http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29239.html
Saturday 30 April 2005 The shock defeat of Ethiopia's Olympic 5000m champion Meseret Defar and a return back to form for two of the country's upcoming stars, Abebe Dinkessa and Dejene Berhanu, were the highlights of the action in the 22nd MOHA Addis Ababa Municipal track championships in Addis Ababa (April 23-28 2005). But this was a meet that saw its fair share of upcoming stars and veterans alike as the best of the best from Ethiopia's capital gathered for the six-day meet. Unhealthy Defar shocked by Burika The race of the championships was undoubtedly the women's 3000m that saw the return to competition of the country's Olympic 5000m champion after electing to skip the World Cross Country Championships and major road races to prepare for the track campaign. But in Gelete Burika, she found a worthy opponent who gave an early warning to her rivals that she is ready to rise up to the challenging senior competition. In March, Burika stormed past the Kenyan challenge to win the women's junior race at the World Cross Country championships with unheralded authority. Here she was even more commanding stopping the clock at 9:00.99 more than eighteen seconds faster than Defar, who looked to be struggling throughout the race and later confirmed that she was ill and recovering from a knee injury incurred in training. After the race, Burika said that she was happy to have beaten Defar and confirmed that she will be moving up to the 3000/5000m category in the track season this summer. "I am naturally happy," she said. "It gives me encouragement to prepare for the track season where I will be competing over the 3000m and 5000m." Dinkessa and Berhanu return back to form In the men's 5000m, there was little surprise as Abebe Dinkessa, fourth in the long course race in St-Etienne/St-Galmier last March, won the race in 13:53.32 with Zenbaba Yigezu, who finished behind Dinkessa in the 2004 TOTAL Great Ethiopian Run, coming home for a repeat of the one-two finish. Dinkessa, one of the favourites to medal in France, might have been upset with his outcome two months ago, but after another imperious performance on home soil, he was back to confident that he is returning back to his best. "I had been a little upset of my result in France, but now I am back to my form and ready for the rest of the season." But Dinkessa is fully aware that he faces stiffer competition when the Ethiopian championships take place next week. "It will be difficult, but I am ready," a confident Dinkessa said. One of the strongest challengers Dinkessa missed in the 5000m race was Dejene Berhanu, who instead elected to compete in the 1500m for speed. But there is no stopping the tall and slender runner who beat established 1500m runner Seifu Nebse to take a comfortable victory in 3:42.04. In other races held over the six-day race programme, Bezunesh Bekele took the women's 5000m ahead of African 5000m champion Etalemahu Kidane. Genet Getaneh, winner of the 2004 TOTAL Great Ethiopian Run 10k race, finished a close third. In the women's 10,000m, there was little stopping Merima Hashim completing her comeback after missing the 2004 season through injury. The 25-year-old Prisons club runner and a member of Ethiopia's World Cross squad took a commanding win in 33:41.27 beating Aheza Kiros and Belaynesh Zemedkun. Solomon Molla, another of Ethiopia's World Cross squad members, took the win in 10,000m in 29:25.86 ahead of Demes Girma and Ayalew Ahmed. Elshadai Negash for the IAAF ENDS
