The English cross country contingent kickstarted the new year in Spain over the weekend for the Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza (Elgoibar Cross Country) a multiple-time national champion who was killed in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War There were four England teams representing across the junior and senior age groups The multi-lap course offered a range of challenges from running on a track to tight turns around a field of relatively long grass and two challenging hills There were fine and dominant performances by the under-20 women’s quartet of Eleanor Strevens Edmund Finucane) and Isla McGowan (Banbury As the race entered the first of the two large laps Zoe pushed on to take the lead with Eleanor and Isabel sitting in behind As the athletes approached the first significant climb on the course Eleanor hit the front and as the lap progressed began to pull away from Zoe The positions remained unchanged for the final large lap with Eleanor surging ahead to claim victory Isabel too produced an impressive performance in her debut for England cross country on the final lap Isla was caught by Spain’s Nadia Perez and then by the Spanish compatriot Claudi Guierrez Isla continued to hold her form to cross the line in a credible 6th place in what was first outing for England Cross Country The junior men’s team was a mixture of youth and experience and with two athletes from the recent GB European team taking part The gun fired and with the smoke still hanging in the air the charge to get to the head of the pack was on The early pace was aggressive which even caught out the speedy Will Rabjohns (Poole AC Antoine Puydebois lead the procession with the eventual winner As the athletes completed the medium lap and prepared to tackle the hill section Rob Bridges) had settled into 4th and 7th place respectively with Miles Waterworth (Brighton Phoenix Bruce Warren) and Jack Marwood (Salford Harriers & AC Rabjohns seemed to be handling the hills well and had moved into a podium position The race for first was over with the Belgium Sem Serrano running clear of the fading Frenchman Further back Rafael Besnas Greco finally got the better of Will Rabjohns to secure the 3rd place on the podium with the fast-finishing Englishman taking 4th Next to finish for England was Brandon Pye in 7th Jack Marwood finished strongly in 16th place lead home by Miles Waterworth in 15th place The England men’s team was headed by Tomer Tarragano (Brighton & Hove/Birmingham Uni winner of the Liverpool trial with Alfie Manthorpe (Sheffield & Dearne) Jacob Cann (Newham & Essex Beagles) and late replacement for David Stone Matthew Seddon) making up the starting four A sedate start around the two laps of the track followed by a lap of the adjacent field showed the England runners to the fore despite the presence of Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia in the line-up Alfie Manthorpe showed his hand first going to the front but was quickly followed by Tomer Tarragano with Cann and Slade also hovering in a top ten position This was the early flat part of the race before venturing out onto a fairly gruelling four lap course up and around the stadium with significant climbs and drops Tomer was now in 5th on the back of the lead group with Manthorpe in 6th This is how it panned out for a lap and a half until Manthorpe took the mantle ahead of Tarragano A lap later another twist came as we approached the bell with 2km to go Slade and Tarragano were locked together in 7th 8th and 9th positions with Cann 40 metres back in 10th A fantastic last lap from Slade saw him get ahead and just beat Manthorpe and Tarragano for a fabulous 7th place on his England cross country debut with Tarragano a further 13 seconds behind and Cann coming in 10th Unfortunately due to withdrawals of Sophie Tarver (Wirral Bill Foster) and Kate Willis (City of Norwich/Birmingham Uni it was just Holly Dixon (Cambridge Harriers) and Megan Gadsby (City of Norwich/St Mary's Mick Woods) flying the English flag for the senior women They stayed focused on the task ahead and were excited to race against Beatrice Chebet of Kenya and Melknat Wudu of Ethiopia The race started at a comfortable pace and the field stayed together on the first lap of the track but by the time they came through the tunnel after the first small lap Beatrice had already gained a considerable lead The French and Spanish athletes chased the leaders and after a little gap Holly and Megan followed in the next group of 6 athletes in 9th and 11th place Holly caught the two women and led the group with Megan just sitting off the back of the group pushing on up the last hill where unfortunately the Spanish athlete Carla Arce caught her coming into the finish Holly was delighted with her 6th place with Megan also running a positive race finishing in 11th place Kenya's Beatrice Chebet and Ethiopia's Berihu Aregawi will be the standout athletes at the Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza – the 13th World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting of the season – in the Spanish town of Elgoibar on Sunday (5).  Both distance aces proved to be in stellar form on the roads last Tuesday as Chebet set an impressive world 5km record in Barcelona thanks to a 13:54 performance while Aregawi took the top spot at the San Silvestre Vallecana setting a course record of 26:32 over a slightly downhill 10km circuit The women's 7.62km contest in Elgoibar features an overwhelming favourite in two-time world cross country champion Chebet The 24-year-old is the defending champion and she’s set for her fourth appearance in Elgoibar following her two runner-up spots in 2020 and 2022 plus her win last year.  The Kenyan star enjoyed a stellar 2024 season topped by her 5000m and 10,000m Olympic titles in Paris and the feat of becoming the first woman in history to break the 29:00 barrier over 10,000m thanks to a 28:54.14 performance in Eugene and the 14:00 mark over any surface for 5km earlier this week She boasts a 14:36.65 5000m career best and is fresh from a fourth place in Barcelona with a 14:53 clocking Burundi’s Francine Niyomukunzi will also be aiming for a podium spot – something she has already managed in her three outings on Spanish soil this cross country season having won in Amorebieta before taking third in Atapuerca and the runner-up place in Soria The 25-year-old holds lifetime bests of 14:44.97 in the 5000m and 30:42 over 10km who is fresh from a fourth place in Madrid in 31:58 should be the leading European athlete ahead of France’s Marie Bouchard 12th at the 2023 European Cross Country Championships Some fine U23 athletes will also be on show who was 15th in the age-group race at the European Cross Country Championships in Antalya in December and the British duo of Kate Willis and Megan Gadsby 18th and 23rd respectively on that occasion The men's 9.7km contest also boasts a mouth-watering line-up headed by Ethiopia's Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Aregawi The 23-year-old made a hesitant debut on this cross country campaign on 17 November when he was clearly beaten by Thierry Ndikumwenayo and Rodrigue Kwizera in Seville but the two-time world cross country silver medallist showed great shape in Madrid and proved to be ready for his title defence he finished second last year five seconds behind the Ethiopian and will be eager to climb a step on the podium in what should be a fascinating rematch from last year’s edition Kwizera has reportedly recently spent three weeks at the altitude of Sierra Nevada and the current World Cross Country Tour leader seems to be in the form of his life The third place on the podium is wide open and is likely to be contested between Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu the Spanish duo of Adel Mechaal and Aaron Las Heras Firewu is a renowned 3000m steeplechase specialist who finished sixth at the Paris Olympics at just 20 years of age He holds a lifetime best of 8:04:34 for the discipline although there is a question mark over how Firewu will adapt to a 30-minute effort on Sunday as he has not yet tackled that kind of mileage the 34-year-old Mechaal managed third place in Madrid behind Aregawi and Jacob Kiplimo thanks to his 27:39 run Both of them were part of the Spanish team that clinched team gold at the European Cross Country Championships last month the Briton will be competing the day after his 24th birthday He won at the British trials in Liverpool before placing 19th in Antalya to score for the British team that grabbed bronze on that occasion there will be strong U20 races with representatives from Great Britain France and Spain in the fight for the 22nd Mamo Wolde prize an award created in 2003 in memory of Ethiopia’s legendary Olympic marathon champion He is fondly remembered in Elgoibar after winning four times in the 1960s Organisers will also pay tribute to national legends world medallists and race champions Mariano Haro and Carmen Valero who passed away last year Weather forecasters predict a windy and cloudy day with temperatures ranging between 13-15°C at the time of the event of Kenya and Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia won the Internacional Juan Muguerza in Elgoibar Great Britain’s Alfie Manthorpe and Spaniard Adel Mechaal took an early lead the defending champion and Rodrigue Kwizera close behind 🔥 El Cross de Elgoibar nos dejó un duelo estelar impresionante. “Berihu Aregawi y Rodrigue Kwizera” protagonizaron un final vibrante. Así lo vivimos 🎥. pic.twitter.com/Csm5YiVOeW The lead pack completed the first loop of the total 9.7-kilometre course in a tactical 6:47 Miguel Angel Martinez and British Trials winner Tomer Tarragano Aregawi took the lead with a little more than a lap to go The remainder of the field began to string out being back two to three seconds However Kwizera finished just one second behind Chebet led from the gun to tape in the 7.6km race Unbeatable!