ERI-ATHLETICS.COM

ERI-ATHLETICS

Asmara, Nov. 22, 2004, (ERINA) -- Zersenay Tadesse crossed the finishing line first at the 11th Cross International de Soria race held in Spain yesterday. The 9 km race featured three Eritrean athletes that seized positions in the top five with Tesfayohannes Mesfen and Samson Kiflemariam finishing the race in 4th and 5th places respectively. Zeresenay, who finished in fourth place in a similar race in Spain last year finished ahead of that race's first place winner, Kenya's Benjamin Limo who finished 7th this year. Zeresenay Tadesse became the first Eritrean athlete to bring home a bronze medal from the Athens Olympic Games 2004 after winning third place at the 10,000m race for men. Meanwhile, Eritrea's under-19 national soccer team lost 1-0 to the Sudanese side during an away match held in Khartoum, which was attended by tens of thousands of spectators. The Eritrean side, which gained the admiration of many for its great display of skills, received a huge coverage by Sudanese media outlets.