Burika to challenge Dibaba in cross-country

World junior cross-country champion Gelete Burika is a last-minute recruit to challenge pre-race favourite Tirunesh Dibaba for the VisitScotland Great Edinburgh Cross Country title on Saturday.

Burika may not yet have matched the achievements of her fellow senior Ethiopian star, who became only the second woman to win both the long and short-course gold medals with her efforts at last year’s world cross-country championships.

But the 19-year-old, who was born in the same region as other great Ethiopian athletes such as Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele and Derartu Tulu, has matured massively since her win in St Etienne last March.

“She’s just a year younger than Dibaba and many reckon she is catching up very quickly on her,” said Matthew Turnbull, the elite athletes director of the meeting.

“Ethiopian stars have told me she is a phenomenal talent and Saturday’s race could be the right time and place to put one over Dibaba, but it won’t be easy, given Dibaba’s pedigree.”

The defending champion is equally successful on the track and last summer became the first athlete to clinch both the 5,000 metres and 10,000m at the same meeting at the World Championships in Helsinki.

Final entries also include Burika’s fellow Ethiopians Genet Getenah and Ashu Kasim, Hilda Kibet of Kenya, Eritrea’s Sinret Sultan and Romanian Cristina Casandra, who was once the world’s fastest 3,000m steeplechaser.

They join established stars headed by Isabella Ochichi and Ejegayehu Dibaba, the Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m silver medallists from Kenya and Ethiopia, Irish number one Sonia O’Sullivan and top Britons Kathy Butler, Jo Pavey, Hayley and Liz Yelling.