🥵 Beatrice Chebet 🇰🇪 wins the 2025 Elgoibar Cross Country title in Spain🇪🇸👇🏾Top 3 finishers 👇🏾1. Beatrice Chebet 🇰🇪 (25:47)2. Melknat Wudu 🇪🇹 (26:32) 3. Francine Nyomukunzi 🇧🇮(26:32) pic.twitter.com/glpH9fViO8 Chebet covered the second kilometre in 3:09 and expanded her lead to 24 seconds by the end of the first full km lap The chase pack was now down to Nyomokunzi and Wudu Chebet was out in front alone and continued to turn the screws With 14:11 elapsed her gap was growing with every step The two-time World Cross Country champion had a near one-minute lead on the field And ran the third and final big lap at 7:02 to break the finish banner at 25:49 The race is the 13th meet of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold We are pleased to announce the team of 16 athletes who will represent England at the Elgoibar Cross Country in Spain on 5 January 2025 The Basque region town of Elgoibar has been welcoming international athletes since 1963 with England representing for many years against a strong field of athletes from across the world This year there will be England teams in both the junior and senior races Team leader Keith Holt spoke about the exciting opportunity ahead: "We have taken men’s and women’s senior and junior teams for many years to Elgoibar and have always been warmly welcomed The competition is really good and we have had many junior winners of recent years In the senior events it has been very difficult but our men and women have benefited enormously from this level of competition – for many the toughest race they have competed in outside of the European or World Cross Country Championships." Alfie Manthorpe (Sheffield & Dearne) - 7th at the recent Liverpool Cross Challenge Alfie will be pulling on the England vest once more after representing in Belgium last year Manthorpe tested his speed over 3000m indoors to equal his PB showing he is in excellent shape so early in the season David Stone (Shaftesbury Barnet/Birmingham Uni Dean Miller) - David had a brilliant run at the Euro Cross Trial in Liverpool beating European U23 champion Will Barnicoat by 16 seconds in the U23 race David himself finishing 3rd in that European U23 Tomer Tarragano (Brighton & Hove/Birmingham Uni Dean Miller) - Tomer had a brilliant run to win the senior men’s European trial in Liverpool before finishing 19th overall and taking the team bronze at the recent Euro Cross in Antalya Jacob Cann (Newham & Essex Beagles) - Jacob finished 8th at the Euro Cross trial at Liverpool just missing selection as reserve for GB team at the Euro cross He has a 7m53 3000m performer this year so brings good pace from the lower end of the endurance spectrum Holly Dixon (Cambridge Harriers) - Holly finished 2nd in the Short Course Race at the European Trial in Liverpool but unfortunately was not selected to race in Türkiye Holly was selected to run in Roeselare for England in October where she had a fantastic run to finish 5th this all off a positive summer season and gaining PB’s in 1500m also finishing 2nd at the delayed ECCA National Cross Country Mick Woods) - Megan won the U23 European Cross trial at Liverpool and gained selection for the European Cross in Türkiye where she finished 23rd and was part of the gold medal winning team Megan was also in the England team in Diest last season where she finished 13th Bill Foster) - Sophie ran a positive race at the European trial in Liverpool finishing 11th and also had a very good race as part of Team England in Roeselarem in October finishing in 9th place Kate Willis (City of Norwich/Birmingham Uni Dean Miller) - Kate finished 2nd U23 at the European Trial in Liverpool and also gained GB selection with Megan for the European Cross Country where she finished 18th and was part of the team to win a Gold Team Medal. Elgoibar will be Kate's England debut Mark Pauley) - William has continued to build on last season’s good cross country form with a fighting 4th place for England in Energyvision Cross Cup Roeselare in October This was followed four weeks later with an excellent 2nd place in the Liverpool Cross Challenge where he secured his spot on the team for Euro Cross Bruce Warren) - A good run in ECCA National Cross Country Relays in Mansfield set Miles up for an excellent 4th place finish in the British Athletics Cross Challenge This secured the final automatic selection place for the GB European Team in Antalya Türkiye in which he finished in an excellent 18th Place Rob Bridges) - From a triathlon background a crash on his bike has led to a period of injury this year He was unable to race again until he ran the British Athletics Cross Challenge With athletes ahead of him moving out of the age group in January Brandon becomes the 4th ranked junior.     Ian Grime) - Jack is the youngest in the team at 16 Jack has started this season well finishing 6th in the Junior race (2md under 17) in the British Athletics Cross Challenge in Cardiff He followed this up with a 13th place finish (1st under 17) in the British Athletics Cross Challenge Sarah Benson) - Zoe is having an excellent cross country season.  Zoe represented GB&NI at the recent European Cross Country Championships in Antalya Turkey finishing a credible 11th despite have a fall during the race.  Zoe has gained her selection for England finishing 4th overall at Liverpool Edmund Finucane) - Isabel has gained her first England Cross Country vest following her 13th overall position (10th U20) at Liverpool.  Earlier in November Isabel finished 4th in the Cardiff Cross Country Challenge Ros Kelling) - Isla is another athlete who is making her England cross country debut following her 11th overall position (2nd U17) at Liverpool.  Earlier in the season Isla finished 5th (1st U17) in the Cardiff Cross Country Challenge and 5th in the U17 race at the National Weston Park. Arguably these achievements were eclipsed in the summer where Isla was the silver medallist at 1500m at the U18 European Championships in Slovakia Christopher Voice) - Eleanor has made significant progress as a cross country and track athlete this year.  Eleanor represented GB&NI at the recent European Cross Country Championships in Antalya Türkiye finishing an excellent 6th and 3rd scorer for the U20 Women’s gold medal winning team Eleanor was the winner of the EnergyVision Cross Cup in Roeselare Belgium and runner up in the National Cross Country at Weston Park 2025 (FMC) — Ethiopia’s Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Berihu Aregawi lived up to his status as a pre-race favourite by capturing commanding victory at the Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza – a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting – in the Spanish town of Elgoibar on Sunday (5) The men’s 9.71km contest kicked off at a reasonable pace the opening 400m on the track being covered in 1:11 The small lap witnessed the lead of Spain’s Adel Mechaal and Britain’s Alfie Manthorpe while the favourites Aregawi and Rodrigue Kwizera ran comfortably close to them The first big loop was covered in a slow 6:47 but shortly afterwards Mechaal picked up the pace and the large lead group whittled down to seven athletes: Aregawi The second loop was timed at 6:27 just before Aregawi moved to the front for the first time to push hard and only Kwizera Firewu and Mechaal managed to follow in his footsteps Aregawi then clocked a frantic 6:12 for the penultimate lap and by the bell he had built a two-second margin on Kwizera the Burundian three seconds clear of Firewu while Mechaal had already lost any podium chance and travelled 15 seconds in arrears The final circuit was thrilling as a powerful Aregawi continued to run aggressively but a brave Kwizera never surrendered and maintained his chances throughout the two-time world cross country silver medallist Aregawi held off the challenge to cross the finish line one second ahead of his rival following a blistering 5:57 closing circuit “I had competed earlier this week in Madrid and the course is quite tough,” said Aregawi “so I decided to be cautious for the first half then I pushed hard and could get rid of Kwizera Berihu Aregawi became the third athlete to take back-to-back men’s victories this century to match Kenyans Abraham Chebii Ethiopia’s Melknat Wudu finished second with the time of 26:31 behind Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet who clocked 25:49 to top the podium Leave A Reply and website in this browser for the next time I comment commenced service in 1994 with outdated equipment and limited manpower but with the first of its kind and new style in the country’s broadcast media industry Machine Tool Division of the MONDRAGON Corporation the Basque machine tool manufacturer Danobat inaugurated a 12,000 square metre industrial plant at its headquarters in Elgoibar (Gipuzkoa) has had the backing of the Basque Government The inauguration of the new plant, which coincides with the cooperative's 70th anniversary, marks the first phase of an investment plan to address the company's growing order book and aligns with Danobat's development strategy. This plan, shared by the Soraluce and Goimek cooperatives involves investments exceeding €20 million and €10 million By specialising in the design and development of advanced coupled with the innovation that characterises its business model Danobat continues