Algerian athlete Souad Ait Salem

[Al-khiyal]

Rome, Italy - Souad Ait Salem from Algeria won the women’s race at the 13th edition of the Rome Marathon improving the women's course record to 2:25:08 earlier today. The previous record was held by Ukraine's Tetyana Hladyr who took the honours in 2006 in 2:25:44.

In the men's division Elias Chelimo Kemboi from Kenya also ran impressively on a warm day crossing the finish-line first in 2:09:36 in his first serious attempt over the marathon distance. The Kenyan came to the Italian capital with a previous PB of 2:15:01 set in Dubai last year.

Souad Ait Salem showed her potential last month when she won the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon in 1:10:29 and confirmed that she could become a name to watch in the years to come in today's Rome Marathon where she lowered her PB from 2:28:22 set in Thessaloniki in 2006 to 2:25:08.

Four women dipped under 2:30 with Hellen Kimutai from Kenya finishing runner-up in 2:26:46 ahead of Slovenian veteran Helena Javornik (2:28:53) and last year's Lenah Cheruiyot (2:29:43).

The Algerian winner, who was born in Mecheria on 6 January 1979, set the early pace with Javornik at a course record rhythm passing 10 km in 34:04. Cheruiyot and Kimutai followed one second behind the leading duo.

Ait Salem kept a solid pace at halfway (1:12:42) inside the course record. At 30km the algerian changed gear pulling away from Cheruiyot and Kimutai. Javornik, who ran with the leading group until 25 km, admitted in the post-race press conference that she had some problems after 30km and lost ground on Salem who clocked 1:43:12 with a 10-second lead over Cheruiyot and Kimutai.

The eventual winner continued to increase the pace building up a gap of 38 seconds on Kimutai at 35km (2:00:18). For the Algerian, Rome represented a special present for her upcoming marriage which will take place next week in Algeria. Remarkably she did better than last year' s Rome winner Tetyana Hledyr who went on to finish second in New York last November. It was the second fastest time ever run for an italian marathon behind Margaret Okayo's 2:24:59 in Milan 2002.

"I came here to run 2:25 and break the course record. I suffered from cramps in the final 5 km because it was very warm. I would like to buy a car as a present for next week's marriage. My dream is to be in the top-three in Osaka this summer", said Ait Salem.

Kimutai, who is mother of four children, finished strongly finishing in second place with 2:26:46 seven years after her first appearance in the eternal city when she was third in the 2000 Millennium Marathon.

"The race went well. The Rome course is fast apart from cobblestones", said Kimutai.

Ivana Iozzia, who was the first italian in eighth place in 2:35:26, clinched her second national title.

Results from the Maratona della Città di Roma:

Women:

1 Souad Ait Salem (Algeria) 2:25:08
2 Hellen Kimutai (Kenya) 2:26:46
3 Helena Javornik (Slovenia) 2:28:53
4 Lenah Cheruiyot (Kenya) 2:29:43
5 Natalia Volgina (Russia) 2:30:31
6 Yang Fengxia (China) 2.34:45
7 Haile Lema (Ethiopia) 2:35:01
8 Ivana Iozzia (Italy) 2:35:26

2:25:08 course record triumph for Souad Ait Salem in Rome

[Al-khiyal]

Rieti, Italy - Kenya's Paul Kosgei and Algeria's Souad Ait Salem took the honours in the 30th Amatrice-Configno, an 8.5km uphill road race held Sunday (19) afternoon in this little town 150 km from Rome. Both runners earned their second victories in Amatrice: Kosgei also won in 2003, while Ait Salem was able to complete a back-to-back win.....

Women's race - Osaka shape for Ait Salem

"It was a very good test," said women’s winner Souad Ait Salem, expressing her satisfaction two weeks before the Marathon at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka. She had no rivals, so she was focused on feelings and time. She lowered by five seconds last year's time with a 27:40 performance, becoming the sixth fastest woman in the history of the Amatrice-Configno.

"I'm in good shape, but at the Worlds it will be very difficult, there are so many top marathon runners," she said. This year she ran a PB in the Rome City Marathon with a course record of 2:25:08. Ait Salem said she doesn’t fear the heat expected in Osaka. "I like running in hot conditions and I had trained at home at sea level to reproduce the climate we will find in Japan," she revealed.

