Julian Drew
PAULO GUERRA of Portugal was the second European home in last year’s world 10 000m final in Gothenburg, finishing eighth, one place behind Germany’s Stephane Franke. Ahead of them were the might of Ethiopia, Kenya and Morocco, the untouchables of world middle distance running.
But for Guerra the world championships and track racing are just a way of staying occupied and honing his speed until his real sport of cross country begins. “I don’t like running track,” declares Guerra who has been training in Germiston these past two weeks for Saturday’s world cross country championships.
After making his breakthrough at the 1993 world cross country championships in Spain when he finished 21st, he has become Europe’s undisputed number one harrier. In 1994 he was first European home at the worlds in Budapest in 13th place and last year he claimed the same distinction in Durham when he improved to sixth. He has also won the first two versions of the European cross country championships staged in 1994 and 1995.
“In Portugal I am able to concentrate full time on my athletics because I am well looked after by both my club and national federation” says Guerra. That support includes R6 000 a month for the past two years from his federation and national olympic committee because he is a potential Olympian as well as a top cross country runner. He also gets an undisclosed amount from his club, Maratona, which would make most South African athletes green with envy.
Although many of the Portuguese athletes still do not believe in altitude training, Guerra is a convert and his trip to Germiston along with two of his team mates, Domingos Castro and Eduardo Henriques, was covered by his federation.
Kenya’s world champion Paul Tergat, who relegated Guerra into second position at the Cinque Mulini world cross challenge race on March 4, invited him to come and train with him at the high altitude training camp in Embu where the Kenyans get ready each year for the world championships. “I may go there next year but I spoke to my coach about it and we decided it wasn’t worth taking the chance now because I don’t know the conditions there. I would prefer to check it out before I go there,” says Guerra.
But while Guerra may be well prepared for Saturday he still doesn’t have an answer to the Kenyan’s team tactics. “Vou para a guerra con eles,” is his response to how he will approach the race, which translates as, “I’m going to war with them”, for guerra in Portuguese means war. His main aim, he says, “is to do better than I did last year”, and although it may be a case of “a luta continua” for Guerra and all the other runners who intend to try and dethrone the Kenyans, he will at least be well rewarded if he wins.
The Portuguese are on R100 000 for victory with smaller amounts for lower placings.