to experience solid growth by consolidating its presence in key regions such as Central Europe "We aim to reach a turnover of €200 million by 2024 and consolidate our position as a leader in precision solutions we want to continue expanding the Danobat brand diversifying our technological offer and reinforcing the commitment to the community that has been our hallmark from the very beginning" The newly inaugurated facility boasts unique features for high-precision assembly and commissioning including advanced air conditioning and top-quality flooring  Solar panels have also been installed to generate one-third of the facility's energy consumption furthering the cooperative's sustainability goals and reducing its carbon footprint by the acting President of the Basque Government the Basque Minister for Economic Development the Deputy General of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa the President of the Mondragon Corporation Danobat's investment underscores its commitment to quality employment and local capacity building to be able to compete better in a global market environmental and economic sustainability of our surroundings has marked our roadmap during our 70-year track record Our activity boosts the well-being and progress of everybody involved in our company and generates projects that have a positive impact on our direct surroundings and community" With a total workforce of around 700 people worldwide the opening of the new plant strengthens the company’s presence in Elgoibar and provides key facilities to accompany its growth internationally in the three main geographical areas: Central Europe Because in addition to the firm commitment to local growth Danobat continues to focus on being close to its customers when it doubled its commitment in the Asia country or with the opening last year of a new subsidiary in Mexico Technological diversification has also been essential in this process with acquisitions such as the subsidiaries Overbeck in Germany and Hembrug in the Netherlands The former is also celebrating its 100th anniversary this year as a leading designer and manufacturer of internal grinding machines the manufacturer has launched a new business to design and manufacture flexible machines with precision robotic architecture for machining lightweight material parts We are launching a new product line as an alternative to traditional machining systems and expect to present the first results to the market in 2025," added Danobat's CEO Photos of the event. This system uses advanced computer vision algorithms to analyse photos of glass ceramics and receive an assessment of their damage and characteristics The Basque industrial group grows by 2% compared to 2023—another historic year—consolidating its leadership in the machine tool sector Danobat breaks into the robotics sector with a disruptive development: an innovative robot model specifically engineered for operations requiring high precision and dynamic performance Danobat aims to transform manufacturing processes and provide a flexible Spain — The main square in the small town of Elgoibar fills up fast as men The rural area around Elgoibar is the heartland of Basque nationalism A stage had been erected in front of the town hall decorated with a large image of Arnaldo Otegi released from jail just a few hours earlier His prison number — 8719600510 — is also visibly displayed on a banner Traditional dancers perform and locals read poetry in euskera and the square fills with the chant: “Independentzia!” “Now we have to win,” Otegi says “We need to create the conditions for peace and coexistence Otegi welcomes Catalan separatists and sympathizers from other parts of Spain He reminds the crowd of their common adversary “Our fight has never been against the people of Andalusia or the workers of [Madrid district] Vallecas,” he says “The fight has always been against the Spanish state which is dominated by oligarchic elites who deprive their people of freedom and their workers of dignity.” a man who was jailed in 1987 for kidnapping and in and out of prison several times since after six-and-a-half years in jail on charges of having attempted to re-form Herri Batasuna is the charismatic leader the Basque independence movement desperately needs He’s a man who helped bring peace to this northern region of Spain after four decades of violence “He’s an icon in the whole Basque Country,” said one young woman who traveled to Elgoibar from a neighboring town to see Otegi’s homecoming She believes he was jailed for his political beliefs “This is a special day but it’s also very sad Arnaldo shouldn’t have spent a single day in prison.” Many international figures took a similar view Desmond Tutu and Gerry Adams were among those who lobbied for Otegi’s release a man who was jailed in 1987 for kidnapping and has been in and out of prison several times since They believe he’s friendly with ETA and is plotting to break up the country “You have to call everything by its name,” said Ángeles Pedraza “He can’t come out of prison like Nelson Mandela or a hero This kind of polarization — not just over Otegi but the Basque independence issue in general — has been costly Five years after ETA violence formally ended perched between the Pyrenees and the Bay of Biscay meaning “Basque Homeland and Freedom” and more commonly known by its acronym killed more than 800 people between 1968 and 2010 Its first targets were security forces in the Basque region The group appeared to be fighting as much against the right-wing dictatorship of Francisco Franco as it was for an independent Basque state ETA broadened the scope of its violence to include civilians across Spain Protesters take part in a demonstration called by the pro-independence Basque collective Tantaz Tanta in October 2013 | Rafa Rivas/AFP via Getty Images had been outlawed and police infiltration led to a constant stream of arrests targeting the group’s leaders who led Herri Batasuna before its illegalization was among those who pushed ETA towards peace talks with representatives of the Socialist (PSOE) government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in 2006 frustrated by the slow pace of the negotiations detonated a bomb in Madrid airport’s car park For Otegi and others in the radical separatist left the attack appeared to confirm that ETA’s violence would get it nowhere “My evolution regarding the use of violence and my rejection of it are determined as much by ethical issues as political issues,” Otegi stated in a book-length interview published during his most recent stint in prison added their voices to the campaign for ETA to lay down its weapons ETA announced a “definitive ceasefire,” which has not been violated since Gorka Landaburu is one of many Basques who directly benefited from the ensuing peace his criticism of ETA’s violence made him a target and a letter bomb sent by the group to his home nearly killed him damaging his hearing and mutilating his hand Landaburu was accompanied by bodyguards wherever he went he has been able to stroll through the streets of his hometown of Zarautz alone He no longer needs to check his car for explosive devices “What we have seen in the Basque Country since the end of ETA’s violence is a kind of coexistence.” “The wounds are still yet to heal,” he added because then you never know what might happen.” many hoped the central administration of the conservative Mariano Rajoy would take the lead on some form of peace process Many in the Basque Country looked to countries such as Ireland and South Africa where international mediation and state-sponsored consultative groups played an important part in consolidating peace But Rajoy’s government has taken no such initiatives it insisted that ETA simply hand over its weapons and disband The administration has also shunned outside involvement and published a video that showed the hand-over of a small cache of firearms and explosives to Ram Manikkalingam and Ronnie Kasrils two members of a so-called International Verification Commission (IVC) and welcomed by many in the Basque Country But the Spanish government did not acknowledge the IVC’s legitimacy and Interior Minister Jorge Fernández Díaz dismissed the overture as “another step in a theatrical exercise.” In a bizarre twist the High Court then summoned Manikkalingam and Kasrils for questioning over their meeting with ETA members The government’s rigid approach responds to pressure from right-wing factions of Rajoy’s Popular Party (PP) and the conservative media in Madrid as well as terrorism victims’ groups close to the PP and who wield substantial political influence the Basque Country suffered a one-sided terrorist campaign They reject the notion that any kind of conflict resolution is now required Basque regional president nationalist Inigo Urkullu delivers a speech during the celebration of Aberri Eguna (Day of the Basque Nation) in April 2014 | Rafa Rivas/AFP via Getty Images “Terms like ‘peace process’ are not in our vocabulary,” Díaz said in 2013 The unresolved issue of ETA prisoners is among the most contentious A long-standing government-guided policy has seen most of them kept in jails far from their families Of 392 prisoners sentenced for ETA-related offenses only four are in jails in Basque territory according to the prisoners’ families’ association Many are held up to 600 miles away from the Basque region meaning exhausting and financially costly journeys for visiting relatives 16 of its members were killed in road accidents while traveling to see prisoners “The [Spanish] government penitentiary policy is less flexible now than when ETA was active,” said