Ethiopia's Ambaw confirmed her supremacy Sunday at the Cross Internacional de la Constitucion, the sixth Gold meeting in this season’s World Athletics Cross Country Tour in Alcobendas, Spain.
In this women’s 8.1km event, the Ethiopian pair of Likina and Asayech Ayichew, who finished the race second were among the six athletes who remained in close attendance just after the first kilometre of the tour.
Asayech emerged as a strong leader and pushed hard before reaching the bell, the last circuit taking 7:37.
By then, she and Likina led with Italian Nadia Battocletti a couple of seconds behind, but the Italian managed to reel in the Ethiopians and catch them a few hundred meters later, making it a three-women-race.
It was when Battocletti's resistance came to an end before reaching a kilometer behind the finish line that the Spain-based Ethiopian Likina made her decisive move with about 700 meters to go, gradually opening a big gap on Asayech and eventually crossing the finish line five seconds clear of her compatriot.
This is Likina’s first win here after finishing third two years ago.
Asayech placed second, 12 seconds ahead of Battocletti.
“I felt a bit uneasy and heavy at the beginning but then I began to feel much better,” said Likinaw. “I like this kind of course, full of ups and downs, I really enjoy them; my next cross-country competitions will be in Aranda de Duero (3 December) and Cantimpalos (10 December) before resuming the World Athletics Cross-Country Tour in 2024. I'm also targeting a quick time over 10km in the coming months,” talked Likina about her short-term plans.
In the men's 10.1km contest, which was held in pleasant weather conditions, Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera and Uganda’s Martin Kiprotich finished first and second respectively.
Source: World Athletics