Italy's Lucilla Andreucci, who also is running the Marathon in Osaka, closed exactly two minutes behind. "On Friday I did my last long training session of 30 km, so today I had heavy legs," she admitted. "However I'm really optimistic for the Worlds, I have worked so much for months for this."

Polish-born Marzena Michalska, who now runs for Italy, finished third.

Selected results (8.5km)

Women

1. Souad Ait Salem, ALG, 27:40
2. Lucilla Andreucci, ITA, 29:40
3. Marzena Michalska, ITA, 30:03

Souad Ait Salem takes honours at 30th Amatrice-Configno

[Al-khiyal]

Women’s course record goes at Rome-Ostia Half Marathon with 1:09 run

Rome, Italy, February 24, 2008 - Algeria's Souad Ait Salem set a women’s course record (1:09:15) at the 34th Rome-Ostia Half Marathon (24), while in the men's race the first three ran very close to the one-hour wall, each setting PBs.

Kenyan Margaret Okayo made a satisfying comeback from injury in the women’s race, and overall there was a total of 7903 finishers, a new record for the event.

In 2007, Ait Salem had won the Rome Ostia with a time of 1:10:29, and then went to Rome City Marathon and set a course record with 2:25:08. This year, on a beautiful sunny day, she did much better. "I'm going to run the London Marathon this spring," she confirmed. "I'm going to face Paula Radcliffe and many athletes like her, but I'm in a very good shape."

The Algerian didn’t start too fast and until 7km Italy's Vincenza Sicari was able to follow her. However, in the tougher uphill stretch along the course, the Italian slowed down and suddenly Ait Salem had no rivals anymore. "Last year I pushed too much at that point and I paid for it in the final (kilometres)," Sicari revealed after the race. "I didn't want to repeat that mistake."

10km was passed by Ait Salem in 33:09, while Sicari was 11 seconds behind. 5km later the gap had grown to 25 seconds.

"I ran a very regular pace," the winner said after the race. "I felt very well during the whole race." In the last 4km she was even able to push a little harder and closed with a time of 1:09:15, 10 seconds faster that Gloria Marconi in 2003. Just Kenya's Philes Ongori in Marugame has ran faster (1:07:57) in 2008.

"I was thinking about such a time, below 1:10," she admitted. Now she will come back to Faro (Portugal), her usual training place, until leaving for London (April 13).

Sicari set a new PB as well (1:10:21), but the real pre-race mystery had been Margaret Okayo. After winning whatever you can in the marathon (twice winner in New York and San Diego, one in Boston, London, Milan), she had not run since the 2006 London Marathon because of a tendon problem.

Today she closed out in 3rd with 1:13:06. "I'm very satisfied, it's not easy to come back to race after a long stop like mine," Okayo said. "I'm very confident to become again what I had been before and win important races."

The men's race was essentially a matter between three runners. At 3km Jonathan Kosgei Kipkorir, James Kwambai Kipsang and David Mandago Kipkorir, led by the designated rabbit Isaac Kiplagat, had already dropped all the other runners.

Along the up-and-down of the course from Rome to Ostia's beach, they passed through 5km in 14:20, 10km in 28:41, 15km in 42:43. Mandago was the first to increase the pace, then at 17km Kwambai, who had won here in 2005, took the lead.

But it was to no avail and so the three reached the last kilometre all together and just the final sprint gave the victory to Kosgei, well known for his good finish.

"I knew that I can beat my rivals in the final sprint, so I controlled the whole race and waited for the last kilometre," admitted Kosgei. He closed with a time of 1:00:19, the 6th fastest of this year and a new PB (previous: 1:00:47 in Udine two years ago).

Kwambai with 1:00:22 equalled his PB run in Udine in 2004, while Mandago made a big improvement from 1:01:54 to 1:00:23. Given his advantage on the second pack, the pacemaker Kiplagat, who had faded behind at 14km, decided to finish the race and took 4th place in 1:02:02.

Kosgei improved on last year's second place and now is hoping to do the same in less than a month in the full marathon (16 March). In 2007 he finished 3rd the Rome City Marathon. "I'm training very well with my coach Eric Kimayio in Kapsait, I will go back there immediately," he said.

