Athletics: Victory eases the pain for ace Wami.

Byline: By BILL MCGUIRK

GETE WAMI showed she is now fully recovered from her fall at the London Marathon in April after regaining her BUPA Great Women's Run title in Sunderland yesterday.

The 33-year-old Ethiopian, inaugural winner of the race two years ago, produced a waiting game over a course which had to be shortened from 10 kilometres to five-and-a-half-miles due to big waves which drove over a stretch of Roker Pier.

However, the abridged version of the third running of the event made no difference to Wami or the near-3,000 other women enjoying a run in the North East sun.

Wami, as is her forte, was happy to sit on the shoulders of her rivals before powering away to easily win the race in an impressive 29 minutes 20 seconds - a healthy 16 seconds ahead of Bahrain's Nadia Ejjafini, with Liz Yelling placing third.

It was the African star and former world 10,000 metres gold medallist's first outing - and last before the Olympics Games - after her heavy fall six miles before the finish in London which upset her training schedule for Beijing.

Wami who competed in great pain there, said: "I missed three weeks training on medical advice when my back and legs were badly bruised when I fell.

"Thankfully, there were no serious injuries.

"But I feel great and have no problems after my run. Now I will prepare for the Olympics in Ethiopia."

Meanwhile, she plans no more races before Beijing, where she hopes great rival and world record holder Paula Radcliffe will be fit and on the start line.

"It will be a much better race if Paula is there, it always is, and I hope she will make it," added Wami.

Yelling, making a third appearance in the Women's Run which incorporates a few hundred metres of beach running, believes her Olympic marathon preparations continue to go in the right direction.

Competing on home soil for the last time before contesting her second successive Games marathon on August 17, she produced a solid display for her podium finish in a respectable 29min 56sec.

The Commonwealth bronze medallist led for the first half of the race, with Wami happy to sit on the pace along with Ejjafini and Spain's Alessandra Aguilar.

Aguilar was the first to be dropped when Moroccan-born Ejjafini raised the tempo, and although Yelling held on for slightly longer, she fell away with around two miles remaining.

Yelling was more than happy not only with her display but also how she has progressed since placing ninth at the London marathon where a personal best won her the UK trial race and selection for Beijing.

"It's always nice to finish in the top three and there was some good opposition out there," said the 33-year-old.

"Today proved that, despite a heavy workload, my fitness is coming along well, and this performance was certainly another improvement on my recent appearances in Manchester and the London 10k, where I still had the marathon in my legs."

Chester-le-Street's Alyson Dixon once again proved the pick of the region's athletes, finishing in 10th place in 31:40.

Dixon, who picked up the prize for first North East runner home in the Blaydon Race, was in seventh place just before the midway point but struggled after the section of beach.

"I felt great until that point," said Dixon. "I was in a good rhythm but once we reached the 400 metres stretch of sand everything seemed to go haywire.

"I'm not too unhappy with 10th place for I felt a lot better than I did on Monday in the Blaydon."

Kendal's Rebecca Robinson, who finished behind Dixon in the Blaydon, reversed the placings on this occasion to finish eighth in 31:28.

Robinson, who is soon to take up a junior doctor's position in Newcastle, said: "I seemed to get stronger as the race went on and I'm delighted to finish so high up against some top-class international runners."

Durham City's Felicity Milton, who was having her first race since winning the BUSA 5,000 metres championship five weeks ago, finished in 12th place (32:15), while Sunderland's Michelle Holt was 14th (33:46) and former Elswick runner, Justina Heslop, one place further back in 33:51.

LEADING FINISHERS: 1 G Wami (Ethiopia) 29:20; 2 N Ejjafini (Burundi) 29:36; 3 L Yelling (Bedford) 29:56; 4 A Auguilar (Spain) 30:11; 5 C Cheptonui (Kenya) 30:33; 6 K Jarzynska (Poland) 31:04; 7 T Filonyuk (Ukraine) 31:19; 8 R Robinson (Kendal) 31:28; 9 P Todoran (Romania) 31:32; 10 A Dixon (Chester-le-Street) 31:40; 11 B Katesigwa (Tanzania) 32:10; 12 F Milton (Durham City) 32:15; 13 J Ritson (Tipton) 32:44; 14 M Holt (Sunderland) 33:46; 15 J Heslop (Clapham Chasers) 33:51; 16 A Hibbs (Chester-le-Street) 34:00; 17 A Fox (Morpeth) 34:20; 18 A-M Smith (Coventry) 35:29; 19 H Reed (Sunderland Strollers) 36:06; 20 V Booth (Sunderland) 37:02.

CAPTION(S):

MEDAL TRIO: BUPA Great Women's Run winner Gete Wami flanked by (left) second-place Nadia Ejjafini, and third-placed Liz Yelling (right)