The Spanish Mohamed Katir, winner of San Silvestre Vallecana in 2021, will be looking for the double on the streets of Madrid in a duel with Ugandan Joshua Cheptegeiworld record holder of 5000 and 10,000 meters in the open air and who is the main favorite to win a race that, adding the same famous and international edition, will count 43,000 runners.
Katir, European runner-up in the 5,000 and world bronze in the 1,500, holds the best Spanish mark in history in a 10Khe certainly achieved that in 2021 at the international San Silvestre Vallecana with 27:45.
Katir’s victory last year was the first for a Spanish athlete in the Madrid race since 2003, when Chema Martínez won it. Now the goal is to win again to equal Isaac Viciosa, the first Spaniard to combine the feats with his wins in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
With Katir, triple national record holder in the distance of 1,500, 3,000 and 5,000 meters outdoors, the duel on the Madrid asphalt between two of the best middle-distance runners in the world todaybecause Joshua Cheptegei will also run on December 31.
Cheptegei, 26, will be looking to beat compatriot Jacob Kiplimo’s record in Madridwho in 2018, with a time of 26:41, broke the previous record (26:54), held by Eliud Kipchoge since 2006.
The Ugandan athlete, double world champion in the 10,000 meters and Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo in the 5,000, knows that, apart from Katir, he will face a large Spanish army ready to surprise.
Carlos Mayo, current Spanish champion of the 10,000 and holder of the third best mark in history in the 10K on the route with 27:53, will debut in San Silvestre, where Nassim Hassaous will also start, third in 2021; Fernando Carro, three-time national champion of the 3,000 obstacles, Daniel Arce from Burgos, champion of Spain and fourth in the European outdoors in 2022 in the 3,000 obstacles, and Ignacio Fontes from Granada, who wants to complete a great year after reach the European and World Cup outdoor finals at 1,500 meters.
The list of Nationale-Nederlanden San Silvestre Vallecana is completed by several international athletes called to bring the race to life such as the Italian Iliass Aouani. national champion in the 10,000 meters and half marathon; the young Ugandan Dan Kibet, who will serve as squire to his compatriot Joshua Cheptegei, and the NN Running Team athlete Bjorn Koreman, who arrived in Vallecas with a ninth place in the Rotterdam Marathon and a victory in Vienna Marathon as his most important milestone featured.
TRIDENT WOMEN
Ethiopians Beatrice Chepkoechworld champion in the 3,000 obstacles, and Tsehay GemechuNN Running Team athlete, and Burundian Francine Niyonsabafifth in the 10,000 meters at the Tokyo Olympics, They are the main contenders for victory in the women’s category.
Tsehay Gemechu has extensive experience despite his 24 years. The Ethiopian arrived in Madrid with the aim of extending the streak of athletes from the African country, who won the last two editions thanks to the victories of Yalemzerf Yehualaw and Degitu Azimeraw.
Gemechu has in his baggage fourth place at the 2019 World Cup in the outdoor 5,000 meters and the African champion in the 10,000 meters, a distance in which he has a personal best of 30:15 that he intends to lower in Madrid to get close to Brigid Kosgei’s 29:54, 2018.
Another contender for victory is the world champion over 3,000 obstacles, Beatrice Chepkoech, who temporarily left the track with the aim of flying these ten kilometers. The Kenyan athlete, World Cup gold medalist in 2019, is the current world record holder in over 3,000 obstacles and has, among other achievements, a Diamond League overall, a fourth place in the Rio Olympics and a mixed relay world championship in Kenya in 2017.
Among the Spaniards, the presence of Laura Priego, sixth in the last edition, Nait Alibou, international in the European cross, and Laura Méndez, ten kilometer national champion, stand out, the three main candidates to finish San Silvestre Vallecana as the first Spanish in goal.
HISTORY OF THE RACE
The San Silvestre Vallecana, founded by Antonio Sabugueiro, was held for the first time in 1964 with only 57 riders. The victory went to Jesús Hurtado. The race is the replica of the one that took place since 1925 in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo to say goodbye to the year.
The first years it had only the participation of men until in 1981 it was decided to include women with a female category. The first winner of Vallecas was the Norwegian Grete Waitz.
Isaac Viciosa, with four wins, three of them in a row between 2001 and 2003, is the athlete with the highest number of wins at San Silvestre Vallecana.
In 2006, Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge beat himself, reaching the finish line with 26:54 and surpassing the world’s best mark for 10 kilometers on the road, although he could not be certified due to the height difference in between the start and the finish line, requirements that do not include the International Athletics Federation.
That same year, São Silvestre Vallecana surpassed the mythical São Silvestre de São Paulo in the number of registrations and level of international athletes.
San Silvestre Vallecana, ten kilometers long, leaves from outside the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, from Avenida Concha Espina, and ends at Calle Candilejas, in the neighborhood of Vallecas, in its famous edition, while the international makes it inside the Rayo stadium.
This year the popular race has the participation of 41,000 runners joining the two thousand who will start internationally.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