On the contrary, Kwambai planned to run again in the Boston Marathon (April 21), after last year's second place. "Jonathan was stronger than me today, but I'm very confident," he said. He is training with coach Claudio Berardelli and team-mates Martin Lel and Robert Cheruiyot Kipkoech in Namibia, in order to avoid Kenya's unrest.

Mandago is going to run in Hamburg on April 6, where he will find the four times champion Julio Rey. The Spaniard was in the race as well, but closed-out in a far 8th place (1:03:59).

"My goals for 2008 are two: Hamburg and Beijing," said Rey, who missed an Olympic medal after winning a World silver in Paris 2003 and a couple of European bronze in 2002 and 2006. In April, he is going to become father for the third time as well.

Selected results (21.097km)

Men

1. Jonathan Kosgei Kipkorir, KEN, 1:00:19
2. James Kwambai Kipsang, KEN, 1:00:22
3. David Mandago Kipkorir, KEN, 1:00:23
4. Isaac Kiplagat, KEN, 1:02:02
5. Francis Kirwa, FIN, 1:03:18
6. Daniele Caimmi, ITA, 1:03:39
7. Alfred Sang Kiprop, KEN, 1:03:39
8. Julio Rey SPA 1:03:59

... 17. Alberico Di Cecco, ITA, 1:06:00

Women

1. Souad Ait Salem, ALG, 1:09:15
2. Vincenza Sicari, ITA, 1:10:21
3. Margaret Okayo, KEN, 1:13:06
4. Marcella Mancini, ITA, 1:13:57
5. Gegia Gualtieri, ITA, 1:14:22

[Al-khiyal]

2e meilleure performance mondiale de l’année pour Souad Aït-Salem

Mercredi 27 Février 2008 -- La championne algérienne, Souad Aït Salem, a réalisé, dimanche à Rome, la 2e meilleure performance mondiale de l’année au semi-marathon, en couvrant la distance dans le temps de 1h9 min 15 à l’occasion de la 34e édition du semi-marathon Rome-Ostia. Cette grande course sur route, qui a réuni 7 903 athlètes des deux sexes, a eu lieu à travers les grandes artères de la capitale italienne.

Ce chrono permet à Souad Aït Salem de réaliser la deuxième meilleure performance mondiale de l’année (MPM) 2008 et d’établir le record de la compétition. Du coup, elle améliore son propre record d’Algérie de la spécialité, l’ancien record ayant été établi en 2006 (1h 10 min 26 s). Un résultat qui vient démontrer que la médaillée d’or des 9es jeux Africains d’Alger 2007, l’unique médaille en vermeil de l’athlétisme algérien, reste une valeur sûre dans la perspective des jeux Olympiques de Pékin, prévus l’été prochain. La meilleure performance mondiale de l’année est de 1h7min 57 s, détenue par la Kényane Philes Ongori, depuis le 3 février dernier, à Marugame.

Pour rappel, l’athlète de fond Souad Aït Salem a remporté en mars 2007 le 13e marathon de Rome, provoquant une véritable surprise, et ce devant les meilleures spécialistes de ce type de course. Avant cela, Ait Salem avait remporté le Rome-Ostia 2007 en 1h10 min 29 s. Aït Salem, meilleure athlète algérienne de l’année 2007 au sondage ENTV-APS, qui se trouve dans une grande forme, envisage de courir le marathon de Londres prévu le 13 avril prochain. Pour l’instant, l’athlète entraînée par Abdellah-Rachid Mahour-Bacha va se consacrer à la récupération et à la reprise des entraînements, dans la perspective de nouvelles échéances au Portugal.

[Al-khiyal]

Second place for Souad Aït Salem in Lisbon half marathon

March 16, 2008 -- Haile Gebrselassie was a convincing winner of the Lisbon half marathon on Sunday.

Ethiopia's former world record holder for the distance was untroubled when brushing off the challenges of Charles Kamathi and Semy Karanja to finish in 59 minutes, 15 seconds.

There were hopes Gebrselassie might attack Sammy Wanjiru's world record of 58mins 33secs, but the pace was never quick enough to get near it.

Gebrselassie, unbeaten in all eight half marathons in which he has competed, will now concentrate his training on preparing for the Thales FBK-Games in Hengelo where he is scheduled to race over 10,000 metres.

