The Ethiopian 10,000m Olympic trials held in Nerja, Spain on Friday night were a high-quality race, with four men finishing inside 26:40 and six men finishing inside 26:50 for the first time. In an intense sprint finish, 26-year-old Yomif Kejelcha emerged victorious over Berihu Aregawi by a narrow margin, setting a new lifetime best of 26:31.01 to take the win.
The race took place on a mild, windless night with good pacemaking, and the leaders went through the halfway mark in 13:17. Aregawi made a strong push in the final kilometer but only Biniam Mehary lost ground. As the race reached its conclusion, Barega started to fade, leaving Aregawi and Kejelcha to battle it out.
Kejelcha made a final push on the last bend, overtaking Aregawi in the last 30 meters to secure the win. Mehary finished fourth and set a world U20 record time of 26:37.93. In the women’s race, Fotyen Tesfay claimed victory in 29:47.71, just outside the top 10 on the all-time list. Tsigie Gebreselama and Ejgayehu Taye also set personal bests in their respective races.
Emeterio Valiente reported on the event for World Athletics as he witnessed this historic race that showcased great athleticism and talent from these runners who will be representing Ethiopia at Paris Olympics next year
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