“Many top runners had chosen the fourth World Cup race as test before the World Championships and some specialists for uphill-only races came here to show their top performance.&nbsp,
The top field was really strong, probably the strongest ever at the World Cup race of this year.
Runners from 20 countries participated at this traditional Austrian&nbsp,race.”
“Like always Top African runners from Kenya, Eritrea and this time also from Marocco started very fast.
The late winners Kidane and&nbsp, Mamo run all the time close, almost shoulder to shoulder and at the end, the more experienced Kidane was stronger.&nbsp, Kidane clocked&nbsp, time 38:39.
Mamo, the 2014 winner and course record holder finished second, just one second behind.
Third position for other kenyan Francis Wangari (with time of 39:23) in front of Eritrean Yosif Tekle (fourth with time of 39:26). First european at the finish was English Robbie Simpson with time of 39:38.
In the women&rsquo,s race Confortola started very carefully after her injury at European Championships. From kilometre to kilometre she was faster and at the middle of the course she caught the leading Sarah Tunstall and in the last part experienced&nbsp, Italian was stronger. Confortola clocked time 47:46, Sarah Tunstal second finished with time of 48:07, Third position for Hungarian Timea Merenyi, who defends her leadership in the World Cup, with time of 48:16, Austrian Melanie and Karin Freitag finished fourth and fifth with time of 48:49 and 50:43.
Due to extreme weather conditions the organizer had to shorten the course for about 1,5 km &ndash, the initial loop in the village and last kilometre were deleted.&nbsp, After all those changes the course was 6,3 km long&nbsp, with 1020 elevation gain, the same for women and men.
After four stage in the 17. WMRA World Cup, situation is:
women: 1. Timea Merenyi (HUN) points 280, 2. Sarah Tunstall (GBR) points 180, 3. Karmen Klancnik (SLO) points 165,
men:&nbsp, 1. Andrew Douglas (GBR) points 185, David Schneider (SUI) points 180, 3. Petro Mamu (ERI) points 180.

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Edited from Tomo Sarf (WMRA)

Source of the pictures:
on front page (Tomo Sarf):
– Abraham Kidane, winner men,
on second page (Tomo Sarf):
– Antonella Confortola, winner women

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