Japan-based Kamathi clocked a time of 1:01:15 while his fellow Kenyan finished 37 seconds behind him.

Kenya's Salina Kosgei scored a third success at the Portuguese event but was made to fight hard for her victory ahead of Pamela Chepchumba and Souad Ait Salem.

Kosgei won in 1:09:57, just two seconds in front of her compatriot and Algerian Salem, who shared the same time.

[Al-khiyal]

London Marathon review

Women’s race

.....This was a contrastingly reticent affair in comparison. A pack of nine passed through the halfway stage in a tepid 1:12:52, with the race having predominantly been led by Mikitenko and former runner-up, Constantina Dita, with Liz Yelling leading the battle of the British athletes (1:13:27).

With the German star anxious to maintain the pace, Mikitenko managed to whittle down the leading group, and only the great Ethiopian duo of Gete Wami and Berhane Adere could follow, along with Algeria’s Souad Ait Salem but the ultra-experienced Russian pair of Svetlana Zakharova and Lyudmila Petrova and Salina Kosgei closed by the 30km point.

However, there was drama at Canary Wharf, when a collision at a drink station saw both Wami and Ait Salem fall heavily. Clearly affected, the Algerian record-holder could not close up, whereas Wami made up the ground on Mikitenko and the leaders conservatively. At the 30km point, Yelling was being closed down by Hayley Haining, in the race for the first Brit home and a place on the Olympic team for Beijing.

At 34km, Mikitenko’s consistently applied pressure paid dividends, as Petrova, Kosgei and Adere began to wallow. Ominously floating on the heels of the 35-year-old German, Wami looked to be the big threat but by 37km, the Ethiopian was clearly suffering after her fall, and dropped back quickly.

Pulling away along Embankment, being chased by the grimacing Zakharova, Mikitenko looked fairly untroubled, as the two-time Olympic and world 5000m finalist crossed the finishing line in 2:24:14.

Now 38, Zakharova added to an impressive resume, notching up her third runner-up finish at the Flora London Marathon, as well as wins in Boston and Chicago in 2003.

Wami, second last season had to settle for third, as the Ethiopian all-time great limped across the finishing line, followed by Kosgei.

Petrova, now 39, placed fifth in 2:26:45, ahead of Ait Salem (2:27:41) and Adere (2:27:42), who crossed the finishing line, all carrying injuries.

Finally, a delighted Liz Yelling managed to crack the 2:30-barrier for the marathon. The Commonwealth Games bronze medallist has been in shape to crack that barrier for the past two seasons but has been bedevilled by bad luck. Yelling had to drop out mid-race in Berlin in 2006 and the hot weather in London and Chicago last year affected her performances but the 33-year-old lowered her PB from 2:30:44 to 2:28:33, to win the battle of the Brits, and surely a place on the Olympic marathon team in Beijing.

Haining, who had Yelling in her sights for much of the third quarter of the race, dropped back in the final 10km but was clearly pleased with a new lifetime best of 2:29:18, for 12th place.

[Al-khiyal]

Marathon de Londres :
Aït Salem Souad 6e

Mardi 15 Avril 2008 -- Pour sa première sortie internationale sur 42,195 km, Aït Salem Souad recordwoman algérienne (2 h 25’08 ), à l'occasion du 100e anniversaire du marathon de Londres disputé samedi, pris la 6e place (2h 27’’41. La victoire est revenue à la surprenante Allemande Irina Mikitenko en 2 h 24’’14 (7e temps mondial de l'année).

Pour son deuxième marathon de sa carrière, l’Allemande d’origine Kazakh a supplanté les farvorites la Russe Zakharova (2 h 24’39), l’Ethiopienne Wami 2 h 25’37, la Kenyane, Kosgei (2 h 26’30) et autres. Pour la petite histoire, la vainqueur allemande Mikitenko a offert une victoire à l’Allemagne qui ne s’était pas illustrée au marathon depuis 14 années.

Faut-il rappeler que c'est la Chinoise Zhang Yingying, absente à Londres, qui détient la meilleure performance mondiale de l’année (2 h 22’38). Chez les hommes, le Kenyan Martin Lei s'est imposé en 2 h 05'15 (2e temps mondial de la saison), devant son compatriote Wanjiru (2 h 05’24).