Mawia fancied in the women's race as Cross Country Tour heads to Alcobendas

Kenya's Lucy Mawia is the favorite in the women's category at the Cross Internacional de la Constitución, the seventh Golden leg of this season’s World Athletics Cross Country Tour, set for Alcobendas on the outskirts of Madrid tomorrow.

She expects stiff competition over the 8.1km contest from Burundi's Francine Niyomukunzi as well as Italy's Nadia Battocletti, with Mawia and the Burundian having scores to settle.

Mawia, who also won in Bydgoszcz last month, will try to maintain her momentum on Sunday against Niyomukunzi, whom she beat over 10km in Rome earlier this month, 31:50 to 32:55.

Niyomukunzi got the upper hand over 5000m one month before, though, setting a PB of 15:19.20 to beat Mawia by three seconds.

This will be Battocleltti’s last race before heading to the European Cross, where she will defend her U23 title on home soil. The 22-year-old was sixth in Atapuerca two weeks ago, 25 seconds behind Mawia, but the Olympic 5000m finalist should be a factor on Sunday.

In the men's race, Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera will be the man to beat as he will be out to make amends after being disqualified last year despite finishing first for not wearing the vest of his Spanish club, Playas de Castellón, and so he will be eager to make amends on Sunday.

He opened his cross-country season in mid-October with a runner-up place in Castellón behind his training mate Thierry Ndikumwenayo. The following week he won in Amorebieta, then two weeks later clocked 27:24 to win a downhill 10km road race in Alcobendas. He followed that with a third-place finish in Atapuerca and a runner-up spot in Seville.

Kwizera, who won the Cross Country Tour last season, will have Eritrea's Merhawi Mebrahtu as his stiffest opponent. The 19-year-old is the world U20 5000m silver medallist and already this month has raced three times in Spain; he finished second in Soria, then had to settle for fourth in Atapuerca and fifth in Seville against strong opposition.

With most of Spain’s top distance runners preparing for the European Cross Country Championships on 11 December, European U20 steeplechase champion Pol Oriach and Sergio Paniagua, who finished eighth in Atapuerca, appear to be the best local hopes.

Additional reporting by World Athletics