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) | ||
21st | 2010 [6] | Joseph Ebuya (KEN) | 28:08 | Linet Masai (KEN) | 21:40 |
22nd | 2011 | Joseph Ebuya (KEN) | 28:10 | Feyse Tadese (ETH) | 21:09 |
23rd | 2012 | Cornelius Kangogo (KEN) | 28:14 | Waganesh Mekasha (ETH) | 21:23 |
24th | 2013 | Cornelius Kangogo (KEN) | 28:07 | Hiwot Ayalew (ETH) | 22:30 |
25th | 2014 [9] | Birhan Nebebew (ETH) | 28:58 | Senbere Teferi (ETH) | 23:33 |
26th | 2015 | Alfred Ngeno (KEN) | 30:06 | Dera Dida (ETH) | 24:13 |
27th | 2016 | Selemon Barega (ETH) | 26:12 | Beyenu Degefa (ETH) | 21:48 |
28th | 2017 | Birhanu Balew (BHR) | 30:53 | Margaret Chelimo (KEN) | 23:38 |
29th | 2018 | Solomon Berihu (ETH) | 30:41 | Letesenbet Gidey (ETH) | 25:25 |
30th | 2019 | Berihu Aregawi (ETH) | 30:04 | Aberash Belay (ETH) | 25:01 |
Mike Kipruto Kigen is a Kenyan long-distance runner. He specializes in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres and won silver medals in both events at the African Championships in Athletics in 2006 representing Kenya. In October 2015, he changed his name to Kaan Kigen Özbilen and has since then competed for Turkey.
Joseph Ebuya is a Kenyan professional runner who specialises in the 5000 metres and was the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships champion.
Fionnuala McCormack is an Irish runner who has competed at a range of distance running events. She was the gold medallist at the 2011 and 2012 European Cross Country Championships, become the first woman to successfully defend the title. She has represented Ireland in the steeplechase at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics, the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and 2011 World Championships in Athletics, and twice at the European Athletics Championships.
Linet Chepkwemoi Masai is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in track and cross country running events. She won her first world title in the 10,000 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.
The 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held at Myślęcinek Park in Bydgoszcz, Poland on 28 March 2010. It was the first time in over twenty years that Poland hosted the annual championships, having previously held them in Warsaw in 1987. Kenyan runners dominated the competition, taking all four individual titles and all four team titles at the competition. Kenyans took the top four spots in both junior men's and junior women's races to finish with a perfect team score.
The Cross Internacional de Atapuerca is an annual cross country running competition that takes place in Atapuerca, Spain. Established in 2004, it takes place in early November and is among the first major competitions of the cross country season. In its initial years, it was usually the first permit meeting in the European Athletic Association's cross country season, and it now begins the IAAF Permit Meeting series, having replaced the Cross de Soria event in 2010.
The 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 20, 2011. The races were held at the Polideportivo Antonio Gil Hernández in Punta Umbría, Spain. Reports of the event were given for the IAAF.
The Cross Internacional de Soria, also known as the Campo a Través Internacional de Soria, is an annual cross country running competition that takes place in Soria, Spain. First held in 1994, it usually takes place in late November and gained IAAF cross country permit meeting status in 2007. It was previously a European Athletic Association permit meeting.
Imane Merga Jida is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 and 10,000 metres. He won his first world title at the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics he won the 10,000 m bronze medal, but he was disqualified in the 5000 m, losing a second bronze.
Kidane Tadesse Habtesilase is an Eritrean long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres.
Teklemariam Medhin Weldeslassie is an Eritrean long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres. He represented his country at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
Ayad Lamdassem El Mouhcine is a Moroccan-born long distance runner who competes for Spain internationally. He has represented Spain twice in the 10,000 metres at the Summer Olympics as well as the European Athletics Championships.
The Cross Internacional Valle de Llodio is an annual cross country running competition that takes place in Llodio in the Basque Country, Spain, around late November. The event was first held in February 1985 and changed to an end-of-year competition soon after, holding its second edition in December 1985.
Cross Internacional de la Constitución is an annual cross country running event which is held in early December in Alcobendas, Spain. The competition was first held in 1982 and began attracting top-level elite distance runners from the 1990s onwards. Hosted by the Club de Atletismo Popular de Alcobendas, the Cross de la Constitución takes place in Parque de Andalucia near the industrial centre in the city. Almost 600 runners took part in the races in 2010.
Mathew Kipkoech Kisorio is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in road running and cross country running competitions. He has a half marathon best of 58:46 minutes and a marathon best of 2:07:06 hours. On the roads, he has won the Philadelphia Half Marathon, Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon and Stramilano races.
The Cross Internacional Zornotza is an annual cross country running event which takes place in January in Amorebieta-Etxano (Zornotza), the Basque Country, Spain. The competition was first held in 1954 and has taken place every year since, with the sole exception of 1961. Organised by the Club Deportiva Zornotza, the event began as a mainly national-level competition and it started to attract elite international competitors from the mid-1980s onwards.
The 1st African Cross Country Championships was an international cross country running competition for African athletes which was held on 6 March 2011 in Cape Town, South Africa. Organised by the Confederation of African Athletics, it marked the start of a new continental competition for Africa following the decision by the IAAF to alter the scheduling of the World Cross Country Championships from every year to a biennial format.
Pauline Chemning Korikwiang is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in track and cross country running competitions.
Wilson Omwoyo is a retired Kenyan long-distance runner. He competed for his country at the 1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where he finished 17th overall.
The Kenyan Cross Country Championships is an annual cross country running competition that serves as the national championship for Kenya. It is organised by Athletics Kenya and has permit race status from the International Association of Athletics Federations. It is typically held in February in Nairobi, the country's capital, and entrants are almost exclusively from Kenya. Entrants represent their home region or one of the high level national works teams, such as Kenya Defence Forces, Kenya Police, Prisons or Universities. These teams host their own annual team championships in order to decide their selections for the national event.