PARALYMPIAN Wondiye Fikre Indelbu will remember to tie his laces securely when he defends his title in tomorrow’s Aycliffe 10K road race after limping to victory wearing only one running shoe last year.

The 26-year-old Teesside-based Ethiopian, who lost an eye and the lower part of his right arm in a hand-grenade attack on his home in Ethiopia when he was a boy, was unable to re-tie his lace when his shoe worked loose after six kilometres, so he kicked it off – and collected some painful blisters as he ran on to win by over 100 metres.
Indelbu, who has still not joined an athletics club, will again be lining up again the runners he beat last year, New Marske veteran Jim Bulman and the inner of the two previous races, Durham City Harrier James Askew.
Indelbu, who won a 1500m silver medal in the London Paralympics before deciding to seek asylum, won another four 10K road races last summer showed he is still a formidable opponent by finishing runner-up in this month’s Middlesbrough Riverside 5K behind new Great Britain international Matty Hynes, clocking a new personal-best 14 mins 32 secs.
Tmorrow’s race starts at 10am and late entries will be accepted at Greenfield Community College, which is 400 metres away from the start.

Crook’s 15-year-old double North-East under-17 middle-distance champion Markhim Lonsdale, who shot to the top of the Uk under-17 1500 and 800m rankings in the space of eight days this month when he clocked 3 mins 52.9 secs and 1 mins 52.0 secs in  British Milers Club races at Durham and Trafford, will be trying to clinch English Schools Championships selection when he competes in the Durham Schools Championships at Jarrow’s Monkton Stadium today. Cleveland and Northumberland are also staging their annual championships to decide teams for the 84th English Schools Championships in Birmingham on July 11 and 12