Premana hosts successful World Championships

The streets of Premana, Italy were abuzz this past weekend for the 33rd World Mountain Running Championships. Know for its cutlery factories, it was ironic that the athletes representing nearly 40 countries were also sharpening their skills and techniques as they prepared for the rugged terrain they would experience in this championship event during the few days leading up to the competition.

More than 5,000 spectators, including most of the town’s 2,200 inhabitants, were scattered throughout the course to witness the best of the world’s mountain runners racing for the 24 medals to be awarded on Sunday, July 30.
 
Uganda led the medal count with six, including a sweep in the senior men’s competition with gold medalist Victor Kiplangat, leading the way. Additional gold medals for Uganda’s junior men’s team led by a first-place finish from Oscar Chelimo. Risper Chebet earned the junior women’s title.
 
USA and Italy each netted five awards with a gold medal for Team USA in the senior women’s competition, a silver medal in the junior women’s competition, bronze for the senior men’s team, and bronze for juniors Talon Hull and Lauren. Italy’s Daniel Pattis won silver in the junior men’s competition leading his team to bronze. Italy’s junior women duplicated the bronze effort and the senior teams both won silver.
 
The final two gold medals were awarded to Romania in the junior women’s team competition and Kenya’s Lucy Wambui Murigi winner of the senior women’s event. Romania’s second team medal was silver in the junior men’s competition.
 
The Czech Republic was the final team medal winner with a bronze in the senior women’s competition. Turkey’s Bahar Atalay won silver in the junior women’s competition and multi-time world champion Andrea Mayr was the senior women’s silver medalist followed in bronze by Sarah Tunstall representing Great Britain.
 
WMRA was represented at the competition by outgoing council members president Bruno Gozzelino (ITA), secretary Pierre Weiss (FRA), and at-large council member Galia Puheleva (BUL). Additionally, technical delegate to the competition was Tomo Sarf (SLO), who was elected as the new secretary during the WMRA Congress meeting on Saturday, July 29, Nancy Hobbs (USA) who will continue as treasurer and at-large council members Wolfgang Munzel (GER), and Andrzej Puchacz (POL).
 
The new WMRA council will be led by president Jonathan Wyatt (NZL), and include at-large members Sarah Rowell (GBR), and Georgio Bianchi (ITA).
 
Full Results: www.corsainmontagna.it/2017/07/30/premana-lc-campionato-mondiale-corsa-montagna-full-results/