Burka Aiming For Third Straight Title

The 2006 World Short Course Cross Country champion Gelete Burka is aiming for a third successive victory at the BUPA Great Edinburgh International Cross Country IAAF XC permit meeting to be held in Edinburgh Scotland, on Saturday, January 12 2008. It will be the fifth of the eleven permit meetings in the IAAF XC series, and is also given more importance, owing to Holyrood Park also being the same venue hosting the 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships, to be held on March 30, 2008.

Burka seems bent on scoring a hatrick at the Holyrood Park venue, and making sure that the women's title for the even will remain in Ethiopian hands. Tirunesh Dibaba, who was the world and Olympic 10,000 meters champion, was the victor in 2005, and was narrowly defeated by her then training partner, Burka with a sudden burst of speed at the finishing pace.

Last January, 2006, Burka had again made a powerful surge in the last stretch of the race, to win by a nine second margin from a couple of the world's strongest contenders: Kenya's former World Junior Cross Country Champion Vivian Cheruiyot, and Australia's former World long course Cross Country gold medalist, Benita Johnson.

Many people are excited at Burka's determination for a third win. Andy Caine, the event's elite athletes director, had mentioned his delight at Burka's return, calling her an exceptional talent. He also believes that Cheruiyot will also be returning for another challenge to the the coveted title.

Incidentally, the BUPA Great Edinburgh International Cross Country is part of a running festival in Holyrood Park, with the BUPA Great Winter run, the curtain raiser event where a mass participation 5 km run for runners of all abilities will take place.