2010 IAAF World Cross Country champion Emily Chebet enjoyed an impressive return to the top of the medals podium in winning her second global title on Sunday (24) in Bydgoszcz, Poland, and thereby winning US$30,000.The 27-year-old Kenyan recreated her golden memories of the Myslecinek Park course in storming to victory ahead of Ethiopia’s Hiwot Ayalew and Belaynesh Oljira.&nbsp;&nbsp; A total of 97 athletes from 29 countries contested the 8km course, with Chebet chasing down Olympic 3000m Steeplechase fifth placer Ayalew in the closing 200m of the race in an exhilarating finish to capture the gold in 24:24 ahead of Ayalew’s 24:27.&nbsp; The pair were almost inseparable for the entire race as they joined Ireland’s European Cross Country Champion Fionnuala Britton at the head of the pack from the gun, and asserted their intentions at the front by the end of the first of four laps. With the Kenyan contingent packing well with five runners in the top seven at the midway point, Chebet was joined by Kenyan trials winner Margaret Muriuki as she began to push on with Ayalew, who was seeking to clinch her nation’s first victory since 2008.Indeed, the Ethiopian trials winner was determined to put an end to the Kenyan hegemony in this event and so made a brave and strong bid for home in the final 800m, establishing a presumably unassailable 50m lead going into the final steep uphill stretch. Chebet however, had a point to prove as she had failed to qualify for her national squad for the 2011 Championships and finished only fourth in the Kenyan trial for this event. Indeed, she surprised many by reeling in the tiring Ayalew in the final 100m to sprint to an unexpected victory here once again. A bronze medallist at the 2012 African Cross Country Championships, she showed glimmers of a return to form back in September, recording a 10km road personal best of 30:58 in Tilburg but her current cross country shape was uncertain. The 23-year-old Ayalew additionally experienced a big improvement, progressing from 11th in the 2011 event in Punta Umbria to take the silver medal.Further back, Olympic 10,000m fifth placer Belaynesh Oljira captured the bronze (24:33) ahead of Bahrain’s Shitaye Eshete (24:34), who placed 12th in the 2011 event and also finished just behind Oljira in the London Olympics. The USA’s Neely Spence finished 13th (25:08) to place as top non-African, just ahead of Britton, the European indoor 3,000m bronze medallist in 14th (25:08). In the team standings, Chebet led the Kenyan outfit to emphatic gold medal-winning display, with 19 points to Ethiopia’s 48. It represented their fourth consecutive title in the event and again proved their dominance with all six runners inside the top 11.Ethiopia meanwhile, collected the silver courtesy of the medal-winning performances from Ayalew and Oljira in addition to 2011 junior runner-up Genet Yalew placing 15th and having two others inside the top 30.&nbsp; Four-time bronze medallist Meselech Melkamu failed to finish. In bronze, Bahrain took their first ever medal in this team event with 73 points off the back of Eshete’s fourth place finish and with Tejitu Daba in 8th. Nicola Bamford for the IAAF <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XxthJtmVYvg?list=PLz-gfY4so9ka8_wU_zpFRRxKqaQC_vBSP" width="560"></iframe>

