2012 Great Edinburgh International Cross Country


2012

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And the good afternoon. Welcome to the first live athletics of the

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Olympic year. We have the perfect start this afternoon in the

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Scottish capital as three reigning Olympic champions go head to head.

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Asbel Kiprop is the Olympic champion at 1500 metres and world

:01:04.:01:11.

champion at the same distance. He will hope to beat his compatriot,

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rich macro, the reigning 1,000 metres steeplechase champion. --

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Brimin Kipruto. Both Kenyans might end up chasing the greatest of them

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all. He is the Olympic champion! The reigning Olympic 50101000 metre

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:01:41.:01:43.

champion, Bekele. What a race that promises to be.

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Edinburgh Castle provides the backdrop to be Great Edinburgh

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International Cross Country. The Bekele race is box office. The

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supporting card is not too bad. And there is a team competition. The in

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the men's race, the European team looks to have the edge with a star-

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:02:13.:02:28.

We will keep a close watch on the women's race and Stephanie Twell,

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and she makes her comeback after injury. Fionnuala Britton is the

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star turn. The team race comprises four

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different races. Two junior races and the men's eight kilometre race

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and the women's race. It is great Britain and Northern Ireland

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Britain and Northern Ireland against the USA and Europe. It is a

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beautiful day in Edinburgh. It is windy. Not as cold as it was last

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:03:18.:03:23.

year. I do not think anything could have stopped Mo Farah that time. It

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have stopped Mo Farah that time. It have stopped Mo Farah that time. It

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is the men's race up first. We can hear from the leading contenders.

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Steve Vernon representing Great Britain. The team challenge will

:03:36.:03:43.

come into it, especially on the last lap. It is about Great Britain

:03:43.:03:52.

beating the USA or Europe. I hope we can do that. Ben Bruce, USA.

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Even if you are not having the best day, and knowing you cannot give in.

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You have to make the best of where you are in the race. It makes it

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exciting. If there is a sprint finish, it is exciting, but if it

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is for a place, it is not, but in this race it could be and that is

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exciting. You have to see what you can do. You have something to race

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for. I am the nine times European cross country champion. This is

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important for me. The European team. I am speaking for my team, only

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winning! The athletes are raring to winning! The athletes are raring to

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go. Time to hand over to the commentary team, Brendan Foster and

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first of all Steve Cram. A happy New Year to everybody. We

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are in Edinburgh for the Annual cross country event, which kicks

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the year off. This year has more relevance than most others. Sergey

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Lebid is a familiar figure to European cross country fans. Nine

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times champion. Was not able to defend his title two or three weeks

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:05:27.:05:31.

ago. We have just heard from the American captain Ben Bruce. It is a

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reasonably strong American team. It will be tough for the British team,

:05:36.:05:46.
:05:46.:05:48.

led by Frank Tickner, to get ahead of the Europeans and Americans.

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And away they go. This was held for the first time last year as a team

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:06:04.:06:07.

race. We will see Bekele, Asbel Kiprop and others in the race

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coming up. It is a little bit soft in some parts. The course has been

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modified slightly to accommodate 82 kilometres at circuit. -- two

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kilometres. I have a feeling Brendan Foster would have relished

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in his heyday running on this course. Happy new year. Happy New

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Year to you. That is a familiar name on the best. Bekele. Atelaw

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:06:53.:07:05.

Bekele, now running for Belgium. for a few years. The field, if you

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look at it, you have to say Bekele from Belgium is a favourite. It

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will be a close race. Joe Sweeney, the Irish man representing the

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European team today. This is a steady start. On the far side of

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the course it is a little bit wet, but drier on the near side. Good

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conditions for true cross country running. We should have a decent

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race. The British team is led by Frank Tickner. We heard from Steve

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Vernon at the beginning of the show. Also, Gerard, Hawkins. Tom

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Humphries, Ryan Mcleod, who had a good European Championships. James

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Walsh, Jonathan Taylor and James Wilkinson. Six athletes count

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towards the team score. We have four races in the team challenge

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between Great Britain, the USA and Europe. They are on the flat part

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of the course. Very soft underfoot. There is a short lap that of the

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senior men do not do, they head out on the along a lap of. But it is

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still a real test over there. Not as flat underfoot. There are a

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couple of streams to jump over. Just settling down. There is a

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youngster trying to keep up! He is not doing badly, signed him up!

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Keep going! As Brendan Foster said, this is the man everybody is

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looking to dominate the race, Atelaw Bekele. A slightly different

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test in terms of underfoot. Cross- country courses do vary. Some suit

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others in ways, the track specialists, they do better on a

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flat and faster course. Sometimes, Edinburgh can be. But this is more

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of a test than people think. It was fall of snow last year and hard

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underfoot. A very different race. former 5,000-metre champion ran

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last year and the year before, and I saw him today and he said what is

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wrong, there is no snow. He thought there was always know in Scotland.

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In the middle of the pack, Sergey Lebid, in the white vest. The

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Europeans are wearing white vests. The British team in familiar

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colours and the USA in a navy blue strip. The leader, Bekele from

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Belgium. The British athletes off to a steady start. On this side it

:10:04.:10:14.

is drier, but more rough underfoot. They will not let Bekele have all

:10:14.:10:24.
:10:24.:10:25.

his own way. Ryan Mcleod. In that group, Jesus Espana year. -- Jesus

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Espana. It is a bright and sunny day in Edinburgh. But there is a

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cold wind. You might want to get behind big Joe Sweeney. The British

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men are settling. A silver medal in the European Championships. The

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:10:59.:11:00.

senior men tend not to do as well as the other age groups. Many of

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the athletes in Slovenia are competing here today. Ryan Mcleod,

:11:04.:11:09.

Tom Humphries, Gerrard, working hard together as a group. James

:11:09.:11:19.
:11:19.:11:19.

Wilkinson, going through the picture. I'm sorry, James Walsh. We

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will see what happened in the junior race shortly. Bekele,

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Brendan, it is a great story. You assume that people who are popping

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up in other countries, not their place of origin, have a running

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back ground. But he decided to join a local club in Belgium. He has not

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had much pedigree on the track so far. The run in the European

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Championships followed on from a good winter. He has pushed big

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names on the cross country circuit. He went into the Europeans in good

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form, perhaps the favourite. Now, everybody is looking towards him.

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Now we know all about him and he is the man to beat. He it is a good

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story. Our statistician does a good job and find the background, but it

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is a great story. He went along to his local club with a note in his

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hand because he could not speak Belgian and he said he wanted to

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run. The club said with a name like Bekele, coming from Ethiopia, you

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must be good and you are welcome to join. It is a good story. He has

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become a very good athlete. And in the past few days he has become

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professional. He has sponsorship and he has given up his jobs. He

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had a couple. He is running like a professional runner. He has not

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wasted time in getting to the front and pushing the pace. Joe Sweeney

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going with him. Ryan Mcleod was just moving into third place. These

:13:09.:13:19.
:13:19.:13:23.

are the standings. 6.27. That is reasonably quick. It takes a while

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for the race to settle down. Europe would have started favoured.

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Britain, doing well in second place. The USA team is reasonably strong.

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The withdrawal of Bobby Curtis has we can and slightly. It could be a

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scrap between Europe and Great Britain. Joe Sweeney is hanging on.

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He is determined. Fifth place in the European cross-country

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champions -- championships. He has renewed confidence. I am not sure

:14:02.:14:06.

his stature will benefit over the late stages because this is a heavy

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course. It is heavy over that part of the course and they are sinking

:14:11.:14:17.

into the mud, as you would expect in cross country. They are coming

:14:17.:14:22.

away from the rest of the field. Skipping over the little jump. You

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can see the British team together, led by Steve Vernon. There is Ryan

:14:30.:14:40.
:14:40.:14:41.