Jonan Fernández secretary for peace and coexistence in the Basque regional government The regional administration is led by the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) a right-leaning force that has traditionally advocated increased autonomy for Basques but with less stridency than Otegi’s Izquierda Abertzale (“patriotic left”) the Spanish government and that of the Basque Country would work together,” Fernández said “Now it’s not active and yet there’s nothing.” the Basque campaign for independence had been eclipsed by that of Catalonia where nationalists are pushing ahead — despite Madrid’s staunch opposition — with a plan to create a new state by 2018 Support for independence is currently more muted among Basques, who already have greater autonomous powers than Spain’s other regions. A new poll published this month by their regional government suggests the Catalan stand-off with Madrid is deterring Basques from following suit: Only 19 percent support independence Away from the headline-grabbing controversies pressure on ETA and its political allies to make further concessions is mounting Although Basque regional premier Iñigo Urkullu has expressed a desire for further devolution he has avoided the kind of confrontation with Madrid that his Catalan counterparts have instigated Unemployment and other economic problems weigh more heavily on Basques’ minds radical pro-independence parties lost ground to the more socially-focused message of the leftist Podemos which won the most votes of any party in the Basque Country And yet ETA continues to cast a long shadow, even though it has not staged an attack since 2010. Only a very small number of members are believed to still be at large. In February, two men were arrested in Madrid after putting on a satirical puppet show in which a character held up a pro-ETA banner They were held in prison for five days on charges of “glorifying terrorism” and are now subject to an ongoing investigation Meanwhile, ETA’s presence was also felt in the recent congressional debate ahead of Socialist Party leader Pedro Sánchez’s failed attempt to form a new Spanish government. Podemos’ leader, Pablo Iglesias, launched a fierce attack on PSOE claiming its former leader Felipe González’s past was “stained with quicklime,” a reference to the GAL death squads that tortured and killed ETA members and innocent civilians during his administration in the 1980s Away from the headline-grabbing controversies pressure on ETA and its political allies to make further concessions is mounting Basque journalist Gorka Landaburu explained is that the Izquierda Abertzale and ETA carry out some kind of critical review of their own past we’ve done things wrong in the past,’” he said While ETA and its political support have publicly rejected the use of violence condemning past actions — and essentially apologizing for them — is a much more difficult proposition It’s one that could require the powers of persuasion of none other than Otegi Once the post-electoral stalemate in Madrid ends “Self-criticism is not a sign of weakness,” Otegi said on the day of his release But Otegi’s ultimate goal of an independent Basque Country Otegi’s release appears to have reinvigorated the separatist left as it looks ahead to Basque elections later this year Otegi is likely to run as the Euskal Herria Bildu (EHB) coalition’s candidate for regional premier Spain has changed enormously since Otegi’s imprisonment in 2009 Political parties have been forced to focus on social issues in the wake of the economic crisis; the jihadist terrorist threat has replaced ETA violence; and the country’s stable bi-party politics have been turned upside down by the arrival of Podemos and the liberal Ciudadanos less rigid central government is likely to emerge that could encourage ETA to push ahead with its self-critical review and dissolution The coming months will be crucial in deciding whether the Basque Country will settle for an uneasy peace or aim for a more ambitious reconciliation is likely to be a deciding player in that process Guy Hedgecoe is a Madrid-based journalist and author of “Freezing Franco: The Battle for Spain’s Memory” (2015) Corruption probes around the prime minister of Spain are coming to a head at a crucial moment for his fragile government With hundreds dead and Spaniards turning on their leaders parallels are being drawn with the 2004 Madrid train bombings Íñigo Errejón resigned and his former chief of staff was expelled in a snowballing scandal The Mossos d’Esquadra let the former Catalan leader slip through their hands in August Spain – World cross-country silver medallist Hiwot Ayalew from Ethiopia defeated a high-calibre field over 6.624km at the 71st edition of the ‘Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza de Elgoibar‘ here on Sunday to extend her cross-country winning streak to four races whose older sister Wude won this race in 2012 arrived in gleaming form having won the prestigious ‘Campaccio Classica del Cross‘ in San Giorgio su Legnano on Monday but the steeplechase specialist was given a sterner test on this occasion it was maybe surprising her most persistent challenger was her 18-year-old team-mate Alemitu Haroye Ayalew forged a winning gap in the last 400m finishing only three seconds in arrears to the sub-9:10 steeplechaser Haroye will be too old for the junior race at next year’s IAAF World Cross Country Championships but she is eligible for this year’s IAAF World Junior Championships Finishing ahead of two accomplished Kenyans with 5000m PBs half a minute faster than hers indicates she is on course for a medal in Eugene not to mention a vast improvement on her 15:05.08 5000m PB and reigning world 5000m silver medallist Mercy Cherono were third and fourth in 22:08 and 22:15 respectively Marathon specialist Alessandra Aguilar was the first Spaniard to finish in fifth in 22:47. Read more at IAAF.org World cross-country champion Beatrice Chebet and world cross-country silver medallist Berihu Aregawi lived up to their status as pre-race favourites by capturing commanding wins at the Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza – a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting – in the Spanish town of Elgoibar on Sunday (7) The rain created a muddy surface and led to gruelling conditions but Chebet managed to pull away in the closing stages while Aregawi achieved his first cross-country victory on Spanish soil Newly-minted world 5km record-holder Chebet took command of the women's 7.62km race from the start and covered the opening lap on the track in 1:18 with just compatriots Edinah Jebitok and Grace Nawowuna plus Ethiopia's Asmarech Anley for company Sarah Astin and Niamh Brown were three seconds behind while Spain’s Irene Sánchez-Escribano Carolina Robles and Isabel Barreiro ran another couple of seconds adrift Chebet's relentless pace – 3:19 and 3:21 for the first two kilometres on a far from ideal circuit – soon paid off and Anley could not live with that pace leaving the Kenyan contingent as a lead trio out in front Chebet gradually increased her speed and clocked 7:02 for the penultimate lap but 2021 Elgoibar winner Jebitok and Nawowuna still remained at her shoulder Nawowuna – who finished fourth at last year’s World Cross – briefly took the lead was overtaken on the last lap by the leading British and Spanish runners The key move came with one kilometre remaining when Chebet broke away from her compatriots to cover the final lap in 6:54 securing her first victory in Elgoibar in what was her third appearance Jebitok dropped Nawowuna in the final kilometre to finish second Britain’s Brown claimed fourth place “It was tough as the rain appeared just before the race but I'm satisfied with my Spanish tour as I managed a world record and my first win at such prestigious race like this,” said Chebet whose next race will be in Eldoret on 3 February before she turns her attention to defending her world cross-country title in Belgrade Spanish duo Adel Mechaal and Fernando Carro led during the early stages of the men’s 9.71km contest They covered the opening lap of the track in 1:08 with the main favourites in hot pursuit; Mechaal still led by the end of the initial 1km loop but he was being followed closely by Aregawi Morocco's world and Olympic steeplechase champion Soufiane El Bakkali his compatriot Abderrahmane Aferdi and Kenya's world U20 cross-country champion Ishmael Kipkurui Before the leading pack completed the first big 2.2km big lap in 6:38 Aferdi and Carro had lost ground and five men remained at the helm: Mechaal Aregawi moved into the lead for the first time and his change of cadence forced his opponents to run in single file Aregawi had built a three-second gap on Kipkurui El Bakkali and Kwizera with Mechaal further adrift by a couple of seconds Aregawi continued to extend his lead on the penultimate lap but behind him the positions changed between El Bakkali Aregawi’s lead had grown to 70 metres while his four closest challengers had regrouped as a chasing quartet safe in the knowledge that he’d done enough to win Aregawi eventually crossed the line in 30:30 In the battle for the remaining podium places Kwizera broke away to leave behind El Bakkali Spain's three-time world triathlon champion Mario Mola who in recent months has focused on running so I preferred to be cautious for the first half,” said Aregawi who also intends to compete at the World Cross in Belgrade on 30 March before turning his attention to the Olympic Games Women (7.6km)1 Beatrice Chebet (KEN) 26:082 Edinah Jebitok (KEN) 26:103 Grace Nawowuna (KEN) 26:254 Niamh Brown (GBR) 