Tlahun Haile of Ethiopia claims Campaccio crown

Addis Ababa, January 7, 2025 (FMC) – Ethiopia’s Telahun Haile Bekele won his race in a dominant display at the Campaccio, a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting, in San Giorgio su Legnano on Monday (6).

During the course of the race, Tlahun had a group of strong contenders for company until he made a decisive move ahead of the final 2km loop. The Ethiopian athlete achieved back-to-back victory, as he won the 10km at the BOclassic road race in Bolzano on 31 December.

It was a superb return for Tlahun, who was contesting his first cross country race in six years. He was happy to sit back in the pack during the opening stages of the 10km contest but made his presence felt, edging to the front during the first half of the race.

Olympic steeplechase fourth-place finisher Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui of Tunisia slipped in the mud while in third place just before the halfway point and lost ground on Tlahun, Kenya’s Matthew Kipkoech Kipruto and Burundi’s Celestin Ndikumana. Bekele and Ndikumana continued to push the pace and broke away over the next kilometre, before the Ethiopian 25-year-old surged again around the 7km mark.

From there Tlahun was never challenged. He was four seconds ahead of Ndikumana heading into the final 2km loop, with the pair being chased by Uganda’s 2022 world 5000m bronze medallist Oscar Chelimo who was a further 14 seconds back.

Enjoying his dominant run, Tlahun waved to the crowds on his way to the finish line, which he crossed in 31:32. Ndikumana followed him in 31:50, while Chelimo followed his runner-up finish last year with a third place this time, clocking 32:09. Jhinaoui finished fourth in 32:11.