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Aussie ace blows hot in final sprint
Australian star Craig Mottram won the BUPA Great Yorkshire 10K at Sheffield yesterday after a close battle with Chris Thompson (Aldershot) which went to the wire.
It was Thompson who forced the early pace, leading the 8,000-strong field through 3,000 metres in eight minutes 25 second. Mottram was always close and, for a while, Andrew Lemoncello, Scotand's number one, also posed a threat.
In the last two kilometres, the lead changed hands as both Thompson and Mottram surged in an effort to get clear.
They managed to break up the lead group and it all came down to a sprint finish on the slope up to Arundel Gate, Mottram prevailing by just a second in 28:50.
It was 20 seconds down on last year's winning time but the runners had a troublesome headwind to contend with on the return from Hillsborough.
Finland's Jussi Utrianen made up ground in the final stages to snatch third place ahead of Lemoncello.
Ireland's Gary Thornton was fifth and former Olympic marathon champion Stefano Baldini completed the top half dozen.
"Chris went out very quickly from the start to test the other guys and it was only at three kilometres I settled into the rhythm of the race." said Mottram, returning to top form after being sidelined last year with a serious Achilles injury.
Because of that he was not considered by the Australian selectors for the Commonwealth Games.
He only arrived from Australia on Tuesday. His season is in the ascendency and he gallantly suggested that he had caught the Europeans at the end of a tiring season.
For Thompson the season still has some way to go for he is doubling in the 5,000 and 10,000m in the Commonwealth Games. He was pleased with his run considering he had trained through rather than resting for this race in which he ran considerably faster than last year when he finished fifth.
The race was not well supported by South Yorkshire's leading distance runners, but there was a good performance from Rotherham's Phil Hoole who finished 13th in 31:18.
Freya Murray (Chester le Street) won the women's race for the second successive year after a close race with young Aldershot runner Charlotte Purdue.
A superb 21st overall, Murray prevailed by five seconds in 33:01 after losing to her younger rival in a track race a week earlier. The two clash again in the Commonwealth Games, Murray running in the colours of Scotland.
Rotherham pair Natalie Grant and Jessica Fawcett were 8th and 10th, separated by former World Champion Liz McColgan.
Doncaster's Caroline Wheelhouse, 52, had a remarkable run to finish 11th amoing the women, winning the over 50 section and clocking a new personal best of 40:54.
Whatever is said about his refereeing, there can be no doubting the fitness of World Cup final ref Howard Webb.
The Rotherham official ran a very creditable 44:20 while Sheffield politician and former Home Secretary David Blunkett completed the course in 1:37:31.
Results
Men: 1 C Mottram (Australia) 28:50; 2 C Thompson (Aldershot) 28:51; 3 J Utrianen (Finland) 29:02; 4 A Lemoncello (Fife) 29:08; 5 G Thornton (Galway) 29:30; 6 S Baldini (Italy) 29:33; 7 S Stokes (Sale) 30:03; 8 J Martinez (Spain) 30:10; 9 L Merrion (Guernsey) 30:13; 10 J Beattie (Newham and Essex) 30:22; 13: P Hoole (Rotherham) 31:18; 33 M Hobbs (Hallamshire) 35:23; 34 D Furniss (Hallamshire) 35:41; 36 J Maxfield (Rotherham) 36:00.
Women 1 F Murray (Chester le Street) 33:01; 2 C Purdue (Aldershot) 33:06; 3 G Steel (Charnwood) 33:57; 4 A Dixon (Chester le Street) 34:17; 5 S Hignett (Bournmouth) 35:10; 8 N Grant (Rotherham) 38:54; 10 J Fawcett (Rotherham) 40:46; 11 C Wheelhouse (Doncaster) 40:54; 12 L Gray (Rotherham) 40:55.
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Weather for Sheffield
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North east