27:555 Sarah Astin (GBR) 28:066 Lauren Hall (GBR) 28:127 Carolina Robles (ESP) 28:268 Isabel Barreiro (ESP) 28:329 Irene Sánchez-Escribano (ESP) 28:3210 Asmarech Anley (ETH) 28:44 Men (9.7km)1 Berihu Aregawi (ETH) 30:302 Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 30:343 Soufiane El Bakkali (MAR) 30:364 Ishmael Kipkurui (KEN) 30:375 Adel Mechaal (ESP) 30:436 Nassim Hassaous (ESP) 31:227 Daniel Arce (ESP) 31:338 Abderrahmane Aferdi (MAR) 31:389 David Bascunana (ESP) 32:2010 Mario Mola (ESP) 32:22 The Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza in Elgoibar last month had two special guests finally achieved one of their dreams of visiting the venue where their father won four times back in the 1960s “I was aware of his history in the race and that he had a statue built to honour his name,” said 23-year-old Tabor I had no idea there was a junior category held under Mamo Wolde’s name “Unfortunately we didn’t get to spend much time with my father before he passed away,” said Tabor “I mostly remember him through stories and memories from people who knew him “From what I heard and the little time I got to spend with him He himself has said he has turned down many gifts and payments after he won races to show his loyalty to his country.” his family had the chance to move to the US from their native Ethiopia “The Buttons family gave us the chance to move to America and pursue a higher education,” said Tabor “The Flecks family collaborated with the Button family to help us settle in America They have made our transition much easier in the United States and we consider them as our family.” Read more at: IAAF.org We are pleased to announce a team of 16 athletes selected to represent England at the Juan Muguerza Cross Country in Elgoibar the Basque region town of Elgoibar has been welcoming international athletes since 1963 John Wood) – Alfie will be making his England cross country debut in Spain this weekend after representing GB at the recent European Cross Country in Brussels He had a fantastic outdoor season last year Phillip O’Dell) – selected as reserve for the European Cross Country Championships Jeremy is in excellent shape having recently finished 13th at the Liverpool Cross Challenge in November This will be Dempsey’s England debut as he looks to qualify for the World University Championships held next month Dean Miller) – Tomer has previously represented England as a junior He has adapted to the senior competition well Mark Hookway) - This will be an England debut for James over cross country This follows a good run at the Liverpool Trial in November having won both the Southern and National Cross Country titles last January and February Geoff Watkin) - Sarah was the English Cross Country Champion last season and has had great success with her club so far this winter taking the ECCA National Cross Country Relays title She has represented England across the track and cross country Tim Eglen) – Niamh has represented England as a junior securing a gold in Caceres Spain in 2017 and recently ran the fastest leg at the National Cross Country Relays Tim Eglen) – Lauren had a great outdoor season last summer running PBs over 3000m 5000m and 2000m steeplechase and has continued this success into the winter recently finishing 12th at the European trials Lauren McNeil (Hallamshire Harriers) – a regular to England selection on the roads Lauren returns to cross country after representing England at Hannut last year finishing 10th Lauren was the 4th lady home in the ECCA National Cross Country last year Simon Goodwin) - Noah had a very good cross country season last year finishing 5th in the South of England Championships and 7th in the English National Cross Country Championships Noah has built on this excellent form on the mud with a 2nd place in the Cross Internacional de Itálica in Seville Mick Woods) - James has enjoyed an excellent year which began with a 4th place finish in Hannut followed by 2nd place in the English National Cross Country championships James transitioned well from the mud of cross country by quickly adding the TCS Mini London Marathon to his list of success Wendy Miell-Ingram) - Quinn has made great strides this year and is building on his 15th place in the Inter Counties and 8th place in the English National Cross Country Championships Mark Goddard) - Henry finished the 2022/2023 cross country season on a high with a 1st place in the English National Cross Country Championships and a 3rd place in the Inter Counties Championships The 2023/24 season has got off to a tremendous start with a victory at the European trials in Liverpool Lizzie Wellsted (Colchester Harriers) - Lizzie has made significant progress as an U20 athlete this year representing GB at the European Cross Country championships in Brussels finishing a credible 13th and 3rd scorer for the U20 women gold medal winning team Rob Lewis) – This will be India’s England debut as she has gained her first England cross country vest following her 8th overall position (6th U20) at the Liverpool Cross Challenge and running the third fastest leg at the National Cross Country Relays Sally Malir) - Beth is another U20 who is making her England cross country debut after representing the red rose at the British and Irish Mountain Running Championships in September 2022 Isobelle Jones (Wolverhampton & Biltson) – This will be Isobelle’s England debut for cross country after representing at the Cardiff 5k road championships in May Kenya’s world cross-country champion Hellen Obiri and Ethiopia’s world U20 cross-country silver medallist Tadese Worku captured commanding wins at the 77th Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza the fifth leg of the current World Athletics Cross Country Permit series in the Spanish town of Elgoibar on Sunday (12) The 17-year-old Worku was head and shoulders clear of his classy opponents while Obiri prevailed by six seconds over compatriot Beatrice Chebet Obiri became the first woman to achieve back-to-back wins in Elgoibar since the contest became an international event in the early 90s The women’s 7.6km event started at a moderate pace (1:17 for the opening 400m on the track) led always by the double world 5000m champion Obiri with her compatriots Chebet Eva Cherono and Bahrain’s Rose Chelimo tucked behind 2017 world champion Chelimo was the first casualty as she couldn’t keep with the Kenyans’ pace after the first six minutes Obiri was timed at 7:00 for the first long lap and was never headed by Chebet who ran close to her illustrious compatriot but never surpassed her Cherono lost ground during the penultimate lap which Obiri and Chebet covered in a quicker 6:50 At the bell Cherono trailed the lead duo by nine seconds while Chelimo was a further 50 seconds adrift The key move came with about 1.5km remaining when Obiri easily broke away from her 19-year-old compatriot to retain her title in 25:10 took a comfortable second place six seconds behind completed the star-studded podium 38 seconds adrift of Obiri five seconds ahead of Spain’s Irene Sánchez-Escribano “I expected to win again this year so I’m very satisfied,” said Obiri whose next outing will be at next Sunday’s Cross Country Permit in Seville “I’ll train hard and will be ready for the Olympics but I have to see how the season and my training develop before deciding whether I try to double (5000m/10,000m) there or I focus on a sole event.” After a brisk start to the men’s race (1:06 for the opening 400m) Eritrea’s Aron Kifle took charge but he was closely followed by the rest of favourites: Ethiopian duo Worku and world U20 cross-country champion Milkesa Mengesha Kenya’s Richard Yator and Turkey’s Aras Kaya Spain’s Toni Abadía and Carlos Mayo were also in the leading group by the third kilometre Shortly afterwards Worku upped the pace and his tactics soon paid off as only Kifle and Chelimo managed to stick with him The young Ethiopian effectively ended the race with a frantic fifth kilometre which he covered in 2:50 He clocked 6:00 for the next 2.1km lap to swing the race even more in his favour as Kifle trailed by eight seconds with Yator and Chelimo another two seconds adrift Worku maintained his relentless speed on the penultimate loop and despite slowing down a bit (6:05) he increased his advantage to 18 seconds over Kifle and Yator The knowledgeable crowd assembled on a perfect sunny day talked about the impressive solo run by Worku who continued his dominant display to reach the tape 24 seconds ahead of Yator while Kifle had to settle for third after being beaten by the Kenyan in the closing 200m who has PBs of 7:43:24 for 3000m and 13:18.17 for 5000m Portugal’s Etson Barros and Lia Lemos earned the prestigious ‘Mamo Wolde’ Trophy by taking respective victories in the U20 events Men (10.8km) 1 Tadese Worku (ETH) 31:39 2 Richard Yator (KEN) 32:03 3 Aron Kifle (ERI) 32:06 4 Paul Chelimo (USA) 32:22 5 Milkesa Mengesha (ETH) 32:48 6 Aras Kaya (TUR) 32:49 7 Toni Abadía (ESP) 32:53 8 Carlos Mayo (ESP) 33:07 9 Fernando Carro (ESP) 33:25 10 Soufiane Bouchikhi (BEL) 33:25 Women (7.6km) 1 Hellen Obiri (KEN) 25:10 2 Beatrice Chebet (KEN) 25:16 3 Eva Cherono (KEN) 25:48 4 Rose Chelimo (BRN) 26:40 5 Irene Sánchez-Escribano (ESP) 26:45 6 Kate Holt (GBR) 26:51 7 Gema Martín (ESP) 27:12 8 Lauren Hall (GBR) 27:14 9 María José Pérez (ESP) 27:17 10 Cristina Ruiz (ESP) 27:20 Elgoibar and San Sebastian cross country meet.. Tuemay and Tesfay take Ethiopian double at Ca.. Kipruto breaks world 10km record in Valencia The town of Elgoibar in the Basque region of Northern Spain is the home of its now famous annual international cross country event ‘Juan Muguerza’ The