KAMPALA, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's 18-year old athlete Jacob Kiplimo on Sunday won the IAAF Cinque Mulini Cross Country in San Vittore Olona, Italy.

"We are very happy that Kiplimo started the season with a win in Italy. He is the first Ugandan to win the Cinque Mulini Cross Country after over 10 years," Dominic Otuchet, the President of the Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) told Xinhua on Monday.

Kiplimo won the men's 11km race in 34:00, beating Ethiopian Telahun Bekele by 17 seconds, while Gidey held off Kenya's Daisy Jepkemei by four seconds in a close women's 6km race.

The Ugandan stayed in the leading pack before he broke away from Bekele during the last lap, dropping him by 17 seconds and going on to win the race. In third place was Ethiopia's Taye Girma (34:31), while Peter Ndegwa from Kenya was fourth (34:34) and Yemaneberhan Crippa (Italy) finished in fifth place.

Kiplimo used the race to prepare for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games where he will take part in the 10,000m race.

Last year Kiplimo also won Uganda's first ever gold medal at the IAAF World Cross Country held in Kampala. He produced the performance of a lifetime to win gold in the men's U20 race held at the Kololo Independence ground.