Merga Narrowly Defeats Edris At The Boclassic

American Scott Bauhs finished a respectable fourth.

The annual Boclassic Sylverlauf in Bolzano, Italy is always an exciting race to watch. This year was no exception as Ethiopia’s Imane Merga dueled with 18-year-old rival Muktar Edris all the way to the finish of the 10K race.

Merga ended up prevailing in 29:12.

Edris, who took second, was given the same time as Merga. Third place went to Sergiy Lebid of the Ukraine.

“I am happy to win after my third place last year,” Merga said afterwards. “It was a very tough sprint. Edris was very strong. He is the future of Ethiopian distance running. It was great to win in Bolzano for the second time. The conditions were ideal for running and I enjoyed the race.”

In the women’s event, 5000m silver medallist Sylvia Kibet took top honors. The Kenyan clocked 16:21 for 5K. Second and third place went to  Afera Godfay and Workenesh Degefa respectively.

“I could not have ended the year better. Bolzano is like a second home,” said Kibet afterwards. “I enjoy running here. It’s a nice course and I was cheered on by the crowd during the race. It’s always prestigious to win in Bolzano. This year it was not easy, the Ethiopians were very strong, but I waited the right moment to launch my attack.”

For More: IAAF