Rodrigue Kwizera and Mucy Mawia won the Cross of the Constitution

A year after his victory was stripped for not wearing the shirt of his club, Playas de Castellón, Burundi. Rodrigue Kwizera returned to Alcobendas in search of the victory that was denied him at the Cross of the Constitution and he got it with great authority in the Parque de Andalucía.

Kenyan Mucy Mawia achieved her second victory of the Spanish cross season in the women’s raceafter winning in Soria, and Italian Nadia Battocletti, 22, took second place which boosted her confidence looking at the European Championships in Turin, in December.

The fortieth edition of this classic from Madrid, on a sunny and cold morning, confirmed Kwizera, now wearing the official green shirt of his club, as one of the best cross-country specialists in the world in a test who regained the Gold category of World Athletics.

The 10,060-meter race was held on a dry circuit with constant ups and downs, with no room for physical recovery.

Playas de Castellón would have preferred Kwizera to rest, but CAP Alcobendas, the event’s organizer, made a special effort to ensure that the disqualified returned in search of victory, and the last-minute loss of Eritrean Merhawi Mebrathu made it easier for Burundi.

Obstacle player Dani Arce set the tone in the first lap, leading several meters with the rest, while Kwizera, aware of his superiority over the Spaniards, devoted his forces to make a winning attack.

He held it on the last lap, sprinting away to win in 29:59, followed by Sergio Paniagua from Toledo, who came in seven seconds later, and the Spanish record holder in the 3,000m obstacles, Fernando Carro from in Madrid, finishing 10 seconds behind. win.

Behind closed doors, the Alcobendas cross offered Spanish athletes a last chance to secure a spot on the team that will compete at the European Championships in Turin (Italy) on December 11. Paniagua’s second place could provide him a place.

Abdessamad Oukhelfen (who won it last year after Kwizera’s disqualification) and Nassim Hassaous, among the men, and Lahcen Ait Alibou and Isabel Barreiro among the women already have fixed places. The rest of the team will be announced next week by the Spanish Federation.

Kenyan Lucy Mawia, winner in Soria and third in Atapuerca, confirmed her status as favorite at 8,040 meters thanks to the Alcobendas clearing. Last year he was third here, this time he dominated from the second km to the end. At first, Argentina’s María Luz Tesuri had a short-lived role, failing to make the podium and finishing fifth, 55 seconds behind the winner.

Mawia made the choice, leaving behind Battocletti, European under-23 cross country champion and Olympic finalist in the 5,000m, and Burundian Francine Niyokumunzu, although the latter lost in the transalpine.

Laura Luengo from Extremadura, fourth, 48 seconds behind the winner, is the best-ranked Spaniard.