World Cross: Perfect conditions in Belgrade as Kenya eye titles

Entry lists for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships confirmed that 485 athletes from 51 teams will descend on Serbia for the global event on Saturday 30 March.

A total of 245 athletes (138 men, 107 women) are entered for the individual senior races, while 187 athletes (95 men, 92 women) will be in action in the U20 races. In the mixed relay, 12 countries have been entered.

A spot check by Mozzart Sport reveals that Kenyans can rest easy as far as the weather goes as the day is likely to present perfect conditions to defend the titles won in Bathurst and claim those that the country missed out on with stiff competition expected from Uganda and Ethiopia.

“The terrain is predominantly grass, with some pedestrian paths which will be covered with dirt and sand. The course will feature two arch bridges as well as a hay maze, the classic cross-country hurdles. It is a long shot to predict the weather but it is expected to be a clear day with no rain or wind. With the day’s temperatures set at 22°C, it could get better since the course is by the river,” offered one of the organisers. 

The course is at the Park of Friendship, next to the Danube River, which was also the site of the 2013 European Championships. On 27 September 2023, World Athletics awarded Belgrade, Serbia the hosting duties.

Belgrade was picked due to establishing itself as a reliable host of world-class competitions, successfully hosting the 1962 European Championships, the 2013 European Cross Country Championships, the 2017 European Athletics Indoor Championships, the 2017 Balkan Championships, and the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Kenya topped the medal table at the last edition of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia, in 2023, with a total of six gold medals.

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Beatrice Chebet, who went on to win the world 5000m bronze on the track and the inaugural world 5km road race title later in the year, was among Kenya’s champions in Bathurst and she defends her title in the senior women’s race.

Her compatriots Agnes Ngetich, the bronze medalist in Bathurst, and Emmaculate Anyango are expected to provide tough opposition.

The entry list also featured multiple Olympic and world gold medalist Sifan Hassan, but she has confirmed that she no longer intends to compete.

The winners of the past two senior men’s titles- Jacob Kiplimo and Joshua Cheptegei -will race, looking to add more medals for Uganda.

The full podium from Bathurst will clash again, as champion Kiplimo and bronze medalist Cheptegei line up along with Ethiopia’s silver medalist Berihu Aregawi. Their challengers include Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe

Ethiopia’s Lemlem Nibret, who finished fifth in Bathurst, and Abel Bekele, seventh last year, again feature in the U20 races.

Kenya will defend their title in the mixed relay, for which the nation’s squad – including reserves – features Purity Chepkirui, Mirriam Cherop, Reynold Cheruiyot, Kyumbe Munguti, Virginia Nyambura and Emmanuel Wanyonyi.

Hagos Gebrhiwet is entered as part of the Ethiopian squad, while the host nation team features multiple European medalist Elzan Bibic.

Additional reporting by World Athletics