Chebet turns back the clock to win again – Bydgoszcz 2013 senior women’s report

Ethiopia's Hagos Gebrhiwet confirmed his status as the favourite to take the junior men's title at the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships with a wonderfully assured and mature run, hitting the front with 500m to go before winning his first major international championship medal on Sunday (24)It was the first gold medal of what could be, and should be, a star-studded career.Still&nbsp; just 18, Gebrhiwet clocked a World junior indoor 3000m record of 7:32.87 in Boston at the start of last month. He also ran a World junior 5000m record of 12:47.53 at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Paris last summer before going on to make the London 2012 Olympic Games final over the same distance.However, regardless of his accomplishments in the future, this&nbsp; was a moment to remember for the delighted Gebrhiwet.“It was a very tough course but I am so very happy,” he reflected.He covered the 8km course in an astonishingly fast 21:04, the fastest winning time since 1993 disregarding the slight variances in distance, and he seemed unconcerned about the chilly weather which saw temperatures hover just below zero.The pace was made so quick by the hard work of Gebrhiwet's Kenyan opponents, notable the eventual silver medallist Leonard Barsoton.From the gun, the Kenyans tried to control the race and after just 500m there was a quartet of red shirts at the head of the race.However, behind their Rift Valley rivals, Gebrhiwet and his team mate Muktar Edris were running comfortably and easing themselves into the race,At end of the first lap, the field had already been strung out. Between the leading group of eight men, who were racing in almost in single file, there was a six-second gap back to the next man.By 3km, midway around the second lap, the race started to take a discernible shape with the be-hatted Leonard Barsoton pushing the pace from Gebrhiwet and Edris as the 2012 World Junior Championships 3000m Steeplechase gold medallist Conseslus Kipruto hung on to stay with the leaders, while a gap developed behind the leading four men and four other runners from East Africa.Kipruto started to slip back in the fourth kilometre as Barshoton kept pushing at the front, shadowed by the two Ethiopians.On the third lap, Barsoton continued to valiantly try to shake off his two-better known rivals, injected brief surges of pace, and he partially succeeded as Edris started to slip back shortly after the bell but Gebrhiwet refused to be dislodged. He just bided his time before executing the attack that delivered him the gold medal.Barsoton crossed the line four seconds after Gebrhiwet in 21:08 to take an unexpected silver medal, after only being the second man home at the Kenyan trials last month, while Edris hung on to take the bronze medal in 21:13.Eritrea’s Tsegay Tuemay came through strongly on the last lap to take fourth place but was somewhat adrift of the three medallists as he crossed the line in 21.26.Having two men on the podium helped Ethiopia win the junior men's team title for the first time since 1998 and only the second time since 1988 with Kenya taking the honours on every other occasion.The winners had their scoring quartet completed by Birhan Nebebew in sixth place and Yihungilgn Adane in 13th&nbsp; to finish with 23 points, three less than their Kenyan rivals.Morocco took the team bronze medals in this category with 65 points, getting their four scorers home in the top 21, to return to the podium for the first time since 1998.Phil Minshull for the IAAF<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Aer1OR2_8NA?list=PLz-gfY4so9ka8_wU_zpFRRxKqaQC_vBSP" width="560"></iframe>

World record breaker Gebrhiwet gets his first major title –  Bydgoszcz 2013 junior men's report


Reigning champion Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon successfully defended her junior women’s crown at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on Sunday (24).The 19-year-old Kenyan, who became just the third woman to retain her title in the history of the event, replicated the achievements of her fellow countrywoman Viola Kibiwot in 2001 and 2002, and Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba in 2008 and 2009.Contesting three laps over a frozen and snow-covered 6km course, Kipyegon initially held back after the gun, sitting in fifth place with her teammate 17-year-old Agnes Chebet Tirop and Ethiopia’s Ruti Aga, the World junior 5000m silver medallist at the fore of the field. Striding out over an undulating route with a few patches of bare grass in below-zero temperatures, Kipyegon – who also won the World junior 1500m title on the track last summer – joined Tirop at the front of the leading pack at just after the first kilometre. Negotiating several rhythm-sapping mounds and a steep incline towards the end of each lap, the pair ran stride for stride as the 17-year-old Ethiopian Alemitu Heroye made a duo a trio towards the end of the first lap. A further kilometre in, the trio started to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the pack before the Kenyan pair broke away from their East-African rival, with Tirop, &nbsp;the World junior 5000m bronze medallist, trying to inch ahead. Just under a kilometre remaining, Ethiopian trials winner Heroye rejoined the pair only for the Kenyans to pull clear again up final the long uphill stretch and then, on the decline, Kipyegon showed an impressive change of pace to sprint away from her compatriot in the final 300m for victory.The winner eased off in the final few metres and Tirop was awarded the same time of 17.51 for the silver medal as Heroye hung on and crossed the line six seconds adrift to take third place.Further back, Kenya’s Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui finished fourth in 18:09 with early leader Aga fifth in 18:18. Ethiopia’s World junior 5000m champion Buze Diriba placed eighth while the top non-African, and the first European athlete to cross the line was Great Britain’s 2011 European Cross Country Championships winner, who took 16th position in 19:19. In the team contest, Kenya comfortably claimed the spoils with 14 points, packing their four scoring women into the top five places to regain the title they lost in 2011 by two points to Ethiopia. The latter took the silver medals on this occasion with 23 points.In fact, the top 12 positions were occupied by just Kenyan and Ethiopian women.Taking the bronze medals with 81 points, Great Britain captured their first ever place on the podium in the category, and the nation’s first medals of any description since 2004.A now biennial event, the illustrious race took place on the same Myslecinek Park course as the 2010 Championships and enjoyed a total of 88 competing athletes from 22 countries.&nbsp; Nicola Bamford for the IAAF&nbsp;<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XSnBxR__-Mw?list=PLz-gfY4so9ka8_wU_zpFRRxKqaQC_vBSP" width="560"></iframe>