race is named after local runner Juan Maguerza a multiple national champion who was killed in 1937 during the Spanish civil war The competition was first held in 1943 between national level runners but changed in 1963 to an international event The first foreign winner was Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia who went on to win three more times The 2023 edition will take place on 8 January 2023 This has been a very strong event for many years with a deep contingent of African and top European runners contesting the men’s and women’s events annually Many have had success (including winning) either the European cross country or world cross country championships Senior men team manager Eamonn Martin said: "England have taken men’s and women’s senior and junior teams for many years now to Elgoibar and have always been very welcomed but in the senior events it has been very difficult However our men and women have benefited enormously from this level of competition – for many this is the toughest race they have competed in outside of the European or World Cross Country Championships." Zak was 4th in the English National in February having won the UK Cross Challenge and international event in Belfast last January. He finished 8th (first U23) in the UK European Cross Country Trial. He finished 2nd in Turin in the European U23 cross country champs in December Alex had a good run in the UK Cross Challenge in Cardiff in October finishing 8th (just one place behind Zak Mahamed) having clocked 13:33 for 5000m this summer. Alex was picked to run for England seniors in the Home Countries International at Milton Keynes having previously ran for the England Junior Cross Country Team Alex finished 3rd at Milton Keynes behind the two Mahamed brothers but ahead of Hugo Milner This will be a debut for England senior cross country for Tomer who made the GB U23 European Team for Turin Tomer finished 11th in the trial but 4th U23 to take his place in the GB team of 6 He finished 37th in Turin in the European U23 championship He now appears to be adapting to the tougher rigors of senior cross country running Callum started this winter well with a good run at the first UK Cross Challenge in Cardiff in October (8th) and then following up with 5th at Milton Keynes UK Cross Challenge which was also a combined Home Countries International and area match He came 2nd at Liverpool in the short course European trial and was selected for the European mixed relay team at the European Cross in Turin Having completed the short course at Liverpool he also ran the long course a few hours later This will be Callum’s first England senior international vest over cross country After finishing 16th in last seasons’ National XC and a great track season gaining PB’s in 800/1500/mile and 3000m Niamh started her XC season with an 8th place finish at the British Cross Challenge in Cardiff She followed this up with 8th place in Milton Keynes running for the South Team in the Home Countries and 18th in the European Trial Rebecca has previously been part of the England teams She gained selection with her 12th place in Milton Keynes at the Cross Challenge and 12th place in the European Trial in Liverpool (8th senior lady) Amelia’s start to the cross country season saw her finish 2nd in the Cross Challenge in Cardiff behind Pamela Kosgei from Kenya Her 6th place in last year’s European Trial at Liverpool and 12th place U23 finish at the European Cross Country gives Amelia great Cross Country experience backed up with her 5000 PB on the track this summer Poppy has been consistently competing well out in the States over 5000/10,000m on the road and track as well as cross country A 7th placed position (5th Senior) in the European Trial at Liverpool gained her selection for the European Cross Country Championships in Turin where she finished 13th Ed started the year with a victory in the South of England Cross Country Championships in January and a 4th place in the Under 17 National Junior Cross Country Championships in February Ed kicked off this cross-country season with a very impressive victory in the UK Cross Challenge in Cardiff in October He followed this up in November with a 4th place finish in the UK Cross Challenge in Milton Keynes and a 6th place in the UK European Cross Country Trial in Liverpool He finished 9th in Turin in the European Junior cross country champs in December Sam was Under 17 National Junior Cross Country Champion in February having represented England in Belfast in January and Diest Sam was the runner up in the UK European Cross Country Trial He finished 4th in Turin in the European U23 cross country champs in December Rowan won the ESSA English Schools 1500m Championships in July This was achieved on the back of a cross country season that saw him represented England in Diest Rowan also secured 4th place in the ESSA English Schools Cross Country Championships in March A 2nd place in the UK Cross Challenge in Milton Keynes and an 8th place in the UK European Cross Country Trial in Liverpool Jack started the year with a victory in the Kent County Schools' Championships in January and a 6th place in the Inter County Championships in March Jack has carried on this good form with a 5th place in the UK Cross Challenge in Milton Keynes and a 9th place in the UK European Cross Country Trial in Liverpool Zoe finished 5th in the Under 15 National cross country last winter This winter she came 2nd in the Cross Country Challenge event in Cardiff and followed that with the fastest leg at the National Cross Country relays U17 event in Mansfield Kiya finished 3rd in the English National cross country in February she completed over steeplechase and was top ranked under 20 at 3000SC This winter in the Cross Country Challenge at Cardiff she finished 4th and in the recent Home Countries International at Milton Keynes she finished 8th She was 10th in the European Trials U20/U17 race at Liverpool Libby won the English Schools 3000m Champs in the summer She finished 3rd under 20 at the Cross Country Challenge in Cardiff At the European Cross Country Trial in Liverpool she finished 12th U20/U17 Belgium last February and followed that by winning the Inter Counties cross country at Loughborough in March She then went on to win the Junior Womens 3000m at the UK Athletics Champs in June and has ran the 2nd fastest leg on leg 2 in the National Cross Country relays U20 event in Mansfield in November Unfortunately she had to miss the Euro Cross Trial at Liverpool due to illness at the Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza in Elgoibar (© Organisers) “I was aware of his history in the race and that he had a statue built to honour his name,” said 23-year-old Tabor I had no idea there was a junior category held under Mamo Wolde’s name “Unfortunately we didn’t get to spend much time with my father before he passed away,” said Tabor “I mostly remember him through stories and memories from people who knew him “From what I heard and the little time I got to spend with him He himself has said he has turned down many gifts and payments after he won races to show his loyalty to his country.” “The Buttons family gave us the chance to move to America and pursue a higher education,” said Tabor “The Flecks family collaborated with the Button family to help us settle in America They have made our transition much easier in the United States and we consider them as our family.” “In the US at the moment I’m looking for a job and I play soccer,” he said “I won many races in track and field as a youth So far I have had a successful soccer career but at the moment I am looking to play for a professional team “I have completed my two-year college degree and I’m hoping to go back in the near future to finish my four-year degree in psychology,” he added “My older sister Addis has completed her four-year degree who are two years old and six months old respectively She is a stay-at-home mother with a part-time job and me – always talked about getting in touch with someone in the organisation,” said Tabor explaining how they were able to make the trip to Spain for the IAAF Cross Country Permit race “But my sister Addis was the one who finally decided to make something happen and exchanged emails and finally reached Zigor The invitation from the organisers to stay in Elgoibar for several days came at an opportune moment “I have always wanted to visit Elgoibar I just didn’t know when it would be possible,” said Tabor “It definitely happened sooner than I imagined “I think the opportunity presented itself at the right moment as it happened during the time I was taking time off from school to work and save up money for school expenses Once my sister and her husband were on board with the plan to go to Spain “The experience from the trip was definitely worth it all and beyond anything we all imagined the people are amazing; they were polite and willing to share any memory of our father We really enjoyed the stories of our father and how he interacted with the locals.” One encounter in particular stands out for Tabor “An elderly lady outside the town hall in Elgoibar said that my father once told her he came to Elgoibar for the bread from receiving a present from the mayor of the city to giving out awards for the first-place finisher in the junior race,” he added “We’ve never had so much seafood bread and wine before – it was excellent We must give a special thanks to Zigor and everyone else that made our visit the best.” Ayalew and Cheptai take the spoils in Elgoiba.. Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet and Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera topped the standings at the end of the 2023-2024 World Athletics Cross Country Tour Athletes are ranked according to their best three cross-country performance scores achieved between September 2023 and 31 March of which at least two had to come from World Cross Country Tour meetings Chebet achieved victories at the Gold level meetings in Atapuerca in October She followed that by successfully defending her title at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Belgrade 24 which propelled her into the lead in the overall standings with a score of 3880 Chebet’s compatriot Edinah Jebitok – winner in Seville Venta de Banos and Hannut – shared second place in the standings with Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw who shared the lead in the Cross Country Tour standings last season this time ended the tour as the sole winner of the men’s contest He was victorious at the Gold level meetings in Soria and Alcobendas last November then was runner-up in Elgoibar earlier this year Fellow Burundian Celestin Ndikumana was second in the overall standings Prize money is awarded to the top six finishers in the series with the winners each receiving €10,000 Women1 Beatrice Chebet (KEN) 38802 Edinah Jebitok (KEN) 37202 Likina Amebaw (ETH) 37204 Asayech Ayichew (ETH) 36605 Nadia Battocletti (ITA) 36406 Megan Keith (GBR) 3600Full standings Men1 Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 37002 Celestin Ndikumana (BDI) 36203 Ronald Kwemoi (KEN) 36104 Martin Magengo Kiprotich (UGA) 35905 Yves Nimubona (RWA) 35856 Ishmael Kipkurui (KEN) 3580Full standings Peio Rubio has followed his inner strength driving another model in the workshop and focusing on organic farming He is now satisfied with what has been done 30 years ago he was president of the Biolur association in the field of organic farming were interviewed in the podcast of ARGIA Egonarria If I ask him about childhood… I remember Zumaia although I've lived many more years in Elgoibar football shows on the beach of Itzurun and little ones on the mountain My first demonstration took place at the age of 20 when [Txabi] killed Etxebarrieta in Tolosa My militancy has always been the world of trotism which decided in the 1970s to reject the armed struggle We came together at European or state level with the Trozists with what was CSF and we were a Troskist movement We fought on the street trying to get Franco down but at least we did everything in our hands he had to move around and touched Elgoibar In Elgoibar there was a lot of work and every day we used to go and come by train At the workshop level we have always worked in the unions One day the head of the workshop left and gave up the workshop in our hands which was then called the public limited company I took the presidency because the workers said so because working anonymous companies have to work like this I believed that collectivities have to work differently and what you are pulling out crystals buy in the workshop for four coins… That is not for me There was a time when it did not make sense: if people do not want to take out a public limited company they closed the company and we had all the possibilities of going ahead: we had product but people worked with the scheme of private companies let alone in the early years: you are just economically and you have to make great efforts you also created an association of working companies which brings together social economy companies There were more and more anonymous labor companies we came together with some Biscayan: Left Margin companies that stayed like us We saw the need to set up an association and from there emerged ASLE I arrived when I felt a moment circling in a roundabout But I didn't have a critic or a little dream to come to the house It was possible to reach the farmhouse and move on we wanted to make the revolution of the Christ you've also organized yourself collectively in the world of caserío which mountaineer is hard when he goes to Montblanc We are able to do those of Christ when we have that inner force I erred and I took my leg… There is no other way to learn things I was offered to go down the street and win more I went to the agricultural technician and they told him to throw this product I don't understand that we throw so much poison into the things we're going to eat So EHNE organized a first course on organic farming in Tolosa we only had some references from Catalonia and Andalusia we had to socialize what organic farming was What relations have you had with the administration but they have always gone with the hand brake We had meetings with both the parliamentarian and the government and we always told them they were holding the hand brake Two years before the creation of the Guk association four perroflauts will create something eco-friendly That is not one thing we have talked to them because you have to put into a project what you don't have you have to take out at least enough to live Did you talk about going out to live and… Did you then sell the chileno products in Elgoibar I remember that in the early years I had used it but they came to buy women in the last minute and always haggling but this is the price I have put and I will not go down Why isn't it customary when you have coffee because in the last minute they were going to buy the surpluses as if they were going to buy and at Elgoibar we have a store with organic products Txillarre is well known for something else Here they met to speak Arnaldo Otegi and Jesús Egiguren we met from a very young age in Elgoibar and opened my house to speak And this has happened between Arnaldo and Jesús Egiguren It has a lot to do with what people have come together What march does it take today?Sometimes I do a little work in the garden [Before starting the interview he shows us the wall of the living room filled with masks from eleven corners of the world] Europe did everything with the backpack and on the campsite You've said you're in a position to die peacefully but I've made a living will and all of you don't get me a tube and that gives me a lot of joy and makes me enjoy without having to leave a good renovation and there I can be 14 hours now where there are a lot of people… You have to go to some demonstrations and I do but where there are so many people I'm not quiet with me you have to watch at least ten movies to watch one I see that people go to jazz or cinema and everyone with mobilization: kick New technologies and this system has made us empty inside and fill with lots of material things the screen I don’t know how… We are able to computer contact someone who is on the other side of the world and not say good days to those who live above Rhonex Kipruto broke the world 10km record with his time of 26:24 while Julien Wanders improved the European record Callum Hawkins ran a Scottish best and Sheila Chepkirui was among three women to dip inside 30 minutes Our full online report can be found here At the Run Stirling cross country event, Kris Jones and Kate Avery claimed senior titles despite the challenging conditions. Click here for our report Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza de Elgoibar Kenya's World Cross champion Hellen Obiri won the the senior women's 7.6km race clocking 25:10 ahead of world under-20 cross country champion Beatrice Chebet with 25:16 Eva Cherono was third (25:48) and Rose Chelimo fourth (26:40) Hellen Obiri, doble campeona del mundo de 5.000 metros y campeona mundial de cross, gana por segundo año consecutivo el @CrossElgoibar #TierraDeLeyendas pic.twitter.com/ypdf8D3IJv — Miguel Calvo (@MiguelCalvo_A) January 12, 2020 Lauren Hall eighth and Eleanor Bolton 13th who claimed under-20 silver at the World Cross Country Championships clocking 31:39 ahead of Kenya's Richard Yator (32:03) and Eritrea's Aron Kifle (32:06) Olympic 5000m silver medallist Paul Chelimo was fourth in 32:22 After winning the NYRR Midnight Run to start her year Eilish McColgan continued her America trip with another victory Britain’s European 5000m silver medallist clocked 32:29 to win the women's race and finish third overall Surreal experience racing the Disney 10K this morning Around 15,000 people took to the streets around Epcot Park at 5.30am this morning I battled to the line with some male athletes from Brazil to take 3rd overall and first female in 32.29 pic.twitter.com/h3cot94WzE — Eilish McColgan (@EilishMccolgan) January 10, 2020 After almost two years away from racing and five months after the birth of her daughter Chidera British sprint hurdles record-holder Tiffany Porter returned to action with times of 8.32 and 8.37 in the 60m hurdles and 7.75 in the 60m Shannon Osika won the women's mile in 4:34.40 while Raheem Chambers won the men's 60m in 6.71 World under-18 200m record-holder and European under-20 champion Amy Hunt started her year with a 7.42 60m while Ebony Carr ran a PB of 7.49 behind her and then further improved to 7.35 in a later race Bethan Partridge cleared a 1.90m PB to win the women's high jump and Will Grimsey cleared 2.24m to win the men’s competition Sophie Cook cleared a pole vault PB of 4.46m to move fifth on the UK indoor all-time list World Para Athletics T38 100m silver medallist Thomas Young improved his 60m PB from 7.47 to 7.28 while Heather Paton improved her Scottish 60m hurdles record to 8.28 and European under-23 medallist Cameron Fillery won the men's race in 7.83 Naomi Ogbeta triple jumped 13.62m to win with a championship record Andrew Morgan-Harrison won the 200m in a PB of 20.95 The 2017 world high jump silver medalist Yuliya Levchenko cleared 2.00m to equal her indoor PB Kenya Police Service Cross