Steel a surprise Bupa Great Yorkshire Run winner - Kogo takes men's title

Race report: Bupa Great Yorkshire Run - Sunday October 9, 2011

Gemma Steel was a surprise winner, ahead of Jo Pavey and Maria McCambridge, at the Bupa Great Yorkshire Run on Sunday, while Kenya's Micah Kogo showed his class with a comfortable victory ahead of Chris Thompson and Andrew Lemoncello in the men's race.

Photo: Gemma Steel, 2011 Bupa Great Yorkshire Run winner

Pavey, after an excellent fourth finish in last month's Bupa Great North Run following a foot injury, admitted disappointment when beaten into second place by the newly emerging Steel.

The former track star, whose next major marathon will be in New York early next month, had no answer when her younger rival piled on the pressure in the final two kilometres of their 10km encounter to win emphatically in a time of 32 minutes 52 seconds.

Steel, who in May was decisively beaten by Pavey at the Bupa London 10K, but on that occasion took the scalp of world marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe, was elated after her shock success over a tough Sheffield course.

"This has got to be the biggest win of my career and to beat someone like Jo Pavey is just unbelievable" said Steel the reigning UK half marathon champion. "It's like a dream which I never thought could happen. I'm still in a little bit of a shock."

There were no excuses from pre-race favourite Pavey, particularly with Louise Damen, another 2012 Olympic marathon hopeful, being an absentee after a mix up between herself and her manager about competing at the meet.

Pavey, who gained the Olympic qualifying time in last April's Virgin London Marathon and who has been on a high mileage schedule in her preparations for the second marathon of her career, said that had very little to do with the defeat.

"Obviously it wasn't a great run from me and I expected to have done a lot better. But let's take nothing away from Gemma, she's showed this year she is an up-and-coming runner and fully deserved her victory", said the 37-year-old who finished in 33:12, well clear of Ireland's Maria McCambridge who clocked 34:39.

Pavey added: "I just didn't feel good and was struggling even in the early miles. I just didn't feel right. I'm a bit disappointed but in getting ready for New York I've been putting in a high mileage rate in training."

In the men's race Kogo, the former World record holder for 10km, and Thompson broke clear between two and three kilometres. After seven kilometres, last summer’s European 10,000 track silver medallist tried to get clear, but his ambitions where blown away by Kogo who took command of the race to win by 18 seconds in 28:45.

"It was almost at the same point that Haile Gebrselassie did it to me in Manchester", said Thompson who was beaten by the legendary Ethiopian on that occasion in mid-May. "Like then he (Kogo) just looked across at me and went.”

Thompson after missing this summer's World Championships when not attaining the qualifying standard after a period of injury, revealed he was just pleased to be back running again at this level and having matched his second place of a year ago.

"They don't come any better than Kogo, he's a real pro and although I thought I was gaining on him in the last couple of kilometres I knew there was little chance of getting back together," he added.

"I was on a real high just to be back competing again at this level, but it was hard work out there. I've ran here four times now and I have to say that is the toughest I've ever found the course.

"There was also no spring in my legs and although I tried to get with him again with kilometres left he pushed again."

Kogo who put in a super fast effort and what was a race winning split of 2:44 between seven and eight kilometres, said: "I felt Chris on my shoulder and decided to try and get clear. But then I slowed. It was very windy and the last part of the course was the hardest bit."

Scotland's Olympic marathon hopeful Lemoncello in a sprint finish just had the legs of British steeplechase international Stuart Stokes the pair sharing the same time of 29:57.

Men's results

Women's results

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