Euro Cross champion Steel finished five seconds ahead of Fionnuala Britton who ran a PB in Dublin

Gemma Steel followed up a fine 18th place finish at the recent IAAF World Cross Country Championships with a win on the roads as she claimed victory at the SPAR Great Ireland Run on Saturday.

The 29-year-old Euro Cross champion clocked 33:03 for the 10km course in Dublin to deny Ireland’s two-time European cross-country gold medallist Fionnuala Britton her first victory at this event after a seventh place finish in 2011 and a fourth place in 2014. Five seconds separated the top two, Britton’s 33:07 a PB that betters her previous best of 33:54 set at this event last year.

Spain’s Alessandra Aguilar clocked 33:11 before Italy’s European marathon silver medallist Valeria Straneo crossed the line 51 seconds later for fourth place. Lizzie Lee ran 34:18 for fifth overall and the runner-up spot behind Britton in the national championships race, while Jessica Coulson clocked 34:40 for sixth.

Kenya’s 2013 World Cross champion Japhet Korir successfully defended his title, winning the men’s race in 28:15 ahead of Ethiopia’s Birhan Nebebew 28:21. Last year’s Great South Run winner James Rungaru of Kenya was a further second back as world record-holder Leonard Komon – the only athlete to have ever broken 27 minutes for 10km on the road – ran 28:28 for fourth.

Britain’s Olympic marathoner Scott Overall finished sixth in 29:59, one place behind Othmane El Goumri of Morocco with 29:46, while Mark Christie won the Irish 10km title in 30:10, finishing eighth overall.

Co. Sligo proved to be the fastest county in the All Ireland County Challenge competition for the Ronnie Delany Trophy, runners clocking an average time of 50:50.

Britain’s Jonny Hay won the elite men’s mile in 4:12 as Wouter Ploeger of Netherlands clocked the same time in second. Spain’s Marc Alcala was third in 4:13.

Tweeting after the race, Hay wrote: “Fun race today in the Great Ireland Mile very windy so was a slow tactical race but was great to win it!!”

Full results can be found at www.greatirelandrun.org

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