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Kathy Butler runs sub 32 minutes to win AAA Championship
2005-06-12
Kathy Butler retained her Norwich Union AAA 10,000 metre title in the Nike British Milers Club meeting at Watford on Saturday night. The Scot ran a storming last kilometre to stretch away from the European cross-country champion Hayley Yelling who had shared the pace with her for most of the race as they lapped all of the other runners except one. Butler won in 31 minutes 46.53 seconds, while Yelling's time of 31:53.61 earned her the silver medal for the second successive year and a guaranteed place in the England team for next year's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
Third place went to Mara Yamauchi, who has already qualified to run the marathon for Britain at this year's world championships in Helskini, with a time of 32:36.57. The men's race was won by Barnabas Kosgei (Kenya) in 28:33.74, but the real drama came in the battle for second place to decide who would gain automatic Games selection.
Keith Cullen looked favourite when he went into the last 200m with a four-second lead over 25-year-old Gavin Thompson. But Thompson (28:40.58) produced a marvellous finish, overtaking Cullen (28:41.19), in the last five metres to earn his first English senior gold medal.
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