Mcleod and Frank Tickner in that about the individual race but when

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you are running through a team and running a score then it is up to

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you to keep going no matter where you are in the race. Negotiating

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that hurdle well for the two leaders. Joe Sweeney looks good in

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second place. Europe first, second and third. The Spaniard has moved

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into third place. The form of that race has been carried through here.

:15:09.:15:19.
:15:19.:15:20.

Jon Grey is the leader of the Americans in 4th place. Steve

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Vergne and leading the rest of the Brits in 6th place. -- Steve Vernon.

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:15:36.:15:55.

challenged Bekele in the closing stages of a previous race. He has

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now moved up to third place. Bekele is already pushing away and we are

:16:02.:16:09.

not yet at halfway point. He is in great form. It will be really

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interesting to see how he does on the track this summer. The Belgians

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:16:23.:16:36.

must be delighted to have him. They pleased to see this particular

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Bekele running well in London. There is the British team coming

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through, Gerrard, Taylor, Tickner. And then Sergey Lebid is struggling

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today. He is not running so well at the moment. Later on we will see

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the great Bekele but we are seeing a pretty good one now. Here is the

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British team now. We are just approaching the halfway point macro

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and the strength will tell of these athletes in the second part of this

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race. Bekele is running comfortably but being closed down. That is an

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interesting move. In second place behind Bekele is Ayad Lamdassem. He

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finished second in the European Championships behind Bekele and

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here today he is looking for the opportunity of trying to change

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that one. It just shows you that a form from European cross-country

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Championships is good form. You could look at them and think they

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would be first and second again. There is no Mo Farah in the team

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this year. He is getting ready to run indoors and building up to the

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most exciting year of his career, the Olympic Games in London. We

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will talk about that more later when we talk about Kenenisa Bekele

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in the short dress. These two are locked in battle, the gold and

:18:03.:18:13.
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silver medallists from the recent Championships, Bekele ran on home

:18:17.:18:27.
:18:27.:18:33.

soil. It was in muddy conditions. He was beaten by Cech on that day.

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Well beaten, to be honest. He had some Kenyans behind him. The

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closest of those running behind him was Steve Vernon. He is a long way

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behind Bekele at the moment. Jon Grey is taking advantage of a bit

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of slowing because Quare and Ayad Lamdassem are closing up. -- Javier

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:19:08.:19:20.

He had a brilliant run in the European Championships. There is a

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long way to go, just halfway. look at the American Jon Grey. He

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has moved towards the front. He noticed they were slowing down so

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he decided he would not take any part in that and accelerate to the

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front. You can see how much they are slowing down because Joe

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Sweeney who was detached from that group has closed the gap. The two

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European medallists in the leading group. The American Grey in there.

:19:55.:20:02.

The British contingent are all running together. At the moment,

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:20:12.:20:24.

The British team are in second place. John Graham won a fairly new

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event, club running in the USA is not what it is here in the UK but

:20:30.:20:35.

track and field introduced the US cross-country championships and Jon

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have talked before about the resurgence of the American distance

:21:16.:21:22.

running scene. They do get used to a lot of team competitions. There

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cross-country season is fairly early. They are into the indoor

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season already. The big races are held around November time. They are

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doing well to come over here and hold good form. In the States there

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is a resurgence in distance running and the marathon has featured

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largely in bad. Next weekend they have the USA Olympic trials for the

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marathon and all of the distance runners will have a go about. I

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think some of the better-known athletes from the stakes are going

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to be running a marathon next week. If you run a marathon in January,

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if you make the team you are in the Olympics and if you do not, you

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still have a chance to come back and run the 5,000 or 10,000 metres.

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The interesting thing was I told you our statisticians finds

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interesting facts about these athletes and this one, Jon Grey of

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the USA has an identical twin brother and is an avid fly

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:22:34.:22:34.

fisherman. How about that, Steve? Never mind! There was a line about

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fly-fishing which I will not mention. He is going very well. He

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is looking relaxed. He is moving over the rough ground very easily

:22:44.:22:49.

indeed. Steve Vernon has been overtaken by Frank Tickner, the

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team captain trying to push through the field. Trying to get the

:22:56.:23:01.

British team closer, certainly in terms of the team competition. Joe

:23:01.:23:11.
:23:11.:23:15.

Sweeney is struggling a little bit. There is the British team. Frank

:23:15.:23:24.

Tickner, Steve Vernon, Jonathan Taylor, Tom Humphries, Keith

:23:24.:23:26.

Gerrard and Jones will consider further in the background. I think

:23:26.:23:34.

this is a good race. -- James will concern in the background. Bekele

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set off at a real spurt. He opened up the gap. This course will sap

:23:43.:23:48.

your energy so he backed off. Wants everybody joins you think you're

:23:48.:23:52.

not going as well as you thought. He is going through a bit of a bad

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patch, Bekele. Jon Grey is taking advantage of that. I am really

:23:58.:24:02.

impressed by the American. He is really running well and he is

:24:02.:24:07.

trying to win it. He has three very good athletes around him. He has

:24:07.:24:12.

athletes who are much more experienced internationally. Bekele,

:24:12.:24:16.

the way we -- the way he went for the first lap, we thought he would

:24:16.:24:26.

run away with the race but it will be competitive. Ayad Lamdassem was

:24:26.:24:33.

very disappointed to lose the European cross-country title. There

:24:33.:24:37.

are 200 metres to go. There is one lap remaining. You would not like

:24:37.:24:42.

to pick a winner out of these four. Bekele does not look as confident

:24:42.:24:47.

as he did when he was striding out at the beginning. They are getting

:24:47.:24:51.

cheered on by the crowd. One American in the leading group and

:24:51.:24:56.

three Europeans. Further down the field things are changing. The

:24:56.:25:00.

British team are still running strongly. Frank Tickner is running

:25:00.:25:05.

really well. He is about to pass Bobby Mack to move into 5th place.

:25:05.:25:14.

He is making ground on the leaders. One lap to go. Undoubtedly, the

:25:14.:25:20.

leading group will start to pick things up a little bit. Jon Brain

:25:20.:25:29.

leads from the USA and then the three Europeans led by a Ayad

:25:29.:25:39.
:25:39.:25:39.

Lamdassem, Bekele and Javier Guerra. Frank Tickner is chasing. The

:25:39.:25:49.
:25:49.:26:00.

British team captain is running cross-country champion but leading

:26:00.:26:04.

the British team today as their captain and also leading them in

:26:04.:26:08.

the race. He is in 5th place, five seconds down on the leading group.

:26:08.:26:14.

The leading group is splitting up now. There are three of them

:26:14.:26:19.

together. Bekele, Jon Grey and Ayad Lamdassem. The American has been

:26:19.:26:24.

pushed back into third place now. He has never experienced this level

:26:24.:26:28.

of competition before. He has never had a chance to take on the best of

:26:28.:26:33.

Britain and Europe before. He is doing it in style. He is not giving

:26:33.:26:43.
:26:43.:26:51.

go. Atelaw Bekele was looking really confident at the beginning.

:26:51.:26:57.

Now he is back in the pole position as he pulls away from Javier Quare

:26:57.:27:07.

and now Bobby Mack has come past Frank Tickner into 6th place.

:27:07.:27:13.

saw the team standings going through. Europe have 19 points

:27:13.:27:16.

ahead of Great Britain but that could change on the last lap and

:27:16.:27:25.

certainly at the front. This races far from run. The third lap was

:27:25.:27:35.
:27:35.:27:36.

slowest of the three. Bekele has picked it up again. If you remember

:27:36.:27:38.

the European Championships he worked hard to get away from Ayad

:27:38.:27:48.
:27:48.:27:50.

Lamdassem. Over the loch. Bobby Mack is having a real resurgence.

:27:50.:28:00.
:28:00.:28:03.