Kipyegon majestic in title defence – Bydgoszcz 2013 junior women’s report

The IAAF website brings you extensive coverage of the championships including live results, live radio coverage, live blog, photographs, reports and athlete features concerning today’s races at the 40th edition of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Bydgoszcz, Poland, Sunday 24 March.We hope you enjoy our coverage.IAAF

LIVE RESULTS, LIVE RADIO, LIVE BLOG – all the action from Bydgoszcz

- READ ON for English and French language versions of this story - La traduction française suit le texte anglaisThe traditional IAAF Dinner, which is held on the eve of every IAAF World Athletics Series event, took place at the 40th edition of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Bydgoszcz, Poland on the evening of Saturday 23 March.The restaurant Karczma Rzym, which is located in the suburbs of Bydgoszcz, on the way to Szczecin, is situated in a beautiful location surrounded by forest which exudes a fairy-tale atmosphere. The restaurant’s "Karczemna" hall (tavern's hall) has a feature fireplace in the shape of devil's head, evoking the myths and legends surrounding Pan Twardowski, a famous character in Polish folklore and literature, a sorcerer who entered a pact with the devil, much like Faust in German literature.The dinner was hosted by IAAF President Lamine Diack who on behalf of the IAAF presented the Mayor of Bydgoszcz Rafal Bruski, the President of the Local Organising Committee, with an IAAF Honorary Plaque.Among the other guests of honour were IAAF Council Members Hansjörg Wirz and Irena Szewinska, and five-time World Cross Country Champion, Paul Tergat. The evening’s MC was IAAF General Secretary Essar Gabriel.IAAFUn
dîner de l'IAAF placé sous le charme du folklore polonais à Bydgoszcz 24 mars 2013; Bydgoszcz, Pologne. Le
traditionnel dîner de l'IAAF, qui se tient à la veille de tous les championnats
du monde de la Série mondiale de l'IAAF, s'est déroulé à l'occasion de la 40e
édition des Championnats du monde de
cross de&nbsp; l'IAAF, à Bydgoszcz, en Pologne,
dans la soirée du samedi 23 mars.Le dîner s'est tenu au restaurant Karczma
Rzym, dans les environs de Bydgoszcz, sur la route menant à Szczecin, dans un
cadre boisé envoûtant, dans une ambiance rappelant celle d'un conte de fées. Le
hall Karczemna de la taverne compte une cheminée en forme de tête de diable,
évocatrice des mythes et légendes entourant Pan Twardowski, personnage clé des
contes traditionnels et de la littérature polonaise, un sorcier qui a conclu un
pacte avec Satan, très similaire au Faust de la littérature allemande. Le dîner était organisé sous les auspices du
président de l'IAAF, M. Lamine Diack, qui a remis, au nom de l'instance, une
plaque honoraire de l'IAAF au maire de Bydgoszcz, Rafal Bruski, le président du
comité d'organisation local.Parmi les autres invités d'honneur se
trouvaient les membres du Conseil de l'IAAF Hansjörg Wirz et Irena Szewinska,
ainsi que le quintuple champion du monde de cross, Paul Tergat. Le rôle de
maître de cérémonies de la soirée a été tenu par le secrétaire général de
l'IAAF, M. Essar Gabriel.IAAF&nbsp;

