53^rd World Military Cross-Country Championship

Version Française

23 February 2008 in Thun, Switzerland

Text by Dominique Einsweiler - Photos by Dirk De Vos

Dunum, an Alpine Treasure Trove

This is what General Guillaume-Henri Dufour likely whispered in the ear of his student, future Napoleon III, in 1831. Dunum, a Celtic word meaning “fortified hill”, was the first name given to the city of Thun, which can pride itself on owning several historical treasures.

Its historic centre, occupying the islet on the Aar where the river splits into two channels to cross the city, has acted like a fascinating magnet for tourists since the early 19^th century. Near downtown, visitors can discover the Thunersee, a lake fed by the water of Steingletscher glacier, as well as Schadau castle, erected between 1846 and 1852.

Small, picturesque streets take passers-by to the main square where the 16^th-century Rathaus (town hall)sits prominently and visitors can catch sight of the fortified castle built by the Zaehringen dynasty, perched on a hill, as well as of Saint Mary's, a Romanesque church built in the 14^th century. This history-filled location was chosen by the local and military authorities to host the Opening Ceremony of the 53^rd World Military Cross-Country Championship. Mrs Ursula Halle, Vice-President of the City of Thun and national Councilwoman was proud to once again welcome the athletes of CISM in her beautiful city in a spirit of brotherhood. Other authorities honoured the Ceremony with their presence, including Dr Müller, President of Swiss Athletics as well as Lieutenant General Luc Fellay of the Defence and Security Policy Department and finally also CISM President General Gianni Gola, who was very keen to inaugurate the first military world championship in 2008 – especially since it is a jubilee year for our organisation – with General Jean-Jacques Joss, member of the CISM Board of Directors.!

May the best athletes prevail in the spirit of our motto: “Friendship through Sport!”

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Photo Gallery :

Opening Ceremony

Thun

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The Upper Crust to Celebrate CISM’s 60th Anniversary and 40 years of Swiss Membership

Following a dry year in 2007 – despite the Sport Committee’s thorough search for potential hosts for the competitions among the countries whose athletes regularly feature on cross-country podiums –, the Swiss city of Thun welcomed the very best cross-country runners for the 1^st world military championship in 2008, the year of CISM’s 60^th anniversary and of the Swiss Armed Forces’ 40 years of CISM membership. Surrounded by the Bern Alps, the Swiss mud paths were ready to be trodden by the athletes of 25 nations, and not the worst ones at that, since they included Qatar, Algeria, Morocco and France, whose representatives did not miss the early-year call from the Alps. The only disappointments came from the absences of Kenya and Rwanda, countries that have always breathed life into the discipline.

Like a bastion, the military camp surrounded by the Bern Alps worked twice as hard to provide a course that would be worthy of the very best Cross-country runners. Napoleon III, who attended military training in Thun, would no doubt have found a favourable practice ground for his ambitions there. The organisers – in cooperation with both the authorities of Swiss Athletics and the local All Blacks and canton authorities –, put together an impressive technical and recreational package which was much appreciated by the distinguished guests and spectators who came in large numbers to watch not only the championship events but also the civilian races held in parallel.

In keep with cross-country tradition, three major races were on the day’s agenda: the short cross and women’s cross on a 4,000m course and the long cross on a distance of 10,000. In the context not only of the different international races featuring at regular intervals on the winter competition calendar but also the Edinburgh World Championship toward the end of March and the Beijing Olympics – which are now very close at hand –, this competition provided a good test of skills for middle- and long-distance runners. While the relatively flat, 1,920m course included only one hillock, it had to be climbed twice per lap after completing a hair-pin bend. On Saturday 24 February, under the blue sky and a generous sun, the world’s top-notch cross-country runners were eager to contend, especially since many of them thought that the World Championship in Edinburgh in late March was scheduled too late in a season calendar with a bias toward the upcoming Olympics.

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Qatar in force, Algeria with Nerve!

Looking at the start list, Qatar already emerged as the number one favourite in the men’s races despite the presence of Algerian and Moroccan soldiers and French legionnaires who could not wait to stick their spikes in the race course earth and contend with their direct opponents for places on the podiums.

In the men’s short cross – the first event proposed to the spectators –, the Algerians were not going to be overawed by Qatari in top form and used to first place. Local athlete Phillip Bandy too, fully intended to feature honourably on the home turf.