He has moved into 4th place. -- about 1,200 metres to go from this

:28:03.:28:10.

point. In the lead, Bekele not looking so strong. Ayad Lamdassem

:28:10.:28:15.

looking nice and relaxed. Grade doing his best to work hard with

:28:15.:28:22.

these two. -- Jon Grey. Frank Tickner still working hard. Ayad

:28:22.:28:26.

Lamdassem is the most accomplished track runner of these three. He was

:28:26.:28:31.

4th in the epic 10,000 metres that Mo Farah won in the European

:28:31.:28:39.

Championships. He is much quicker on the track than Jon Grey of the

:28:39.:28:43.

Keighley. He has positioned himself well. He has never tried to run

:28:43.:28:47.

away from the two of them. Bekele is trying to win it from a long way

:28:47.:28:57.

out. Ayad Lamdassem is just waiting. He was very disappointed to lose

:28:57.:29:01.

the European cross country championships in Slovenia. He has a

:29:01.:29:06.

chance here in Edinburgh on a blustery day with a heavy course

:29:06.:29:16.
:29:16.:29:19.

and if it. -- a heavy course under foot. They have now got around 600

:29:19.:29:25.

metres to go. You will see the 400 metres to go signed shortly. They

:29:25.:29:30.

have a couple of switchbacks to dear. Every time Bekele gets to a

:29:30.:29:35.

corner, he gets to a section where he can still half a yard, he does

:29:35.:29:39.

so. He is very worried and so he should be. It looks as if it is

:29:39.:29:48.

between these two now. They are having to work harder. Bekele knows

:29:48.:29:51.

if he can keep Ayad Lamdassem under pressure he will have enough speed

:29:52.:30:01.
:30:02.:30:08.

closer. They are playing cat and mouse. Now, the race within the

:30:08.:30:15.

last 400 metres. Just over 400 metres. The two of them just

:30:15.:30:20.

pushing on. They are giving Jon Grey it a chance to get back in. We

:30:20.:30:27.

do not know how good he is at the finish. Ayad Lamdessem sticking

:30:27.:30:32.

with him. It is a case of judging the course and staying close to the

:30:32.:30:38.

edge and not lose anything underfoot. And now the long run

:30:38.:30:45.

along the top. Bobby Mack is making an effort. He is just about pass

:30:45.:30:51.

Jon Grey. There are 300 yards. And if you can get on the shoulder, you

:30:51.:30:56.

never know. Bekele has a look behind and there goes Ayad

:30:56.:31:01.

Lamdessem. Bekele was slow to react. Ayad Lamdessem attack on his left

:31:01.:31:08.

shoulder. Knowing there is a tight corner. Now, it is downhill. Ayad

:31:08.:31:13.

Lamdessem is kicking hard. This will be sweet revenge for the

:31:13.:31:17.

Spaniard. Twice a silver-medallist at the European Championships. He

:31:17.:31:23.

has come to Adam there. He has avenged his defeat to Bekele the

:31:23.:31:28.

Belgian. Ayad Lamdessem waited and waited. He looked relaxed and

:31:28.:31:34.

looked superb in the home straight. Victory to Europe. Very close on

:31:35.:31:41.

the line. Just getting in there. Ahead of the long-time leader,

:31:41.:31:51.
:31:51.:31:52.

Bekele. Steve Vernon had a battle with Javier Guerra. Britain might

:31:52.:32:00.

not have done enough. Baker lost -- Bekele lost position. Gerard goes

:32:00.:32:09.

through. Joe Sweeney. It will be close. We will sort out the team

:32:09.:32:19.
:32:19.:32:22.

positions as we watch them cross the line. It was a great race at

:32:22.:32:26.

the end. Ayad Lamdessem did so well. He looked relaxed all the way

:32:27.:32:36.
:32:37.:32:39.

around. A man with a good track pedigree, as Brendan Foster said.

:32:40.:32:45.

He used to speed to great effect. At this point, you think Bekele is

:32:46.:32:52.

waiting. You could sense that Bekele was trying to win it from

:32:52.:33:00.

the front. A fast downhill run. He has been waiting for this and for

:33:00.:33:07.

the revenge. Look how quickly he opened up the gap. Bobby Mack

:33:07.:33:12.

closing him down. Even more quickly to the finishing straight. Ayad

:33:12.:33:16.

Lamdessem celebrates victory. Silver-medallist from the European.

:33:16.:33:23.

He wins this ahead of the European champion. Bobby Mack out of

:33:23.:33:30.

sprinting Bekele. He tried to hold him off. Ayad Lamdessem the winner,

:33:30.:33:34.

Bobby Mack splitting the Europeans. Frantic now let the British team

:33:34.:33:41.

through to a good place. mentioned we have had junior races.

:33:41.:33:47.

It is time to look at the junior men's race. Some of the best young

:33:47.:33:57.
:33:57.:33:57.

talent on show. They have done so well. It was a great run from Mark

:33:57.:34:03.

Shaw, who might not have expected to be at the top of the British

:34:03.:34:07.

athletes. He led from two kilometres. Until just one

:34:07.:34:14.

kilometre from home. And then the American, formerly of Ethiopia,

:34:14.:34:20.

came home with the better finish. Mark Shaw had to concede second

:34:20.:34:27.

place to his team mate. Kieren Clements. It was a brave effort

:34:27.:34:37.
:34:37.:34:46.

from Mark Shaw. USA winning. These points, they get added up across

:34:46.:34:50.

the four races. That will decide who wins the trophy at the end of

:34:50.:34:55.

the afternoon. The junior women's race will count towards that. This

:34:56.:35:03.

was a race where we were going to have a chance to see Gorecka, who

:35:03.:35:08.

has been in wonderful form this year. Dominating the European

:35:08.:35:17.

Championships. She took her time. If Emilia Gorecka are on the right-

:35:17.:35:25.

hand side of the pack, hanging around. Perhaps she was under

:35:25.:35:29.

instructions from her coach to take it easy. And then she dominated the

:35:30.:35:35.

field. When she started moving, nobody could stay with her. The

:35:35.:35:40.

Americans tried to hang on to Gorecka. There was no chance. Once

:35:40.:35:46.

she hit the front, she kept going away. In the end, the victory was a

:35:46.:35:56.
:35:56.:36:00.

huge victory. 20 seconds. Well done to her. Really exciting prospect.

:36:00.:36:05.

Adding the winter the European titles she won a few weeks ago. --

:36:05.:36:15.
:36:15.:36:23.

adding victory to the European. I adding victory to the European. I

:36:23.:36:24.

adding victory to the European. I am delighted to say Gorecka is with

:36:24.:36:25.

am delighted to say Gorecka is with am delighted to say Gorecka is with

:36:25.:36:31.

Jonathan. It is never easy in cross country,

:36:31.:36:35.

but you made it look comfortable. thank you. I enjoyed it. The

:36:35.:36:41.

atmosphere was great. The crowd were amazing. It has been quite a

:36:41.:36:48.

month. I have got a lot of confidence from the European. I

:36:48.:36:54.

went out to have a solid round. What you have left for the season?

:36:54.:36:59.

I have some cross country races. I will not do indoor races. I have

:36:59.:37:06.

the nationals. Taking every race as it comes. Just turn 17. Probably

:37:06.:37:11.

not the Olympics. What has the summer hold? Possibly the world

:37:11.:37:16.

junior championships in the 3000 metres, or the 5000 metres. We will

:37:16.:37:20.

see how it goes. You must be pleased with the way this young

:37:20.:37:27.

lady is going. She is coming along nicely. She is following a good

:37:27.:37:32.

tradition of Aldershot athletes. She is training alongside Steph

:37:32.:37:39.

Twell regularly. We have some good training sessions. I guess it is a

:37:39.:37:45.

case of pace in her development. Yes. She possibly has been on a

:37:45.:37:52.

slower profile than Stephanie. Stephane moved forward rapidly.

:37:52.:37:56.

We're not holding her back, but we are only just double running with

:37:56.:38:02.

her in the past few months. It has been progressive. The mentioned

:38:02.:38:08.

