Uganda’s Ayeko wins senior men’s event while Steph Twell finishes behind Ethiopia’s Birtukan Fente Alemu in senior women’s race at Greenmount

Thomas Ayeko of Uganda dominated the senior men’s race on a fast yet challenging Antrim course, Stephen Green reports.

Ayeko moved clear of Kenya’s Edwin Soi in the final stages of the 10km race to win by 80m in 31:27 and regain the title he won in 2013. Soi clocked 31:40 ahead of compatriot Jonathan Ndiku with 32:25.

First Brit home and winner of the Home Countries International was Andy Maud in fifth.

Birtukan Fente Alemu of Ethiopia shook of the challenge of a delighted Steph Twell and compatriot Birtukan Adamu to take the senior women’s 7.2km race by a clear 70m in 24:12.

Twell, who claimed the Antrim title as a 19-year-old in 2009, clocked 24:28 to finish 21 seconds ahead of Adamu. Maddie Murray of Scotland finished superbly in fourth to take the Home Countries win.

Jonathan Davies and Rebecca Murray emerged as emphatic winners of the junior races, Davies clocking 22:15 ahead of Joe Steward and Kieran Wood, and Murray running 18:50 ahead of Jenny Nesbitt and Elizabeth Mooney in an England 1-2-3.

Top results

Senior men

1 Thomas Ayeko UGA 31:27
2 Edwin Soi KEN 31:40
3 Jonathan Ndiku KEN 32:25
4 Gideon Kimosop KEN 32:26
5 Andrew Maud S ENG 33:19
6 Dean Lacy ENG 33:25
7 Vincent Chepyegon KEN 33:26
8 Lee Merrien GSY 33:29

Senior women

1 Birtukan Fente Alemu ETH 24:12
2 Stephanie Twell GBR 24:28
3 Birtukan Adamu ETH :24:49
4 Maddie Murray SCO 25:03
5 Sonja Roman SLO 25:17
6 Nicola Sykes MID 25:23
7 Jane Potter MID 25:24
8 Louise Small ENG 25:31

Junior men

1 Jonathan Davies ENG 22:15
2 Joe Steward ENG 22:35
3 Kieran Wood S ENG 22:46
4 Jack Rowe S ENG 22:55
5 Aidan Thomson SCO 22:58
6 Declan McManus MID 22:59
7 Cameron Field N ENG 23:00
8 Matthew Dickinson WAL 23:01

Junior women

1 Rebecca Murray ENG 18:50
2 Jennifer Nesbitt ENG 19:05
3 Elizabeth Mooney ENG 19:25
4 Heidi Davies WAL 19:29
5 Mhairi Maclennan SCO 19:33
6 Hannah Brown N ENG 19:35
7 Rachael Dunn SCO 19:40
8 Hope Saunders IRL 19:46

See next week’s Athletics Weekly magazine for more in-depth coverage, while full results can be found here

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