Kiplimo beats Edris at Giro al Sas

World U20 cross-country champion Jacob Kiplimo won the Giro al Sas road race on Saturday, preventing world 5000m champion Muktar Edris from winning a fourth title at the 10km event in Trento.

The world U20 10,000m silver medallist won the 72nd edition of the event in 28:17 – the fastest winning time in the north Italian town since 2005 – to become the second Ugandan winner of the race.

Edris, the winner in 2014, 2015 and 2017, was a distant second in 28:31. Local favourite Yemaneberhan Crippa, the European 10,000m bronze medallist, finished just a few strides behind Edris in 28:34, much to the delight of the home crowd that had gathered along the course.

Edris and Kiplimo took the lead on the first three laps alongside Crippa, 2011 world 10,000m champion Ibrahim Jeylan, Ugandan teenager Albert Chemutai and Geoffrey Korir.

With a bonus on the line for the leading athlete at the half-way point, Edris pulled away at just the right moment to secure the prize. The mid-race sprint whittled the leading group down to just two men: Edris and Kiplimo.

Kiplimo pushed the pace during the sixth lap and broke away from Edris. The Ethiopian tried to claw his way back to Kiplimo on the following laps but the 17-year-old increased his pace with a 2:47 split on the penultimate lap and crossed the finish line in 28:17 to finish 14 seconds ahead of Edris.

“I am very happy with my win,” said Kiplimo, who intends to defend his world U20 cross-country title in Aarhus next March. “The crowd cheered me on along the course. I have recovered from an injury this summer and I am back to my best shape.”

With a strong final sprint, Crippa managed to overtake Chemutai and Korir on the last lap and finished third, winning the Memorial Cosimo Caliandro Trophy as the best Italian runner.

“It was a very special race because my home is near the course and the support from my fans was even stronger this year after my bronze medal in Berlin,” said Crippa, whose next big target is the European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg in December.

Leading results:
1 Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) 28:17
2 Muktar Edris (ETH) 28:31
3 Yeman Crippa (ITA) 28:34
4 Albert Chemutai (UGA) 28:38
5 Geoffrey Korir (KEN) 28:46
6 Ibrahim Jeylan (ETH) 29:20