Steph Twell. She broke her ankle last year. How is she doing? And to

:38:08.:38:13.

be honest, I am amazed by the recovery we have seen. We are

:38:13.:38:18.

talking about an horrific injury. People do not realise the effect it

:38:18.:38:23.

possibly had on her. It did have on her. She has grown up greatly over

:38:23.:38:29.

this injury. She hat to come to terms with a lot of things. The

:38:29.:38:33.

commitment to getting back has been huge. There have been times when we

:38:33.:38:38.

thought it would be difficult. We are starting to see the fruits of

:38:38.:38:46.

what she has put in now. what she has put in now.

:38:46.:38:56.

Bracher nations. Back to Steve Cram. Thank you. The time was not bad in

:38:56.:39:06.

these conditions. Bobby Mack might have wished he attacked earlier.

:39:06.:39:15.

Jon Grey was up with the leaders for a long time. Frank Tickner was

:39:15.:39:19.

the first of the British athletes to finish. A victory for the

:39:19.:39:29.
:39:29.:39:30.

European team. The women's race coming up shortly.

:39:30.:39:40.
:39:40.:39:41.

We can meet the leading contenders. The senior women's team captain. It

:39:41.:39:49.

has been an eventful year, 2011. On February 13th, I was running in a

:39:49.:39:54.

cross country race in Belgium and on a muddy course I break my ankle

:39:54.:40:02.

in three places. We have a big year that has arrived now. I want to be

:40:02.:40:07.

a part of it. Fionnuala Britton, European cross country champion.

:40:07.:40:15.

This year, winning the gold, it is a good way to go into 2012. I have

:40:15.:40:22.

not raced since the European. In a way it gives you confidence, in

:40:22.:40:30.

another it makes you nervous. You are being chased by everybody else.

:40:30.:40:38.

The captain of the team the USA. Being a part of the team is

:40:38.:40:46.

meaningful. At the moment, heading my team is an important goal. Every

:40:46.:40:51.

place counts. I guess that our races the deciding race, so it is

:40:51.:40:57.

even more important. I think we know we are out there for the same

:40:57.:41:06.

purpose, to run the very best we can. It is always a great start to

:41:06.:41:09.

my year. How I started my international competition every

:41:09.:41:17.

year for the past four years. It is the bread and butter off my cross

:41:17.:41:22.

country. I love the support here. It is a beautiful setting. I

:41:22.:41:27.

finished 2011 in the best place I could imagine. I am looking forward

:41:27.:41:31.

to taking it forward and representing Great Britain. And the

:41:31.:41:35.

competition we will have here against Europe and America, which

:41:35.:41:41.

will be exciting. I am looking forward to getting out there.

:41:41.:41:48.

I'm sure she is. Steph Twell is Scottish. I am sure the crowd would

:41:48.:41:57.

like to see her, it has been a struggle to get back to the level

:41:57.:42:07.
:42:07.:42:09.

she has got to after that injury. Our introductions for the main

:42:09.:42:13.

contenders. The new European cross country champion, Fionnuala Britton,

:42:13.:42:22.

she had a great runner. Finally getting on to the rostrum. And we

:42:22.:42:32.
:42:32.:42:34.

heard from the former US junior champion. Leading a very strong

:42:34.:42:40.

women's team, Steph Twell. Her training partner with victory in

:42:40.:42:45.

the junior race. I am not sure that Stephanie will be able to take the

:42:45.:42:53.

victory here. She is getting better with every race. I can give you a

:42:54.:43:03.
:43:04.:43:08.

run down of the British team. Hannah Walker. Cash macro -- Naomi

:43:09.:43:14.

Taschimowitz. Gemma Steel, who won bronze at the Europeans. Amy

:43:14.:43:24.
:43:24.:43:30.

Campbell, a very strong at line-up. Fionnuala Britton will be looking

:43:30.:43:35.

to repeat the victory she had. It might not be so comfortable for her

:43:35.:43:40.

today. I get the feeling it might not be the same here, she dominated

:43:40.:43:48.

that day. Athletes were inspired by her performance when she won so

:43:48.:43:53.

convincingly. I spoke to Gemma Steel, she said her tactics are to

:43:53.:43:57.

follow Fionnuala Britton all the way. She is on her shoulder. She

:43:57.:44:04.

said she would hang on to her for as long as she could. Gemma Steel

:44:04.:44:07.

on the right hand shoulder of Fionnuala Britton. Freya Murray, of

:44:07.:44:13.

Great Britain, she is out there. We have had three races. The team

:44:13.:44:20.

score, the aggregate score, USA, 107, Great Britain, 100 p 11. If

:44:20.:44:26.

the women's team beat the Americans, it looks like they could win the

:44:26.:44:36.

overall team trophy. -- 111. They are taking on the whole of Europe

:44:36.:44:42.

and the USA and it looks like they have a great chance to win that. It

:44:42.:44:52.
:44:52.:45:01.

would be a significant performance around Steph Twell. Emma Pallant

:45:01.:45:07.

won the under 23 championships. We hoped she would be running here in

:45:07.:45:11.

Edinburgh. The Aldershot and District club which they belong to,

:45:12.:45:18.

if they had entered the European Championships as a nation, they

:45:18.:45:22.

would have been right up there on the medals table as a nation.

:45:23.:45:29.

nation of Aldershot! They have done so well. A new team has been added

:45:29.:45:34.

to the athletics family, the nation of Aldershot. I wonder when they

:45:34.:45:40.

will compete in the Olympics? Wasn't Aldershot where the British

:45:40.:45:43.

Olympic Association was going to have their holding camp at one

:45:43.:45:52.

point? Look at the British team here. You can hear the crowd from

:45:52.:45:56.

here. We are in a commentary box at the far end of the course and you

:45:56.:46:03.

can hear the crowd cheering loudly. Finola Bruton of Ireland, being the

:46:03.:46:07.

captain of the European team is literally surrounded by the British

:46:07.:46:15.

contingent -- Fionnuala Britton. The British women's team, they are

:46:15.:46:20.

running with confidence. Gemma Steel, she is running ahead of

:46:20.:46:25.

similar Britain. It looks as if they are going very steadily. Steph

:46:25.:46:34.

Twell is going comfortably. There are some athletes which have run

:46:34.:46:39.

well over the course of the last few months. Hannah Walker is there

:46:39.:46:47.

as well. This is impressive. It is great to see you. Some of them want

:46:47.:46:53.

to translate that on to the track and into good performances at the

:46:53.:47:00.

world cross which is now being held every two years. It has been a

:47:00.:47:04.

slightly circumspect start. They looked as if nobody really wanted

:47:04.:47:09.

to push on. It was as if they were waiting for Fionnuala Britton to

:47:09.:47:15.

move to the front. Gemma Steel would have been expecting her to

:47:15.:47:19.

try and dominate. A really fit Steph Twell would have got on with

:47:19.:47:24.

this right from the beginning. She cannot resist it. Her mind, no

:47:24.:47:31.

matter how fit her body is, how mind is always racing. Steph will

:47:31.:47:34.

get fitter and fitter and fitter and she will hang in there more

:47:34.:47:41.

than she has been able to so far. A week after the European cross, she

:47:41.:47:46.

was a second also behind Hartley Dean in Brussels and every race she

:47:46.:47:50.

will improved -- Hatti Dean. injury she had was a terrible

:47:50.:47:55.

injury. I have never heard of an athlete breaking their ankle in

:47:55.:48:00.

three places. It was more like a rugby injury than a running injury.

:48:00.:48:04.

That she has come back, had fantastic support, loads of

:48:04.:48:09.

physiotherapy and lots of work done. I was talking to the

:48:09.:48:12.

physiotherapist and the doctor before this race and they said

:48:12.:48:16.

before she will run today they will have her in the tent and put a hot

:48:16.:48:19.

water bottle on her foot. She will be sitting there before the start

:48:19.:48:25.

of the race. It sounds good to me. That is what she needs to do to get

:48:25.:48:29.

the flexibility back in her ankle. The she has bits of steel in have

:48:30.:48:39.
:48:40.:48:40.

ankle. They will stay in all the way through until after the

:48:40.:48:46.

