Baldaccini Triumphs In Mountain Grand Prix

American Stevie Kramer took second in the women’s race.

This past weekend, Ljubljana, Slovenia was the home of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) Grand Prix final.

The race is called the Smarna Gora and Ljubljana has hosted it 33 times. With near-perfect conditions, 180 runners from 12 countries set forth on the challenging 10-kilometer course.

Italy’s Alex Baldaccini prevailed, narrowly defeating Eritrean Teklay Azerya. Baldaccini’s margin of victory was a mere tenth of a second. Both Baldaccini and Azerya improved the course record by 30 seconds. They were given the same finishing time, 41:32.

In the women’s race, Mateja Kosovelj of Slovenia prevailed, also setting a course record (2 seconds). She had led from wire-to-wire.

Kosovelj had missed out on qualifying for the Olympic marathon and was motivated to do well in her home country.

American Stevie Kramer took second. Italy’s Valentin Manzi Belotti was third.

Smarna Gora also served as the finale for the 2012 Grand Prix. Teklay won with 404 points, while Baldacinni and Gabriele Abate took second and third respectively.

For More: IAAF