At the starter’s shot, French legionnaire of Moroccan origin Mandour Yassine immediately took the lead, followed closely by Algeria’s Aboud Rabah – who very recently conquered the silver medal at Pan-Arabian Cross, having already won bronze in the 5,000m at the 4^th Military World Games in Hyderabad – and fellow countryman Fethi Meftah – a usual sight in high-level competitions including the very recent 25^th edition of the Cherdioui cross, which he finished a close second behind Rabah. A scant few hundred meters into the race, Qatar’s well-oiled machine came into action and its athletes caught up with the leaders. Into the first lap, as a specialist of the 3,000m steeple, Ali Thamer Kamal took the lead with three of his team mates closely in tow: Felix Kibore, 9^th in the 5,000m at the last World Championships, Zaman Sultan, who featured honourably at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and C’Kurui James, who finished the 3,000m at the 2004 IAAF World Athletics in second place. Not far behind, the Algerians struggled to catch up with the lead pack but never quite succeeded as the Qatari quickened the pace to set the record straight. In the final stretch, the Qatar athletes did not let up and their acceleration even dealt team mate Zaman Sultan a deadly blow even as the Algerians further stepped it up. The two Algerians covered the last few yards of the race like cannonballs and sped past Qatar’s C’Kurui James, allowing Fethi Meftah to conquer bronze and team mate Aboud Rabah to finish 4^th. Quite expectedly, Ali Thamer won the race, beating fellow countryman Felix Kibore who bagged silver while Kurui James had to be content with 5^th and Zaman Sultan finished 14^th.

The nice team performance put together by the Algerians earned them team silver behind indomitable Qatari with team gold, while a very nice bronze medal fell to Moroccans who managed to conquer top ten spots in the individual rankings. Also worthy of praise was the wonderful 7^th place reached by local athlete Philipp Bandy, who stayed with the pursuit group throughout but could not rely on a team mate to push him to a better finishing position. The Swiss athlete completed the race a few lengths ahead of Frenchman Mandour Yassine, who did not manage to stay in front of the race very long.

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Photo Gallery :

Short Cross Men

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Absent Zhor, Everything Was Up for Grabs!

There was no choice but to face the facts: a world championship without Morocco’s Zhor El Kamch would not quite be the same... Well...

Recovering from an adductor muscle wound and entering the San Juan 10,000 on the very day that the military race was scheduled with the aim of coming back to her best level, the Queen of the Military World Championship sidestepped the Thun rendezvous. The Moroccan Delegation was not gutted by this her absence however, as it could rely on the next generation, including most definitely Mariya Laghrissi – not only the national cross-country champion in 2006 but also a regular feature at major international events including the 2007 Pan-Arabian Games in Egypt. Another pretender to the much-coveted title was Germany’s Sabrina Mockenhaupt, whose personal rather impressive record included not only 5 national titles in the 5,000m, 10,000m and indoor 3,000m steeple – including her famous double in the 5,000m and 10,000m in 2003 – but also the bronze medal she very recently won in the 3,000m at the Athletics European Indoor Cup on 16 February and the gold medal she bagged at the 9^th European 10,000m Cup in 2004. This record meant that she entered the race a clear favourite. As for Belgium’s Nathalie De Vos, who had finished second of the Lotto Cross Cup in Dour a few days before this event and boasted an impressive record – including qualifying valiantly for the 2007 world championship in Osaka after the Dutch Open in Utrecht – and who will likely qualify for the Beijing Olympics, she could claim a place on the podium. Finally, France’s Julie Coulaud, who won the silver medal at the European Championship in Toro last December, was a competitor to be reckoned with.

On a relatively flat course without any major difficulty, the Moroccans immediately decided to go for the front spots so as to impose a sustained pace from the outset. The best cross-country runners in attendance were not to be fooled however, and took the athletes from the Atlas in their stride. Halfway through the race, the podium was taking shape already but well-informed spectators could still discuss the final rankings as Frenchwoman Coulaud struggled to catch up with the best. With Belgium’s Nathalie De Vos in tow, Morocco’s Mariya Laghrissi went for broke to smother the opposition for good; but in doing so she failed to reckon with Germany’s Mockenhaupt, who inched her way back to the front of the race. A memorable finish was in the making in the last several hundred meters as the German regularly increased her pace to speed past both the Belgian and Moroccan athletes as she crossed the finish line.