Olympics. Hopefully she will make the Olympic team. Hopefully her

:48:46.:48:53.

ankle will have healed the point where she can have that taken out.

:48:53.:48:59.

It has been a big, big comeback. I don't mean that just in terms of

:48:59.:49:02.

fitness. Psychologically, a lot of people would have struggled with

:49:02.:49:09.

all of the rehab. She has always been a student of what is available.

:49:09.:49:14.

She is happy to try anything. It does not matter what the technology

:49:14.:49:22.

is she said anything that will help me, I will have a go. The crowds

:49:22.:49:27.

will see the British team all getting ready there. Steph Twell

:49:27.:49:32.

goes alongside Gemma Steel. Gemma Steel has had a fantastic year. A

:49:32.:49:35.

bronze-medal in the European cross country championships and the

:49:35.:49:39.

confidence she gained from that to the extent that she has come from

:49:39.:49:42.

being a club runner to an international in a few years. She

:49:42.:49:48.

said she will follow Fionnuala Britton for as long as she can. She

:49:48.:49:52.

said she let her go in the European Championship but now she's getting

:49:52.:49:56.

better. She is pleased with way her running is going and she wants to

:49:56.:50:03.

be in contention. We should not discount Hatti Dean. And also Freya

:50:03.:50:06.

Murray on the inside. As they come down the finishing straight, one

:50:06.:50:12.

lap completed, two more remaining. The race is getting serious.

:50:12.:50:18.

Fionnuala Britton looks like she is coasting in that position. Two, it

:50:18.:50:27.

is completed, four more to go. -- two kilometres completed. Britain

:50:27.:50:33.

looks very comfortable. May be starting to put the foot down a

:50:33.:50:40.

little bit. Freya Murray will be having a go at the London Marathon

:50:40.:50:47.

in April. For those of you who are into your big events, one of two

:50:47.:50:50.

others you might be interested in. We have had a lot of people taking

:50:50.:50:57.

part earlier on today. On a day like this, keeping warm. Entries

:50:57.:51:02.

are open for the Great Manchester Run which should be warmer in May.

:51:02.:51:07.

You can see that on BBC2 on 20th May. And the ballot is also open

:51:07.:51:12.

for the Great North Run on 16th September. That is when our summer

:51:13.:51:20.

festivities will be almost done. I cannot wait. It is 2012, everybody.

:51:20.:51:28.

Really exciting. Fionnuala Britton running very smoothly. We have

:51:28.:51:38.

watched her for many, many years. That title she won they have waited

:51:38.:51:43.

a long time since 1994 for someone to come along. Sonia O'Sullivan was

:51:43.:51:47.

the big star of Irish athletics for so long. Now Fionnuala Britton is

:51:47.:51:52.

doing her best to fly the flag for Britain. I'm sure she will be

:51:52.:51:57.

making sure she is in the team in the summer. Although the

:51:57.:52:01.

steeplechase has been her event, she has had a good winter so she

:52:01.:52:06.

might want to consider the five and 10 as an option. Vanilla Britain

:52:06.:52:10.

was so impressive in the European cross-country championships --

:52:10.:52:20.
:52:20.:52:31.

similar Britain. Gemma Steel is in Ireland. The local athletic club

:52:31.:52:40.

there is a fantastic club. She then went on to Dublin City University

:52:40.:52:45.

where she has done a good job. I think she is an athlete who will

:52:45.:52:48.

lead Irish distance running back to their former position. They love

:52:49.:52:52.

cross-country running in Ireland. They have had great runners on the

:52:52.:52:56.

track and in cross-country over the years. She will join that

:52:56.:53:02.

illustrious group of Sonia O'Sullivan, John Treacy. They have

:53:02.:53:06.

had a lot of fantastic runners from Ireland and this one will be

:53:06.:53:12.

another one. I think she has got to move up from the steeplechase to

:53:12.:53:19.

the 50101000 metres. I'm pretty sure her coach has got that in mind.

:53:19.:53:24.

-- the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres. Look at the gap which has

:53:24.:53:29.

opened up behind Gemma Steel to the rest of the British team. Gemma

:53:29.:53:33.

Steel is running the way she told me she would last night. She is

:53:33.:53:37.

getting good support and is very appreciative of that. She has come

:53:37.:53:45.

of age and the last few weeks. For New Britain was the champion in the

:53:45.:53:55.
:53:55.:54:00.

European cross-country yet. A big gap to Steph Twell who

:54:00.:54:04.

is trying to find some better ground on the left-hand side. It is

:54:04.:54:09.

getting very muddy and soft. You can see a lot of athletes switching

:54:09.:54:16.

across. I thinks death will be wanting to obviously finish as high

:54:16.:54:21.

as she can that she is almost marking of the athlete's she is

:54:21.:54:24.

getting ahead of. In the last race she was not too far behind Hatti

:54:25.:54:33.

Dean. She will be trying to make sure she finishes ahead of the

:54:33.:54:40.

other British athletes. There is a big gap between the two leaders and

:54:40.:54:45.

the chasing group. It is surprising that gap. There are some good

:54:45.:54:52.

athletes in the chasing group. Steph Twell, Freya Murray, Spence

:54:52.:55:00.

of the USA. Similar Britain began to fly down the back part of the

:55:00.:55:10.
:55:10.:55:30.

when you are running like this, it is best to get alongside soap they

:55:30.:55:37.

know you are there and they know they have not run the race yet.

:55:37.:55:43.

Gemma Steel is doing a terrific job here. She has got stamina. She ran

:55:43.:55:47.

the Birmingham half-marathon last autumn and she was impressive in

:55:47.:55:55.

that. The sign will say 400 metres to go with one lap. We might see a

:55:55.:56:05.

sprint finish. Gemma is staying with the task. She is but I think

:56:05.:56:09.

it is particularly on this section where similar Britain has got that

:56:09.:56:15.

lovely cross country action. Not too much money left there. She gets

:56:15.:56:23.

up the hill quickly, little steps, driving with the arms. None of the

:56:23.:56:30.

obstacles last learning head-down. -- none of the obstacles are

:56:30.:56:40.

slowing her down. There is a little stream there with bales of hay to

:56:40.:56:46.

protect them from some rocks. There is a little waterfall. On a nice

:56:46.:56:50.

today you might sit and enjoy a picnic with a view of Arthur's Seat.

:56:50.:56:57.

Not today. Not for the faint- hearted, cross country in January.

:56:57.:57:07.

Coming to the end of the second lap. It is not a big lead. Gemma Steel

:57:07.:57:10.

is trying to stay in contact with the Irish European cross-country

:57:10.:57:16.

champion. The team race at the moment is going great Britain's way.

:57:16.:57:20.

That means over all they will finish ahead of the USA because the

:57:20.:57:27.

USA are struggling in the senior women's the event. There were four

:57:27.:57:32.

points between GB and the USA heading into this race. Who will

:57:32.:57:38.

come out on top here? The Mela Britain is working hard. She looks

:57:38.:57:48.
:57:48.:58:02.

the American team captain is contesting. -- Spence. Steph Twell

:58:02.:58:12.
:58:12.:58:14.

is looking a little tired at the moment. Look at the concentration.

:58:14.:58:19.

On this last lap, she has started to stretch away. She is pulling

:58:19.:58:24.

yards ahead of Gemma Steel. The European cross-country champion

:58:24.:58:28.

running with the confident that that title gave have. She has run

:58:28.:58:33.

well on the contrary before and in the European cross-country. The

:58:33.:58:36.

attention she has received in Ireland since she won that one, she

:58:36.:58:41.

has been staggered and delighted. They all know she is running today.

