Jo Pavey leads from front to win Great South Run
Devon’s Jo Pavey won the Great South Run in Portsmouth in style yesterday.
The 39-year-old Exeter Harriers athlete finished the ten-mile road race in 53 minutes one second after a powerful display of front-running. Fellow Briton Jess Coulson was second, 42 seconds back.
Pavey told Channel 5: “I like a fast, flat course so this sort of race suits me. I really enjoyed it. You know the last two miles are going to be tough along the sea front, you just keep plugging away and put in more effort, giving it your final burst.”
Pavey set a personal best over 10,000 metres on the track in finishing seventh at the Olympics this summer and insists her hunger for the sport remains as strong as ever.
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“I would like to keep going,” added Pavey, who returned to the track this year after stepping up to the marathon in 2011.
“I’m getting older, but still enjoying it. It gives me motivation that I got a PB this year, there are still more challenges to go for.”
In the men’s race, Stephen Mokoka of South Africa won in 46min 40sec.
In a tactical affair, a lead group soon formed comprising Mokoka, two-times world champion Abel Kirui, Olympic bronze medallist Tariku Bekele, European silver medallist Daniele Meucci, two-times European cross-country silver medallist Ayam Lamdassem and Britain’s Andrew Lemoncello.
After Kirui and Lemoncello dropped back, Mokoka, Bekele, Lamdassem and Meucci were left to scrap it out for the lead.
Lamdassem was the first to kick for the finish line, but too early as he was caught by Mokoka turning into the final straight and the South African, who finished second to Mo Farah in the race three years ago, strode away.
Lamdassem crossed the line four seconds later, holding off Bekele, while Lemoncello was the top Briton in a personal best of 47min 08sec.
UK Athletics will name its new Olympic head coach today.
The governing body has called a press conference at which it will announce the successor to the departed Charles Van Commenee.
UKA’s new performance director Neil Black will announce his most significant appointment to date. He revealed last week that he had been “really pleased and excited” with the applicants UKA has had.
An external appointment seems very likely, given the favourite, Canadian Kevin Tyler, has opted to return to his home country with his family, ruling him out of contention for the job.
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