Country Championships Two-time World Cross winner Geoffrey Kamworor won the men's 10km race in 30:04.32 Jackline Cherotich won the women's 10km in 40:17.95 ahead of defending champion Margaret Chelimo » See the January 16 issue of AW magazine for more from this week’s athletics and running events The road to London: Remembering your first marathon Spain – Kenya’s reigning World junior 3000m Steeplechase champion Conseslus Kipruto and Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka grabbed the victories at the ‘70th Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza’ in Elgoibar on Sunday (13) After her brilliant win at the New Year’s Eve 10km race in Madrid with a superb 30:59 clocking Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka began the 6.6km event as the woman to beat Although her compatriot World junior 5000m champion Buze Diriba and Kenya’s Mercy Cherono were tipped as her toughest rivals the early stages of the event were dominated by European athletes like European cross-country bronze medallist Adrienne Herzog and the Spanish pair of Diana Martín and Alessandra Aguilar The 26-year-old Burka confirmed that she is now targeting the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz next March It was also a day of celebration because exactly 50 years ago the 1968 Olympic Marathon champion Mamo Wolde took the first of his four victories in Elgoibar The trophy for the junior men’s race is named in Wolde’s honour and on this occasion it was won by Italy’s Lorenzo Dini while Spain’s Claudia Estévez won the junior women’s race This year also marked the 10th anniversary of Kenenisa Bekele’s victory in Elgoibar Read more on IAAF.org As part of the build up to the World Cross Country Championships in Denmark the English Cross Country Association (ECCA) are sending a number of England teams to European venues to find strong competition England Athletics National Endurance lead Spencer Duval commented "These international opportunities are an excellent way for English athletes to gain valuable racing experience in the lead up to the world cross country championships." The first is a visit to Elgoibar in Spain on the 13th January and the Teams selected to go are: Northern Spain packed the Instalaciones Sports Mintexta on the afternoon of Friday 12 September 2003 as the town´s mayor Marivi Agirregomezkorta inaugurated a monument to Ethiopian running legend Mamo Wolde Ethiopia's 1968 Olympic marathon champion Mamo Wolde who died on Sunday 25 May 2002 at the age of 70 after a long illness was a former army captain who became a sporting hero in Ethiopia after winning the marathon gold at the 1968 Mexico Olympics and the bronze at the 1972 Munich Games As well as his achievements at the Olympics Wolde is fondly remembered in Elgoibar after winning the annual cross country race Juan Muguerza Cross International in 1963 commented that Wolde was the first African runner to run in Elgoibar when he took on the best runners in 1963 so seeing the first African runner [Mamo Wolde] beating the others in Elgoibar was therefore a sensation at the time.” now resides next to another of Juan Muguerza a local runner who was a Spanish champion in the 1930s.  This is the second monument inauguration in the past four months for the Ethiopian star Ethiopian philanthropist and athletics supporter Abeselom Yihdego funded the construction of a large statue for Wolde that now stands proudly next to that of Wolde’s friend and colleague 1960 and 1964 Olympic marathon gold medallist Abebe Bikila at the St Joseph Church in Addis Ababa Juan Muguerza Cross Internacional has been held in January every year for the past 60 years and is now considered an ideal preparation for runners before the World Cross Country Championships Famous names have graced the circuit here in the past four decades with the likes of Haile Gebrselassie Mamo Wolde and Edith Masai running in Elgoibar before going on to grab world or Olympic honours Kenenisa Bekele won last year's race two months before picking up his second successive world cross-ountry double in Lausanne The recognition is significant given that Wolde had spent most of the past nine years in jail accused of taking part in the murder of a 15-year-old boy during the regime of Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam Wolde was found guilty of the crime in January 2002 and sentenced to six years in prison but was released because he had already spent nine years behind bars On returning to his wife and three children in Addis Ababa Wolde – who suffered from lack of hearing bad eyesight and liver pain – beamed with delight and said he accepted the court's verdict with grace even though he was not the one who killed the boy The 32ndCross Internacional de Italica in Santiponce on the outskirts of the Spanish city of Sevilla will see Uganda’s Timothy Toroitich and Ethiopia’s Hiwot Ayalew start as favourites on Sunday (19) race in the Basque town of Elgoibar last Sunday and will be looking to maintain their momentum The women’s 8km contest offers a quality field headed by the Ethiopian pair of the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships silver medallist Hiwot Ayalew and l 18-year-old Alemitu Haroye who bagged the bronze medal in the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz last March This pair proved to be in stellar form last Sunday when they came in first and second in Elgoibar comfortably ahead of a couple of quality Kenyans Ayalew is looking for her fifth successive cross country win after victories in Atapuerca (17 November) San Giorgio Su Legnano (6 January) and Elgoibar (12 January) the in-form 23-year-old Ethiopian should be eager to make the Italica podium for the first time as she had to settle for the fourth place on her only previous appearance here The two other Ethiopians on the start line will be the Spain-based Rehima Jewar and Trihas Gebre Cherono, the 2013 IAAF World Championships 5000m silver medallist, will have a tough task to maintain the Kenyan supremacy after six years of winning the women’s race in Santiponce, she could improve on her two previous outings this winter, a third spot in Atapuerca and a fourth place in Elgoibar. Read more Ethiopian Athlete Selemon Barega has won the 79th Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza – a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting – in the Spanish town of Elgoibar today This is the second triumph in the Spanish town for Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon the international governing body of athletics the 10.8km contest’s early leader was Spain’s European indoor 3000m bronze medallist Adel Mechaal who injected a brisk pace right from the gun to cover the first 400m in 1:06 another Spanish athlete Carlos Mayo took command of the race with Mechaal The first 2.1km lap took the front group 6:29 with Mayo But the pace slowed over the second big loop and Mechaal and Aaron Las Heras managed to catch the leaders Selemon moved to the front for the first time Midway through the penultimate lap He injected full gas some 2500m from home and by the bell – after a 6:20 penultimate loop – he had built a significant lead of seven seconds on the Ethiopia-based Birhanu himself 16 seconds clear of Aferdi and Mechaal The 22-year-old Selemon extended his advantage over the pack Over the closing circuit and won the race unopposed in 33:14 Last year’s runners-up Birhanu finished second again in 33:27 while Mechaal clocked 33:39 to complete the podium “I’m satisfied with my third podium here in as many appearances in Elgoibar,” Selemon said but I’ll likely skip the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst and I’ll do some indoor races instead.” After finishing fifth over 10,000m at the World Championships in Oregon the world indoor champion made his half marathon debut at the Great North Run in Newcastle last September when he finished second in 1:00:39 His first cross-country outing this season came at the Jan Meda Cross on 1 January where he finished seventh against high-quality domestic opposition the Ethiopian athlete said: “I’ll try to make the Ethiopian team to compete in the 10,000m but I haven’t ruled out trying a double taking part in either the 5000m or even the 1500m.” Featured Image: Selemon Barega triumphs at the 79th Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza (Photo © Asociacion ADOC) ADDIS ABABA – The government of South Korea has provided today medical equipment including ICU beds to the Ministry of Health as Seoul continues its support to Addis ADDIS ABABA – Japan on Friday signed a grant contract for disability vocational training center in Bekoji Town of Oromia region ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia is set to start electric transmission to Kenya this year after signing a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the neighboring nation TECNO Mobile and the UN Refugee Agency deepen global partnership launching a new joint initiative titled ‘Together We Can Bring Education to African Children & Youth.‘ Ethio Telecom has inaugurated its second ultra-fast electronic vehicle charging station in Addis Ababa as the telco continues to invest in charging infrastructure Record label Muziqawi has announced the rerelease of Stereo Instrumental Music 1976 album by the legendary Ibex Band Ethiopian Airlines has won the ‘Outstanding Food Service by a Carrier – Africa’ title at the 2025 PAX Readership Awards and received the ‘Cabin Concept of the Year Ethiopian Monitor [EM] publishes latest local and regional news EM News reports on a range of issues including economy Copyright  © 2025 Ethiopian Monitor (EM News)