:58:41.:58:45.

She is taking on the best of Europe again, taking on the rest of

:58:45.:58:50.

Britain again and for the first time, taking on the rest of the USA

:58:50.:58:55.

-- the best of the USA. She is really beginning to run well. Gemma

:58:55.:59:05.
:59:05.:59:08.

Steel is going through a bit of a bad patch. Climbing up the little

:59:08.:59:12.

incline, and relaxing on the top. Running with the confidence you

:59:12.:59:16.

gain from your first major title. If this young lady will be a force

:59:16.:59:26.
:59:26.:59:42.

powerfully and strongly. She not be bothered by the conditions here.

:59:42.:59:46.

Catherina McKiernan was the European cross country champion,

:59:46.:59:50.

Fionnuala Britton has joined her. If you mention her in the same

:59:50.:59:55.

sentence, she gets pleased and excited. She is getting better all

:59:55.:00:03.

the time. Confirmation of the standings. Great Britain have a big

:00:03.:00:13.
:00:13.:00:14.

lead over Europe and the USA. It will mean the Great Britain

:00:14.:00:19.

contingent will finish on top. At the moment, this is a real

:00:19.:00:23.

demonstration, an excellent demonstration of cross country

:00:23.:00:28.

running by Fionnuala Britton. There is no let up. The second lap and

:00:28.:00:37.

was almost 19 seconds quicker than the first lap. She is going away

:00:37.:00:42.

from Gemma Steel and the rest of the field. They are a long way

:00:42.:00:49.

behind in the battle for third. This is really impressive. One

:00:49.:00:54.

kilometre her remains for Fionnuala Britton. You almost sense she is in

:00:54.:00:58.

a place where she can enjoy that. Gemma Steel in second place for

:00:58.:01:04.

Great Britain. Sticking to her task. Another solid performance by Gemma

:01:04.:01:13.

Steel. She will try to run the 5000 metres, possibly the 10,000 metres,

:01:13.:01:18.

on the track. With the intention possibly of moving up to the

:01:18.:01:22.

marathon. She will be aiming for the Olympic Games in the 5000

:01:22.:01:29.

metres, the 10,000 metres. As his Fionnuala Britton. You say she is

:01:29.:01:32.

enjoying this purple patch in her career. We are seeing her run

:01:33.:01:39.

better than we have before. She is competitive at a world level. This

:01:39.:01:44.

is a fantastic place to be in. If you look at the records, and you

:01:44.:01:49.

see that athletes who run well in cross country, they often do well

:01:49.:01:55.

in the Olympic Games in that same year. Can she make the move to 5000

:01:55.:02:01.

metres, 10,000 metres? Can she feature in London in the summer?

:02:01.:02:06.

Gemma Steel is running strongly in second place. This is an impressive

:02:06.:02:14.

performance by Fionnuala Britton. No question about the winner. 600

:02:14.:02:19.

metres to go. Gemma Steel, no question about her second place

:02:19.:02:25.

because there is a long way to third. Elle Baker is contesting

:02:25.:02:32.

third place with Neely Spence, the American team captain. Baker, a

:02:32.:02:42.
:02:42.:02:42.

good run from have. -- from her. There is a good chance of her

:02:42.:02:49.

getting into the top three. She will have to hold off the American.

:02:49.:02:54.

As we watch Fionnuala Britton. When you see some athletes running up

:02:54.:03:00.

this hill, there is no change in her action. It is an effort, of

:03:00.:03:06.

course it is, but the pace does not change. Pushing on. It does not

:03:06.:03:11.

matter whether it is mud, whether it is a hill, really good cross-

:03:11.:03:16.

country running. She works and trained hard. She has applied

:03:16.:03:22.

herself over the years. This is a very good performance. Second place

:03:22.:03:27.

for Gemma Steel. Fionnuala Britton relaxing down a hill. Suggesting

:03:27.:03:37.
:03:37.:03:37.

she will move from the steeplechase to the 5000 metres or 10,000 metres.

:03:37.:03:42.

That would set her up nicely for the Olympic Games. We are looking

:03:42.:03:47.

at a very good athlete. We are looking forward to seeing her on

:03:47.:03:55.

the BBC at the European track championships. Maybe she will be

:03:55.:04:00.

prompted to look at these performances she has put in in the

:04:00.:04:04.

winter and really attack the long distances on the track. For now,

:04:04.:04:09.

she will revel in another superb demonstration of cross country

:04:09.:04:19.

running. Fionnuala Britton, completely dominant in Edinburgh.

:04:19.:04:26.

Superb running from the European champion. She wins almost at a

:04:26.:04:31.

canter. She looks around. She sees the damage she has done. Gemma

:04:31.:04:37.

Steel did her best to stay with her, and she said she would, but she had

:04:37.:04:41.

to give it into the superior strength of Fionnuala Britton.

:04:41.:04:50.

Second place for Gemma Steel. Almost to say, I did my best. She

:04:50.:04:55.

certainly did. It was a good run from have. A long way ahead of Elle

:04:55.:04:59.

Baker, who has done well to get ahead of the American team captain,

:04:59.:05:06.

Spence. Friar Murray is next to cross the line, in 5th for Great

:05:06.:05:12.

Britain. They will undoubtedly win the team race. Hatti Dean was the

:05:12.:05:22.

next in. Finished strongly. Hannah Walker of them coming in. Stephanie

:05:22.:05:26.

Twell faded, but she will get better with more training and more

:05:26.:05:33.

competition. She is talking about maybe running indoors, as well. She

:05:33.:05:41.

will only improve as the yet advances. -- as the Year advances.

:05:41.:05:48.

It was a it really dominant victory. The man who won the European title

:05:48.:05:53.

could not come here and give the same performance, but for Fionnuala

:05:53.:05:58.

Britton, it is a case of as you were. If anything, she was running

:05:58.:06:03.

even better today. I think she was running so impressively, on the far

:06:03.:06:08.

side of the course, where she could relax and stretch out.

:06:08.:06:12.

Concentration all the time. Wearing out Gemma Steel in second place.

:06:13.:06:19.

That is the best performance from Gemma Steel we have seen, but the

:06:19.:06:27.

European champion wins it well. She is talking to Jonathan Edwards.

:06:27.:06:28.

is talking to Jonathan Edwards. is talking to Jonathan Edwards.

:06:28.:06:32.

is talking to Jonathan Edwards. is talking to Jonathan Edwards.

:06:32.:06:37.

Gemma Steel, as well. That was stunning. You looked

:06:37.:06:43.

brilliant. Over the last day and a half I felt the pressure. You have

:06:43.:06:47.

the Europeans, Christmas, and then you have to race again. You come

:06:47.:06:52.

over here and it is a big event. I knew everybody would chase and I

:06:52.:07:00.

had to have a strong race. From the Europeans, you came here and win

:07:00.:07:05.

impressively. How good a shape are you in? It is hard to tell. You do

:07:05.:07:09.

the training. You do it between everything else. With the weather

:07:09.:07:14.

being the way it is, so windy, you cannot measure anything. It is nice

:07:14.:07:20.

to come out and feel strong and run like that. The success in Edinburgh,

:07:20.:07:24.

the likes of Mo Farah, they have gone on to have good seasons. What

:07:24.:07:31.

about you? I would be very happy. I have to look to the track and the

:07:31.:07:37.

Olympics. Maybe in the 5000, and the 10,000. Knew how qualification

:07:37.:07:44.

for the steeplechase. I have been told that I need to be a bar of my

:07:44.:07:50.

distance. I have accepted the fact I have to. -- above my distance.

:07:50.:07:54.

Gemma Steel, you try to stay with Fionnuala Britton, but a great

:07:54.:07:58.

performance. It was tough out there in the wind. I stuck to my task.

:07:58.:08:05.

Fionnuala Britton was good today. And a great performance at the

:08:05.:08:09.

