Scicli, Sicily – One month ago they finished first-second in the 3000m Steeplechase at the IAAF World championships in Athletics in Berlin. On Saturday night (26), in the 20th Memorial Peppe Greco, the famous 10km road race to be held in the Sicilian city of Scicli, Kenya’s Ezekiel Kemboi (right) and Richard Mateelong will try to dominate on the flat road.Kemboi and Mateelong are two of the protagonists of the “stellar field” that organizer Gianni Voi has built up as usual. Haile Gebrselassie (four times), Paul Tergat and Martin Lel (twice), Kenenisa Bekele, Charles Kamathi are among the former winners of the Peppe Greco.
Nether Kemboi or Mateelong need presentation to athletics’ lovers, as the former was also the 2004 Olympic champion and three times runner-up at the World Champs, while the later has two World bronze medals at Osaka 2007 and Beijing 2008.
Contesting the victory with the steeplechasers wearing bib number 1 will be Edwin Soi, the Olympic 5000m bronze medallist, who last year won the beating the World marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru. Soi didn’t qualify for Berlin, as he closed the Kenyan Trials in 4th place, but in Zurich one month ago he ran a strong 12:55.03.
But the greatest favourite of all is of course, Micah Kogo (left), the World record holder for the 10km distance. He ran a stunning 27:01 in Brunssum on 3 March, improving by one second the previous time by Haile Gebrselassie. He closed in 7th place in the 10,000m in Berlin, but at the World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki he took second place in the 5000m in a blanket finish ahead of Soi.Ethiopia’s Imane Merga won that race in the Greek city and he will run in Scicli as well. Merga, not to be confused with marathon runner Deriba, has been one of the rising stars of this season, as he was 4th in the Worlds’ 10,000m.
Also from Ethiopia comes also Feleke Cherkos, 2008 World Junior champion on the 5000m, who in 2006 as a youth ran 3000m in 7:32.37 and 5000m in 12:54.19.
Last, but absolutely not least, Stefano Baldini, the home-hero, the former Olympic marathon champion is also entered. Baldini has run many times in Scicli and the crowd simply adore him. After his Athens Olympic victory he was beaten by Sileshi Sihine in 2004, but one year later he won ahead of Paul Kirui. Last year we closed in 5th place.
Alberto Zorzi for the IAAF
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