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Sergiy Lebid winner of a sixth European title last weekend will again tackle
several of Africa's leading stars in next month's Great Edinburgh
International Cross Country.
The 30-year-old Ukrainian may have made the decision not to contest the 2006
IAAF World Cross Country Championships, preferring to target a medal at the
summer's European Championships.
But Lebid has never been a competitor to shirk a challenge and that will see
him line-up in the United Kingdom's premier cross country event on January
14 against world class opponents.
"I'm looking forward to returning to Edinburgh although it was a very tough
race the last time and I expect will be again," said Lebid after clinching a
fifth successive Euro gold medal in Tilburg.
Now he is preparing for another tough encounter at Holyrood Park where last
January he was beaten across the finishing line by Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge
and three other African athletes.
This year the task will be just as tough with Kenenisa Bekele the winner of
the World Cross Country long and short course crowns, heading the elite list
of entrants in the Scottish capital.
Zersenay Tadesse the Eritrean who placed second to Bekele at the IAAF
Championships in St Etienne last March is also competing, with more star
names expected to be added before the Christmas holidays.
It's good to have a tough nut like Sergiy coming to Edinburgh again ad
carry European hopes of a win," said Matthew Turnbull, the athletes director
for the meeting.
Turnbull added: "He said before his win in Tilburg he wanted to take part,
although he had decided at that point he would be concentrating his efforts
on the track this year rather than cross country.
"Lebid knows the strength that can be gained from cross country training and
running and I know he will again be giving it everything after being the
only European to finish in the top-10 this year.
"Fifth place was an oustanding performance given the quality of the field
and let's not forget, he also finished a few seconds ahead of Tadesse."
Organisers also announced that entries for the open Great Winter Run an
integral part of the Edinburgh meeting have already topped the 1000 figure.
"There has been a superb response from the fun running fraternity and it
shows the popularity of the event on what is one of the most scenic courses
in the country," said David Hart, its media director.
Source SAF
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