PARALYMPIAN Wondiye Fikre Indelbu was 13 seconds outside the course record as he successfully defended his title to win the £100 first prize in yesterday’s Aycliffe 10K.

The 26-year-old Teessidebased Ethiopian asylumseeker, who slowed after losing a running shoe in last year’s race, was 1 min 27 secs faster as he clocked 30 mins 51 secs – but he could not overturn the 2001 record set by Darlington’s Martin Scaife, then running for Chester-le-Street, missing out on a £100 bonus.

Indelbu, who lost an eye and the lower part of his right arm in a hand-grenade attack on his home when he was a child, won a 1500m silver medal in the 2012 London Paralympics before travelling to the North-East to seek asylum in Great Britain.

Since settling in Middlesbrough Indelbu, despite not joining an athletics club, has won several road races in the region, including last year’s Darlington 10K, where he beat fellow Ethiopian and course record holder Yared Hagos.

Yesterday he enjoyed a comfortable victory, beating New Marske’s former North- East cross country champion Andy Wiles by 32 seconds, with previous race winner, veteran Jim Bulman, also from New Marske, in third place.

The women’s race was won by Quakers’ 42-year-old veteran Dawn Richardson, winner of last month’s Raby Castle 10K, who beat another over-40, Sharon Bulman, of New Marske, by 53 seconds.

Results – Men: 1 W Indelbu (Unatt) 30 mins 51 secs; 2 A Wiles (New Marske) 31.23; 3 J Bulman (NM M40) 32.47; 4 J Askew (Durham City) 34.15; 5 D Inglis (Unatt) 34.17; 6 J Clifford (NM M40) 34.28; 7 N Hitchcock (Sunderland) 35.35; 8 P Lewis (Billingham Marsh House M50) 35.37; 9 J Oldfield (Sedgefield) 35.51; 10 A Henderson (Blyth) 36.02.

Women: 1 D Richardson (Quakers W40) 40.43; 2 S Bulman (NM W35) 41.36; 3 K Walton (Elvet) 41.52; 4 C Teasdale (Crook) 42.39; 5 A Marshall (Wellingborough W35) 43.22.

  • North-East junior champion Adam Graham continued his season’s unbeaten run by winning the North of England Under-20 discus in Manchester with a new personalbest throw of 46.29m – his seventh consecutive victory.

Gateshead clubmate Craig Sturrock was runner-up in the shot, throwing 15.11m behind York’s Scott Lincoln (15.87m).

Morpeth’s Jonathan Taylor, with a time of 3 mins 47.75 secs, took fourth place in the 1500m, won by Derby’s Richard Weir (3:43.71), with Durham City’s Dan Garbutt sixth (3:52.11). Another Morpeth Harrier, North-East champion Jack Hepple, was third in the junior 100m in a time of 10.96 secs. Former Chester-le-Street athlete Carl Smith, now with Leeds City, was second in the 5,000m in a time of 14 mins 46.76 secs, behind Preston’s Chris Livesey (14:45.95).

  • Gateshead Harrier Jack Smith added 24 cms to his own Northumberland Schools senior boys’ record when he threw a personalbest 43.81m at the annual championships at Gateshead International Stadium.

He also won the shot with a throw of 13.72m. Berwick’s Scottish indoors 60m and 200m under-18 champion Cameron Tindle clipped 0.22 secs off the intermediate boys’ 200m record with a time of 22.17, having won the 100m in 11.22 secs.