European cross-country, bronze medal. I tried different tactics

:08:09.:08:15.

today to stick with Fionnuala Britton for as long as I could. I

:08:15.:08:22.

did as well as I could have done. She is in phenomenal shape.

:08:22.:08:27.

Congratulations to both of you. Congratulations to both of you.

:08:27.:08:32.

Back to Steve Cram. No doubt about our winner. A good,

:08:32.:08:38.

strong performance from Fionnuala Britton, she won by 20 seconds from

:08:38.:08:45.

Gemma Steel. And she was a long way ahead of Elle Baker. Neely Spence,

:08:45.:08:53.

the American team captain, taking 4th. With those British names on

:08:53.:08:57.

that list, undoubtedly, Great Britain winning the team race. They

:08:57.:09:03.

will win the trophy over all with 33 points.

:09:03.:09:08.

One race today. It is the feature race. We have three reigning

:09:08.:09:18.
:09:18.:09:18.

Olympic champions in the men's race. We can hear from them.

:09:18.:09:26.

I am Asbel Kiprop, I come from Kenya. It excites me a lot. We came

:09:26.:09:33.

here last year and around with my colleagues. I finish second and

:09:33.:09:35.

went on to win the World Championships. It is great

:09:36.:09:45.

preparation. They are great athletes. Every athlete would want

:09:45.:09:55.
:09:55.:10:00.

the Olympics. I will be racing in a high-class field. I am a gold-

:10:00.:10:10.
:10:10.:10:13.

medallist from Kenya. It will be great to see with the Olympic

:10:13.:10:23.
:10:23.:10:25.

champions, tomorrow. The Olympic champion. From Ethiopia. It is

:10:25.:10:35.
:10:35.:10:36.

special to me, because I won in cross country in 2008 at Edinburgh.

:10:36.:10:46.
:10:46.:10:57.

I like to run here. It is a great place. He can run at 3000, and

:10:57.:11:05.

steeplechase, maybe he will have the advantage. This is my fastest

:11:05.:11:15.
:11:15.:11:17.

race this season. I will do my best. For me, I will do my best.

:11:17.:11:23.

Three great champions. And a mouth- watering race in prospect. All of

:11:23.:11:29.

them out of their comfort zone slightly. Taking on some of the

:11:29.:11:34.

best British talent. Some for million names. Anthony Whiteman

:11:34.:11:41.

jumping up and down in the middle. Ricky Stevenson did well before.

:11:41.:11:48.

Lining up against the is almost legends. Eliud Kipchoge, the world

:11:48.:11:53.

champion, 2003, when he was just a youngster. He has been a great

:11:53.:11:57.

friend of this event in Edinburgh. He likes to compete here and it is

:11:58.:12:05.

good to see him back. What a season it was for Brimin Kipruto. He just

:12:05.:12:13.

missed the world record in Monaco. Looking for a good start to 2012.

:12:13.:12:20.

Asbel Kiprop, undoubtedly the best 1500 metres runner in the world.

:12:20.:12:30.
:12:30.:12:31.

His gold medal was finally given to him in December. And a huge cheers

:12:31.:12:37.

for Kenenisa Bekele. It is great to see him back. The race in Brussels

:12:37.:12:41.

I mention this afternoon, that showed that anyone who thought that

:12:41.:12:47.

he was not going to be a factor in 2012 has to think again. Three

:12:47.:12:53.

kilometres. One short lap and then one big lap. Will they go hard from

:12:53.:12:58.

the start? Will there be some cat and mouse? This is a chance for

:12:59.:13:05.

British runners to rub shoulders with these great names. Some of the

:13:05.:13:15.
:13:15.:13:17.

best European athletes are here. Arturo Casado is in this race, as

:13:17.:13:27.

well. Eliud Kipchoge in the black vest alongside him. Arturo Casado

:13:27.:13:36.

1500 metres champion. Asbel Kiprop, the world and 1500 metre champion.

:13:37.:13:41.

They have gone flying off. The talent has emerged immediately at

:13:41.:13:49.

the front. Bekele just behind the group, working his way through in

:13:49.:13:54.

fifth or sixth place. Ricky Stevenson, who won two years ago

:13:54.:14:00.

here has put himself in a good place. Whenever Eliud Kipchoge is

:14:00.:14:05.

in good shape, he goes to the front as soon as he can and there he goes.

:14:05.:14:11.

Stretching it out already. mentioned Anthony Whiteman. He

:14:11.:14:19.

started off fairly slowly. 39 years of age. I saw him a month ago in a

:14:19.:14:24.

cross country relay. He outsprinted, he was in the first leg, and he had

:14:24.:14:30.

a kick like he was 21 years of age. The crowd cheered as he got his

:14:30.:14:35.

long legs moving. He said, I cannot believe I have just done that, I

:14:35.:14:43.

was out celebrating Kelly Holmes' birthday last night! He has

:14:43.:14:53.
:14:53.:14:58.

ambitions for the record for over Kipchoge stretching well. Ricky

:14:58.:15:05.

Stevenson running well behind him. Kipchoge, whenever he runs, the

:15:05.:15:12.

inevitable result is that he comes first. When he does not win, the

:15:12.:15:19.

inquiry starts, is the past his best? He shocked us all last year.

:15:19.:15:25.

He dropped out of the 10,000 metres and then he lined up in Brussels.

:15:25.:15:30.

He ran the fastest 10,000 metres in the world last year and he is back

:15:30.:15:37.

in action. Young Ross Millington is ignoring those facts and figures

:15:37.:15:41.

and everything else and the bigger names around him. He is based at

:15:42.:15:51.

the University of New Mexico, the European silver medallist. He is

:15:51.:15:56.

from Stockport Harriers. He is not frightened of nicknames behind him.

:15:56.:16:02.

They complete the first kilometre. Kiprop is tall, a lovely looking

:16:02.:16:08.

runner. Kenenisa Bekele, a good 15 metres adrift of these leaders.

:16:08.:16:14.

There is only two kilometres to go. You might want to see him a bit

:16:14.:16:20.

closer than that. It is a bit further back than you might have

:16:20.:16:25.

expected if he is going to win this. It is not where he would want to be.

:16:25.:16:29.

Be said he has been training well. He said he has not got the speed

:16:29.:16:32.

that expects to have later in the year that he fully expects to run

:16:32.:16:38.

well. Kenenisa Bekele is behind Kipruto. He will certainly have to

:16:38.:16:45.

get a move on now. Ross Millington is stretching them out. The tall

:16:45.:16:49.

figure of Asbel Kiprop, who recently received his gold medal,

:16:49.:16:54.

finished second in the Olympic Games when the winner was

:16:54.:16:57.

disqualified for drug-taking. That was a real shame for him that he

:16:57.:17:02.

could not collect his gold medal in Beijing. He waited four years to

:17:02.:17:07.

collect his gold medal in December. He was a world junior cross-country

:17:07.:17:11.

champion as was Eliud Kipchoge. If you look at the pedigree of these

:17:11.:17:16.

athletes, apart from them being recent stars on the track, they can

:17:16.:17:20.

run in the country as well. Kenenisa Bekele is in trouble now.

:17:20.:17:25.

He has given them far too much of a start. His fitness levels are not

:17:25.:17:30.

what he told us they were. He will not win this race from there now.

:17:30.:17:35.

Somebody has got to do something about Ross Millington. Kiprop is

:17:35.:17:43.

trying to go with him. Juan Carlos Higuero is running well. Mark

:17:43.:17:48.

Mitchell must be thinking, what is going on here, I have just run past

:17:48.:17:53.

Kenenisa Bekele in a cross-country race? He is either struggling with

:17:53.:17:58.

the conditions of fitness, I am not sure which. Millington has got a

:17:58.:18:03.

good five-metre lead ahead of Kiprop, Ben Juan Carlos Higuero.

:18:03.:18:09.

