Imane Merga to join the field at the Cross Internacional de Atapuerca – 2011-2012 IAAF Cross Country Permit
Imane Merga Jida, the 23-year-old young long distance runner from Ethiopia, who is a specialist in 5,000m and 10,000m distance races, has confirmed his participation in the Cross Internacional de Atapuerca. The race will commence on Sunday, November 13,
and will kick-start the 2011-2012 IAAF Cross Country Permit series.
The young Merga happens to be the reigning champion of the World Cross Country event.
He kicked off his international career while running in the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, where he finished at the seventh position. This was followed by him lining up for the Oeiras International Cross Country.
In the next year, the world saw him running in the Sao Silvestre da Amadora road race, where the emerging Ethiopian bagged the event title for hitting the finishing line in twenty nine minutes and twenty seven seconds.
The next year, it was the Antrim International Cross Country where he was observed to finish second on the podium in 10,000m showdown.
The year 2009 was a mixed one for the promising athlete. Starting with a fourth finish in the 10,000m showdown in the 2009 World Athletics Championships, he went on improving his record by bagging the 2009 World Athletics Final in the 5000m race.
For the Ethiopian, the year ended with his performance in the Cross Country Circuit where he bagged the Cross del’Acier title for the third time.
For Merga, the year 2010 came with a success in Punta Umbria in March. In this year’s World Athletics Championships, he remained prominent as a bronze medal awaited him in the 10,000m run.
This year, the Ethiopian claimed another major success, in the 5000m Diamond Race Trophy in the famous Samsung Diamond League.
The athlete is now looking forward to dominate the field in the Cross Country Campaign for which he is being regarded as a strong contestant.
One of the prominent athletes who is expected to give the stellar performer a tough time in the race is Teklemariam Medhin from Eritrea, who also happens to be the last year’s World Cross Country silver medallist.
One the women’s side, it will be Linet Masai, the Kenyan performer who will lead the race while Genzebe Dibaba will look forward to defend her event title in the event.
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