Kenya\u2019s Caren Chepchirchir and Burundi\u2019s Egide Ntakarutimana clinched narrow victories as the Sparkassen Cross Pforzheim made its debut as a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting in Germany on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U23 race was combined with the senior contest and 17-year-old Chepchirchir sprinted away from Burundi\u2019s Francine Niyomukunzi to win overall as she contested the first major cross-country race of her career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The middle-distance track specialist, who claimed 1500m bronze at the World U20 Championships in Oregon in August, made a successful step up in distance as she won in 22:50, two seconds ahead of Niyomukunzi. Italy\u2019s Elvanie Nimbona was third and Germany\u2019s defending champion Elena Burkard fourth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The men\u2019s race was even closer, Ntakarutimana beating his compatriot C\u00e9lestin Ndikumana in a dramatic finish, both athletes clocking 19:14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Niyomukunzi went straight to the front in the women\u2019s race, spearheading a spread-out line of athletes after the first minute. Controlling the contest, she led a breakaway group of four, followed by Nimbona, Chepchirchir and Burkard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That quartet was well away with five minutes on the clock, Niyomukunzi continuing to push as she moved a few strides ahead of her rivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nimbona and Chepchirchir then moved alongside Niyomukunzi as they zig-zagged their way up and down the tight, winding undulations of the course, but Niyomukunzi held firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chepchirchir made a move with 13 minutes on the clock, passing Niyomukunzi as they strode away from Nimbona, followed by Burkard. Niyomukunzi and Chepchirchir continued to trade the lead and it looked set to be a two-way fight to the finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Niyomukunzi kicked on the final circuit, picking up the pace with the finish line in sight. But she couldn\u2019t respond as Chepchirchir attacked with a sprint of her own, the teenager raising her arms as she reached the finish line to win in 22:50.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Niyomukunzi was second in 22:52, while Nimbona was clear in third in 23:19. Burkard finished fourth in 23:27, while Germany\u2019s Pia Schlattmann was fifth in 23:36.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ntakarutimana took charge of the men\u2019s race in the opening stages, striding to the front before being followed in single file by Ndikumana and their fellow Burundians Tharcisse Nizigiyimana and Elie Sindayikengdera, plus Ethiopia\u2019s Moges Dargie Mengesha and Yihun Fantahun, and Belgium\u2019s Isaac Kimeli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ntakarutimana and Ndikumana were well ahead as they hit the zig-zag section for the first time, followed by Nizigiyimana and Mengesha. That quartet broke away and Germany\u2019s Nick J\u00e4ger led the chase pack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ndikumana then took over at the front, with Ntakarutimana tracking and Nizigiyimana chasing in third ahead of Great Britain\u2019s Rory Leonard, Kimeli and J\u00e4ger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leonard moved into third placed as they looped back around with 11:45 on the clock and at the front, as in the women\u2019s race, the lead kept switching between the top two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As they completed another circuit, Kimeli \u2013 running just ahead of Leonard and J\u00e4ger \u2013 took a wrong turn and had to be called back, while Ntakarutimana and Ndikumana continued for their final loop, untroubled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there was drama at the end as the two leaders ran on as if to do another circuit, Ndikumana narrowly in the lead, before they were called back and engaged in a battle to the finish line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ntakarutimana reached it first, chased by Ndikumana, both athletes clocking 19:14. Leonard was third in 19:30, J\u00e4ger fourth in 19:34 and Mads Meijer of the Netherlands finished strongly for fifth place in 19:41.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kenya\u2019s Caren Chepchirchir and Burundi\u2019s Egide Ntakarutimana clinched narrow victories as the Sparkassen Cross Pforzheim made its debut<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17740,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[50,280],"class_list":["post-17739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-athletics","tag-cross-country"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t