The die was cast, Mockenhaupt bagged gold and Laghrissi had to be satisfied with silver despite having led the race throughout while Belgium’s Nathalie De Vos was delighted with her bronze medal and a performance that relegated her direct opponents in the world rankings to the background. Zhor El Kamch’s junior team mate did not manage to repeat her elder’s feats... but there will no doubt be other opportunities. And anyway, she led her team mates to excellence and earned Morocco team gold, beating the French – who still salvaged something from the situation – and the Italians who finished the race in close succession.

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Photo Gallery :

Short Cross Women

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Qatar Leaves Only Crumbs

What more is there to say about Qatar’s dominion over this World Military Cross-Country Championship? Their spikes did indeed leave figurative prints in the history of the discipline and, barring a major upset, the die was cast even before the start of the long cross.

Comments abounded at the start of the race – who could deny the Qatari claim? Morocco or the French legionnaires, or maybe an athlete in great shape producing an even greater feat to engineer a major upset...

Qatar entered renowned athletes including Abdullah Ahmad Hassan, who bagged bronze at the 2005 World Championship in Saint Galmier, France – in the famous race won by equally famous cross-country star Bekele – and a medal of the same metal in the 2004 edition of the New Delhi semi-marathon. And then what could we possibly say about his team mate Rashed Essa Isamail, who won the 10,000m at the 16^th Asian Championships in 2005. And let us not forget their usual support acts in international events, both on tracks and in the fields, i.e. Salem Gamal and Nasser Jamal.

Following its leader Beloua Brahim, the Moroccan team could hope to bag a team medal and so did the French, whose legionnaires of Moroccan and Kenyan extraction were clearly set on defending their chances all along the 10km of the course.

Right off the bat, Austria’s Günther Weidlinger and Frenchman Janes Teuri jointly took the lead, with the Qatari closely in tow. But long was the race and everything could change in any and all of the six laps. The standings were almost unchanged after lap #1, except that the leading pack was even more compact. In the second lap, the Qatari started setting a faster pace already and Abudallah Ahmad and his two team mates took the lead. A few lengths behind, the Austrian was hanging in as best as he could, followed by a small pack comprising the French and Moroccans. In the third lap, it seemed that the die was cast already as nobody seemed able to have the best of the lead runners. Lap #4 froze the race standings for good: the Qatari were literally flying to triumph even with 4,000m to go; indeed, the Austrian was already 300m behind by then, while the rest of the pack was trailing the leaders by 400m. In the fifth lap, favourite Abdullah Ahmad Hassan built up a significant lead on his team mates to guard against any bad surprises. All was said; Abdullah Ahmad Hassan bagged gold, Salem Gamal silver while Rashed Essa completed the incredible Qatari treble. The only other athlete who stood our, i.e. Austria’s Weidlinger, could savour a superb 4^th place as the first European to cross the finish line...behind the undisputed and unchallengeable emirs of the discipline.

Qatar obviously won team gold too, while Morocco bagged silver for effectively resisting the French, who finished third.

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Photo Gallery :

Long Cross Men

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The Alps as a Backcloth

CISM maintained its tradition and pitched a nice collection of athletes from 25 different countries representing all continents. On the occasion of the first Championship of the year in which the organisation celebrates it 60^th anniversary, the spectators were fully satisfied and enjoyed generous sunshine throughout these Alpine days for which the Vice-President of Thun, Mrs Ursula Halle, received the gold medal from the hands of the President of CISM and General Jean-Jacques Joss.

At Closing Ceremonies, it is important to pay tribute not only to the athletes who won medals but also to all the delegations who took the trip – this time to Switzerland – including the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, a very young nation whose athletes entered the cross country championship for only the second time.

Another big event during the Closing Ceremony was the announcement by Qatar of their intention to organise the 54^th World Military Cross-Country Championship next year.

The Swiss authorities recalled our next rendezvous with them, i.e. the CISM General Assembly on 05-11 May 2008 as well as the World Military Parachuting Championship next year.

Having expressed much deserved thanks to the Organising Committee and volunteers as well as to the many civilian participants of all ages who acted as forerunners on the mud course, the CISM flag flapped in the wind one final time and was then packed until the next event. All that was left to do was for the crowd to move to the closing banquet and savour a wonderful finale.

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Photo Gallery :

Closing Ceremony

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