Posted: December 21, 2005

Athletics: Lebid, Baldini, Ritzenhein, Chepkemei To Headline Boclassic In Bolzano On New Year's Eve

From David Monti

© 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Bob Ramsak

Defending champion Sergiy Lebid, Olympic Marathon champion Stefano Baldini, American Dathan Ritzenhein and Susan Chepkemei of Kenya top the fields for 31st Boclassic races in Bolzano, Italy, on December 31.

Beating a solid field last year, Lebid, who cruised to his sixth European cross country title earlier this month, edged Baldini by less than a second in the eight-lap 10 km race. But pulling off the biggest surprise was Ritzenhein, who finished just half a second behind Baldini while making his professional road racing debut. Bolzano will be the first race for the 22-year-old since winning the U.S. 10 km road title at the Food World Senior Bowl on Nov. 5. Ritzenhein is also scheduled to defend his title at the Belfast International Cross Country race on Jan. 7.

The solid field also includes Benjamin Limo of Kenya, the world champion in the 5000 meters, and Janne Holmen of Finland, the reigning European champion in the marathon.

Chepkemei leads the women's 5 km field in her first appearance since finishing second at the ING New York City Marathon early last month. Aniko Kalovics of Hungary, Briton Joanne Pavey and Nadia Ejjafini of Bahrain round out the field of top international entrants. Gloria Marconi, Deborah Toniolo, and Eleonora Berlanda lead a strong Italian contingent.

The Fields (as of 21-Dec):

MEN - Sergiy Lebid, 1975, UKR Stefano Baldini, 1971, ITA Benjamin Limo, 1974, KEN Janne Holmen, 1971, FIN Dathan Ritzenhein, 1982, USA Abderrahim Goumri, 1972, MAR Jan Fitschen, 1977, GER André Green, 1973, GER Ronald Kipchumba, 1987, KEN Wilson Busienei, 1981, UGA Barnabas Bene, 1986, HUN Abdelkebir Lamachi, 1980, MAR Daniele Caimmi, 1972, ITA Giovanni Gualdi, 1979, ITA Danilo Goffi, 1971, ITA Ennaji El Idrissi, 1984, MAR Mohamed Hajjy, 1978, MAR Gabriele De Nard, 1974, ITA Andrea Regazzoni, 1978, ITA Simone Zanon, 1975, ITA Mattia Maccagnan, 1980, ITA Massimo Pegoretti, 1974, ITA Roland Weissteiner, 1978, ITA Markus Ploner, 1976, ITA Denis Curzi, 1975, ITA Yuri Floriani, 1981, ITA Francesco Ingargiola, 1973, ITA Migidio Bourifa, 1969, ITA Ruggero Pertile, 1974, ITA Salvatore Vincenti, 1972, ITA Michele Gamba, 1972, ITA Maurizio Leone, 1973, ITA Christian Obrist, 1980, ITA Riccardo Baggia, 1971, ITA Adriano Pinamonti, 1967, ITA Luigi Guarnati, 1974, ITA Daniele Dolci, 1971, ITA Mirko Sanna, 1974, ITA Mirko Matuzzi, 1974, ITA Peter Lanziner, 1977, ITA Giorgio Bresciani, 1967, ITA Rachid Jarmouni, 1973, MAR

WOMEN - Susan Chepkemei, 1975, KEN Aniko Kalovics, 1977, HUN Joanne Pavey, 1973, GBR Nadia Ejjafini, 1980, BHR Gloria Marconi, 1968, ITA Deborah Toniolo, 1977, ITA Eleonora Berlanda, 1976, ITA Rosalba Console, 1979, ITA Silvia Weissteiner, 1979, ITA Agnes Tschurtschenthaler, 1982, ITA Rosita Rota Gelpi, 1975, ITA Renate Rungger, 1979, ITA Fatna Maraoui, 1977, ITA Marzena Michalska, 1975, ITA Joanna Drelicharz, POL Anna Rosso, 1986, ITA Lorenza Beatrici, 1970, ITA