Enchanted by Polish folklore - IAAF Dinner, Bydgoszcz

IAAF President Lamine Diack faced the media at the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships pre-event press conference, which took place at the Palace Hotel in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz on Saturday (23).In addition to providing a warm welcome to the assembled guests and media who had arrived on a very chilly day, with temperatures not climbing above zero degrees, he also spoke of the challenges facing the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. &ldquo;This is the 40th edition of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, the oldest completion in the IAAF World Athletics Series.&ldquo; It was first held under the IAAF banner in 1973 and then there were 21 countries and 287 athletes. Forty years later 44 countries have sent teams, comprising of 443 runners.&ldquo;This championship is also historic as it is the first in a two-yearly cycle. I am highly confident that it will be a well organised championship as Poland and, in particular, Bydgoszcz, has a lot of experience.&ldquo;Warsaw staged the World Cross Country Championships in 1987 and, of course, the Championships were here in Bydgoszcz in 2010. This city was also where we had our first IAAF World Youth Championships in 1999 and also the World Junior Championships in 2008. &ldquo;This year, Bydgoszcz is the host for the first event in the 2013 World Athletics Series which will climax with the IAAF World Championships in Moscow this summer between 10-18 August.&ldquo;This presents athletics with a great opportunity to develop the sport in a fast-growing economic region; and with the World Youth Championships being held this year across the border in the Ukraine city of Donetsk from 10-14 July, for the first time ever, Eastern Europe monopolises all the World Athletics Series events.&ldquo;The World Cross Country Championships represents the pinnacle of long distance running. The roll call of previous champions is like a Who&rsquo;s Who of athletics greats. Names like: Waitz, Jennings, Tulu, Radcliffe, Masai, Dibaba, Cheruiyot, Lopes, Treacy, Ngugi, Tergat and Bekele.&ldquo;We look forward to some exciting races this year. Imane Merga, the reigning senior men&rsquo;s champion from two years ago, is back to defend his title but there is also a lot of pride and honour at stake. Kenya will be battling with their Ethiopian rivals and one only needs to remember that at the 2010 edition here it was Kenya, for the first time in the history of the World Cross Country Championships, who won all the gold medals at stake.&ldquo;I also want to say that although we are in Europe, many European countries are not competing here, no one from the Balkan countries, no one from the Scandinavian area, many countries are not here.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a challenge which the IAAF Cross Country Committee will discuss and we will also have a seminar before the end of the year to discuss what can be done.&ldquo;I was told by my good friend Sebastian Coe that when he was running on the track over 800m and 1500m, his coach used to tell him that he had to do cross country, and long cross country runs over 11 kilometres. &ldquo;However, now the coaches are telling their athletes not to run cross country.&ldquo;I hope that is not because East Africa is winning a lot of the time, but we have to face this challenge and discuss how to bring back more-and-more countries to this event. It is, after all, an easy event to organise.&rdquo;Phil Minshull for the IAAF

IAAF President Lamine Diack: "a great opportunity to develop the sport in a fast-growing economic region." - Bydgoszcz 2013

President Diack: "a great opportunity to develop the sport in a fast-growing economic region" - Bydgoszcz 2013

