Valkenwaard, The Netherlands – Last night (26) on what was a cool (13 degrees CT) low windy evening Ethiopia’s Mestewat Tufa ran the fastest 10.000 metres for women of the season at Valkenswaard in the south of The Netherlands with a time of 31:00:27.

Holland seems to be a good country for women’s races over 25 laps on the track. On 17 June, Florence Jehwat Kiplagat of Kenya also ran a then season’s best in Utrecht with 31:06:20.

In the local meet at Valkenswaard, seven Ethiopian women tried to qualify for the Osaka World Championships in August. The women went for the qualifying time of 31:10:00 set by the Ethiopian Federation.

Mestewat Tufa (23) was the only one to reach the fast standard asked by her federation.

In the beginning of the race the group stayed together but after four kilometres the Tufa broke away. She ran a steady pace of 73 seconds per lap and finally won by over a half minute on Etalemahu Kidane who finished second in 31:33:49.

Gete Wami, the 1999 World 10,000m champion, who was the pre-race favourite lost contact with the leaders quickly at the beginning and did not finish the race just as Moroccan Zhor el Kamch.

Tufa knows what winning is all about in The Netherlands. In 2003 (49:06) and last year (47:22) she has won the Zeuvelenloop (15 kms) at Nijmegen.

Wim van Hemert for the IAAF

Results

Women
1. Mestewat Tufa (Eth) 31:00:27
2. Etalemahu Kidane (Eth) 31:33:49
3. Bizunesh Bekele (Eth) 31:45:98
4. Alemu Deriba (Eth) 31:58:44
5. Genet Getaneh (Eth) 32:09:50
6. Rian van de Burgt (Ned) 37:31:86
d.n.f: Gete Wami (Eth) and Zhor el Kamch (Mar)

Men
1. Allen Masai Ndina (Ken) 29:58:00