Rodrigue Kwizera and Francine Niyonsaba ensured Burundi top wins in the men's and women's races at the 42nd Cross Internacional de Venta de Banos.
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Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera and Francine Niyonsaba both won comfortably in the men’s and women’s categories at the 42nd Cross Internacional de Venta de Banos, the ninth Gold level meeting of this season’s World Athletics Cross Country Tour, held on Sunday, December 18, 2022. Kwizera defended his title in style on a sunny day, while Niyonsaba triumphed in her debut cross-country outing on Spanish territory.
Adel Mechaal of Spain led the field in the first stages of the 10,575m men’s race. But at the third kilometre, only four athletes remained in the lead: Mechaal, Abdessamad Oukhelfen, Kwizera, and Abderrahmane Aferdi. Kwizera produced his first significant move at 4.5 kilometres into the race, when he gained the lead for the first time to pick up the tempo. The only person who could handle his change in pace was Oukhelfen, the European U23 cross country bronze medalist in 2019 who finished 10th in the senior race at the last competition in Italy. He later passed Kwizera, but his advantage was brief as the Burundian reclaimed the top place with a speedy 6:46 lap, some 15 seconds faster than the earlier.
Kwizera chose to break away from Oukhelfen at the start of the penultimate lap and quickly left the Spaniard well behind in a couple of metres. Kwizera hit the bell after another rapid round of 6:45, seven seconds behind Oukhelfen and another eight seconds behind Mechaal. He then effortlessly altered his speed to increase his advantage whenever Oukhelfen sought to close the distance between them. Kwizera finished in 34:06, some 100 meters ahead of Oukhelfen, and Mechaal placed third, 36 seconds after the winner.
The early leader in the women’s event was Spanish steeplechaser Irene Sanchez-Escribano, who was closely followed by Niyonsaba, Turkey’s Emine Mechaal, and Spaniards Marta Garcia, Isabel Barreiro, and Carolina Robles. After around seven minutes of running, the Burundian seized the lead to quicken the pace and make her rivals follow her in single file. By the third kilometre, Niyonsaba had opened a five-second lead over Sanchez-Escribano and Barreiro, who were themselves 12 seconds ahead of Mechaal, Garcia, Robles, and Cristina Ruiz.
Following the completion of the first long (2200 m) lap in 7:54, Niyonsaba extended her advantage to nine seconds over Sanchez-Escribano and Barreiro, who were pursuing her. Mechaal continued to run alone in fourth place, and Ruiz dropped Garcia and Robles. Niyonsaba was 15 seconds clear of the Spanish pair at the finish line after clocking 7:48 for the penultimate loop. During the last lap, Sanchez-Escribano managed to pull away from Barreiro, but Niyonsaba remained unopposed at the wheel. She then slowed her speed to 7:59 for the final lap but crossed the finish line 11 seconds ahead of Escribano, who was eight seconds ahead of Barreiro.
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