Johnny Heikki is also going well with Callum Hawkins behind him --

:18:09.:18:19.
:18:19.:18:28.

wearing his best. He is based in the US now. Kiprop, the 1,500 metre

:18:28.:18:33.

world champion. He is not bad in longer events. I have seen him run

:18:34.:18:37.

a couple of cross-country and road races. It is good to see him doing

:18:37.:18:42.

best. Good 1,500 metre runners should be prepared to come out in

:18:42.:18:46.

January and do this sort of event. I'm sure you would have relished

:18:46.:18:50.

this sort of event in your time as well as Steve Ovett and Sebastian

:18:50.:18:56.

Coe. The double Olympic champion is not in form and is not running well

:18:56.:19:00.

through the mud. He is behind the steeplechase champion Kipruto.

:19:00.:19:05.

There are surprises although the this race. It is surprising to see

:19:05.:19:13.

him back there. Kiprop, the 1,500 metre Olympic champion. He is

:19:13.:19:18.

striding out. He was world junior cross-country champion in the past

:19:18.:19:22.

and he now looks to be very comfortable on the course. I bet he

:19:22.:19:27.

is surprised at how far ahead of this field he has already. The tall,

:19:27.:19:34.

rangy figure of Asbel Kiprop, an athlete who we will certainly see

:19:34.:19:39.

feature in London. Whatever happens, you can guess he will be there.

:19:39.:19:47.

Ricky Stevens -- Ricky Stevenson is also running well. The two Olympic

:19:47.:19:53.

champions Kipruto and Bekele are struggling. He looks leisurely but

:19:53.:19:58.

his legs are so long and his pace is so powerful that he is edging

:19:58.:20:04.

away all the time. He has this languid style which is sometimes

:20:04.:20:08.

deceptive to people. He can really turn on the pace. The only thing

:20:08.:20:12.

all of us get frustrated with Kiprop on the track is sometimes he

:20:12.:20:19.

does not concentrate. Today he has done that pretty well. He could not

:20:19.:20:24.

be blamed for losing concentration in a cold cross country event in

:20:24.:20:29.

January. I'm not sure what is wrong with Kipruto or Bekele but I would

:20:29.:20:32.

have thought they would be much more competitive than those. There

:20:32.:20:37.

are some young British athletes between them who will be absolutely

:20:37.:20:43.

thrilled with how they are going. Journey Hague is in the black fest

:20:43.:20:47.

alongside Ed Millington who is struggling a little bit. Ricky

:20:47.:20:53.

Stevenson ran well last year. They will be able to say that they

:20:53.:20:58.

finished ahead of the Keighley. No doubt about the winner, he looks so

:20:58.:21:04.

comfortable. Asbel Kiprop, the 1,500 metre champion climbing this

:21:04.:21:09.

hill as if it does not exist. If he looks over his shoulder he will see

:21:09.:21:19.
:21:19.:21:19.

his team mate, Eliud chip -- ended Kipchoge. -- Eliud Kipchoge. He is

:21:19.:21:28.

moving so well. You will be seeing him, the star of the show in London

:21:28.:21:32.

at the 1,500 metres. We look forward to seeing him there and

:21:32.:21:38.

seeing him finish this race. 200 metres to go. He can just relax. He

:21:38.:21:43.

has won this race by a mile! And he has not looked like he has been

:21:43.:21:51.

stretched too much at all. The long legs stretching away and the World

:21:52.:21:58.

1,500 metre champion winning in fine style here in Edinburgh. A

:21:58.:22:03.

great start to the year for Asbel Kiprop. We look forward to watching

:22:03.:22:11.

him in London in August. He wins. Johnny Hay coming through to take

:22:11.:22:17.

second place. Ricky Stevenson next to cross the line. Ross Millington,

:22:17.:22:23.

a brave effort from him. Callum Hawkins, a local lad. His brother,

:22:23.:22:29.

Derek, ran early on. Then they start streaming across the line.

:22:29.:22:35.

Bekele just out kicks Kipruto. The two Olympic champions not running

:22:35.:22:43.

too well. But this one certainly did. This is our winner. What about

:22:43.:22:51.

Johnny hates? A great second place for him. He had a great -- he had a

:22:51.:22:53.

disappointing European Championships. He made up for it

:22:53.:22:59.

today. I'm not sure what to think. You would have thought Bekele, he

:22:59.:23:04.

is back, he is fit, theoretically it. He has been in Edinburgh before.

:23:04.:23:11.

He has run on the mat and the snow. He has won this race many times

:23:11.:23:17.

before. He said 3,000 metres was short but if it had been 10,000

:23:17.:23:22.

metres he would never have caught them. Kiprop, the massive stride of

:23:22.:23:27.

the world and Olympic champion. An athlete who will get better over

:23:27.:23:32.

time. An athlete who will be a major force when it comes to London

:23:32.:23:37.

in the 1,500 metres in the Olympic Games in a few months' time. He is

:23:37.:23:44.

starting 2012 in great shape, finishing like a champion. That is

:23:44.:23:51.

a breakthrough race for Jenny Hey. A fantastic performance. We are

:23:51.:23:57.

waiting a little while for the double Olympic champion, there he

:23:57.:24:05.

comes, Kenenisa Bekele. He has got some work to do, that is for sure.

:24:05.:24:10.

It may have been a day for some to take a nice stroll out and feed the

:24:10.:24:14.

swans but all of the cross country winners -- runners, it was tough

:24:14.:24:23.

out there. In the end, it was a fairly comfortable victory once we

:24:23.:24:29.

had it all the four races together. Team USA were struggling in the

:24:29.:24:33.

last race. They had let up until that point. Team Europe struggled

:24:33.:24:43.
:24:43.:24:45.

in the juniors which is why they How pleased where you with that

:24:45.:24:52.

run? IAA was excited. I'm excited having won here today. I was second

:24:52.:24:58.

last year. I came here wanting to prove a point. You had Kenenisa

:24:58.:25:01.

Bekele in the race and Brimin Kipruto, were you expecting a

:25:01.:25:06.

greater challenge from them? expected a tougher challenge from

:25:06.:25:13.

them. I was surprised. The other guys were also very tough. What is

:25:13.:25:18.

next for you now? I am preparing for the Olympic Games in London.

:25:18.:25:22.

look forward to seeing you defend your Olympic title. Many

:25:22.:25:27.

congratulations. Thank you very much. That rounds up the live

:25:27.:25:30.

action for this afternoon. But there is plenty more coming up on

:25:30.:25:40.
:25:40.:25:40.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 41 seconds

:25:40.:26:22.

So we are back on the air with more athletics on Saturday 28th of

:26:22.:26:30.

January. We will see Mo Farah and Hannah England.

:26:30.:26:40.
:26:40.:26:52.

the commentary box. A big shock? big shock but a great performance

:26:52.:26:55.

by Asbel Kiprop. He was the world junior champion and he has

:26:55.:26:59.

obviously got better on the track. 1,500 metre world champion and

:26:59.:27:05.

Olympic champion. He was surprised that Kenenisa Bekele did not

:27:05.:27:07.

challenge are more. We were surprised that Kenenisa Bekele did

:27:07.:27:11.

not challenge him off. He wanted to come, he wanted to compete, he was

:27:11.:27:16.

happy when he saw the line-up. An athlete who is not here today, Mo

:27:16.:27:20.

Farah, who is watching the racing Kenya will be delighted. Kenenisa

:27:20.:27:24.

Bekele is in a position where you do not want to be. At the start of

:27:24.:27:28.

the Olympic year you do not want to be thinking, my goodness, will it

:27:28.:27:33.

all come back? We have not seen him run for two years competitively,

:27:33.:27:37.

apart from one good race. I would rather be where Asbel Kiprop is

:27:37.:27:42.

then Kenenisa Bekele. Absolutely. Thank you. The 2012 athletics

:27:42.:27:47.

season is up and running and it started with a big shock in the

:27:47.:27:50.

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