Posted: May 29, 2005

Athletics: Kenyan smashes 10K record after rival's finish line mixup

Martin Cleary , The Ottawa Citizen

Grace Momanyi of Kenya took full advantage of an error in judgment by her closest rival last night to win the MDS Nordion 10-kilometre women's race, smashing the event's 16-year-old race record in the process.

Racing in humid and sunny conditions, Momanyi charged past a decelerating Asmae Leghzaoui in the final 120 metres because the Moroccan runner thought she had already run through a finishing arch on Queen Elizabeth Driveway.

Leghzaoui, who was reinstated earlier this month after a two-year ban for testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug HPO, led for most of the exceptionally fast women's race, but misjudged a spectators' crossing bridge as the finish line. The bridge did have a large MDS Nordion banner on it, but there also was a sign indicating 120 metres to the finish line.

The bridge was on a curve on the road and out of full view of the true finish line, which was properly marked. The elite runners also were given written information about the finish line.

As Leghzaoui slowed down after she thought she had won the race, Momanyi roared past, and she crossed the finish line first in a blistering winning time of 31 minutes 24.4 seconds. The previous race record of 32:11 was set by Albertina Dias of Portugal in 1989.

A startled Leghzaoui recovered quickly and also beat the old record with her time of 31:28.3. Teresa Wanjiku of Kenya was third in 32:33.0.

Leghzaoui entered the Nordion 10-kilometre race having won all her previous five races, setting three course records, since completing her ban.

While she has the approval of the United States Anti-Doping Agency to run in next Sunday's Freihofer's Run for Women in Albany, New York, agent Pieter Langerhorst is threatening to withdraw Kenyan runners Hilda Kibet and Lornah Kiplagat because he believes Leghzaoui stole records and money from clean athletes in the past.

Following last night's race, Leghzaoui gave a urine sample to a doping control agent.

The prize money for the top three runners was $5,000, $2,500 and $1,500. Momanyi also earned a bonus of $2,500 for going under 32:00.

The top three Canadians were Lisa Harvey of Calgary, fifth in 33:53.8; Olympian Leah Pells of Coquitlam, B.C., seventh in 34:39.4; and Tania Jones of Richmond Hill eighth in 35:41.6.

Kenya's George Kirwa Misoi made his racing debut in Canada memorable, winning the men's 10-kilometre race in 28:55.7.

Reuben Chebii of Kenya was second in 29:07.8, while Montreal's Jean-Claude Nduwingoma, wearing the racing singlet of Burundi, was third in 29:09.1.

Calgary's Jeremy Deere led the Canadians, placing 10th in 30:15.5. Ian Forysth, who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was 12th in 30:35.6, and former Nepean resident Bruce Deacon of Victoria was 13th in 30:55.6.

The top three Canadians in both races earned $2,000, $1,000 and $500.

"I was confident I would win. I thought the first line was the finish line," Leghzaoui said through an interpreter. "I thought I was first. I'm disappointed."

Momanyi was about 200 metres behind Leghzaoui at the halfway mark, but she slowly caught the Moroccan runner.

I had hoped to win," said Momanyi, who won a half-marathon race in Guatemala last Sunday. "I was reaching her. I kept going. I feel great."

Kirwa Misoi, 20, took a small step towards reaching his goal of running in the 2008 Olympics by winning the men's 10-kilometre race.

"I ran well. I had planned to win, but I won easily," said Kirwa Misoi, who broke away from the pack with less than two kilometres to go. "It was easy because I trained hard."

Two-time Olympian Kevin Sullivan of Brantford, Ont., burst out of the board room and won the MDS Nordion men's five-kilometre race in a comfortable 14:37.6.

One of the elite 1,500-metre track runners in the world, Sullivan is attending Athletics Canada's annual general meeting here this weekend. He is the athlete representative on the board of directors.

Susie Egar of Ottawa was first in the women's five-kilometre race in 18:15.8.

Off the roads: Manny Rodrigues, the National Capital Race Weekend's elite athletic co-ordinator, scratched 30 Kenyan runners from the men's and women's Ottawa Marathon and MDS Nordion 10-kilometre races because of visa problems, but he's still predicting the men's marathon champion will beat Waldemar Cierpinski's Canadian open record (2:09:55 in 1976). Defending champion Elly Rono and John Itati, both of Kenya, are favoured in today's scheduled marathon. ... After setting a registration record of 23,121 in 2004, organizers reached 26,224 for this weekend's seven run, in-line skate and walk races, including: ING Ottawa Half Marathon, 7,742; MDS Nordion 10-kilometre race, 6,522; MDS Nordion five-kilometre race, 5,499; and ING Ottawa Marathon, 3,826.

Top Finishers From Saturday's Races

Women's 10K

1. Grace Momanyi, Kenya, 31:24.4; 2. Asmae Leghzaoui, Morocco, 31:28.3; 3. Teresa Wangiqu, Kenya, 32:33.0; 4. Aster Demissie, Ethiopia, 33:11.4; 5. Lisa Harvey, Calgary, 33:53.8; 6. Anastasia Ndereba, Kenya, 34:16.9; 7. Leah Pells, Coquitlam, B.C., 34:39.4; 8. Tania Jones, Richmond Hill, Ont., 35:41.6; 9. Mimi Fallon, Walpole, Massachusetts, 35:54.0; 10. Rebecca Stallwood, Burlington, Ont., 36:01.2

Men's 10K

1. George Kirwa Misoi, Kenya, 28:55.7; 2. Ruben Chebbi, Kenya, 29:07.8; 3. Jean-Claude Nduwingona, Burundi, 29:09.1; 4. Simon Wangai, Kenya, 29:14.8; 5. Nelson Kiplagat, Kenya, 29:26.8; 6. Gilbert Koech, Kenya, 29:31.5; 7. Gittah Macharia, Kenya, 29:41.4; 8. El Arbi Khattabi, Morroco, 29:48.6; 9. Abel Ondeyo, Kenya, 29:50.7; 10. Jeremy Deere, Calgary, 30:15.5

Men's 5K

1. Kevin Sullivan, Brantford, Ont., 14:37.6; 2. Joe Boland, Borden, Ont., 16:03.5; 3. Pat McDermott, Kingston, 16:09.5; 4. Josh Roundell, Ottawa, 16:14.1; 5. Shawn Benninger, Borden, Ont., 16:19.1.

Women's 5K

1. Susie Egar, Ottawa, 18:15.8; 2. Genny McInnes, Toronto, 18:31.4; 3. Stephanie Smith, Borden, Ont, 18:51.4; 4. Julia Kirby, Ottawa, 18:54.8; 5. Georgina Mink, Borden, Ont., 18:59.0

© The Ottawa Citizen, Reprinted With Permission.