Little more than a month after his last visit to the Polish city of Bydgoszcz, IAAF Ambassador Paul Tergat returned to the venue of the 2013 World Cross Country Championships and the distance running legend - a man who has deservedly earned the nickname Mr Cross Country - was on hand to speak to the media on Saturday (23).Now 43, Tergat remains a popular figure in the world of athletics 14 years after the last of his five consecutive IAAF World Cross Country Championships triumphs and almost four years since his last competitive outing. He is also a World Food Programme (WFP) Ambassador Against Hunger. “Personally speaking, it’s great to be back in Bydgoszcz. I was very happy to be invited here for some promotional events last month as it gave me an opportunity to maintain my contact with the sport and have a look at how the preparations are going.“I must confess, I got a shock when I got out of the plane and saw how much snow is on the ground and later felt how cold it was. The weather was not like this the last time I was here!“This year’s race will certainly be much colder than any World Cross Country Championships I ran in although, I remember winning in Belfast in 1999 and, in many respects that was my toughest victory at the World Cross Country Championships as it was cold and wet, and the course was very narrow in places.“This is going to be a very tough race, very challenging, and unlike three years ago, the organisers have brought in a hill.“The last time I saw something like this was in Boston in 1992, when I was injured and could not run, and that was very cold and the ground was frozen. However, I will say this to all the runners at this year’s Championships, if you have prepared well then you have nothing to fear.“One of the good things about being in Bydgoszcz is the fact that I have had the chance to meet Imane Merga, who was one of my successors as a winner at the World Cross Country Championships. “I had never met him in person before but he was a worthy winner two years ago and so I congratulated him and wished him good luck for this year’s race.”Cross country crucialTergat also addressed the issue of cross country training and racing in a long distance runner’s repertoire.“I believe cross country running is important for any long distance runner, whether you are also running on the track or are moving up to the Marathon.“If you are a runner and once you start your winter preparation, and you do cross country, my feeling is that you will do well in the coming seasons.If I had to make a choice between running on the track and running cross country, I would definitely choose cross country. Historically, this is where all the top athletes, from 800m to the Marathon, have met up. It’s a challenge but also it can bring you a lot of joy if you win a cross country title, like I did.”“Cross Country is one of the most challenging aspects of the athletics calendar, and six men participate in a team at the World Cross Country Championships while only three can compete on the track at 5000m and 10000m at an Olympics; and those other three other men would like to compete in the Olympics so I think it is high time that cross country running is included in the Olympics, it’s a phenomenal event and it deserves it’s place on the Olympic stage.Tergat turned his attention, as might be expected, to the prospects of his compatriots who will be running in Bydgoszcz.“I cannot make predictions about who will win but what I will say that when the Kenyan runners come to a race like this, and they are fit, then they are very hard to beat.“There has been a lot of talk about Philemon Rono, who won at the Kenyan trials. It’s true he is inexperienced internationally, and he is not used to the cold, but I saw him at the trails in Nairobi last month and I was very impressed with him.“Kenya may not have many well-known names in their squad this year, especially in the senior men’s team, but they have a lot of talent, including the junior men. It is true that these conditions will prove difficult for some runners, so will find it very cold for them, but others will rise to the occasion.”Phil Minshull for the IAAF

IAAF Ambassador Paul Tergat on hand to greet this year's champions - Bydgoszcz 2013

IAAF Ambassador Paul Tergat to greet this year's champions - Bydgoszcz 2013

The traditional IAAF World Cross Country Championships pre-event press conference took place at the Palac Hotel in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on Saturday (23).Ethiopia’s reigning senior men’s champion Imane Merga and Kenya’s 2010 senior women’s winner Emiy Chebet were in positive frame of mind and the pair were joined by USA’s two-time silver medallist Deena Kastor and six-time Polish champion Katarzyna Kowalska.Below are the highlights from the question and answer session:Emily Chebet (KEN) - On facing wintery conditions and an undulating course tomorrow:“I’m really happy to be back here and see it’s a very different to 2010 (when the Championships were also held in Bydgoszcz). There was no snow then so now it’s annoying but I’ll try to run my best.”On whom she thinks will be her toughest competitor for the title:“I really don’t know, but the weather’s not nice.”On her form since winning her title three years ago and her comeback season this winter:“It’s different running on the track (her last track race was in December 2011). I run well over cross country and so I hope to do well here. In my very next cross country race after I won here in Bydgoszcz, which was in Kenya, the next winter, I injured my knee.” Imane Merga (ETH) – On his opinion on the snow and below-zero weather conditions:“I feel the uphill section of the course will be more of a challenge than the snow itself.”On hoping to become the first man to retain his title since fellow Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele (the senior men’s champion in 2002-06 and 2008):“I train with Kenenisa and I have my own strategy for tomorrow. I think I can win, but I am not revealing my strategy.”On the frustration of having to watch the Olympic 10,000m final in London from the sidelines last summer:“I was sad not to be there but I was supporting Bekele (who finished fourth behind his brother, Tariku who took the bronze medal) and was more frustrated for him.”Deena Kastor (USA) - On her return to cross country racing since last competing in 2007:“I think the decision to come back was rooted in me looking at my running logs and noticing that all of my good years happened on the back off a cross country season. There is no comparison in terms of gaining strength and you become a tough athlete from competing in it.”On her useful preparation for the cold weather conditions in Bydgoszcz:I live in a ski resort town in California, where we can sometimes get 60ft of snow so I’m fortunate that I live in a place to prepare for cross country, I’ll feel at home here with the mud and snow.”On whether she believes a non-African athlete can reach the medal podium in Bydgoszcz:“I think that every person on the starting line is a threat. Athletes are hungry for victories and you have got to take everyone seriously.”On the USA senior women’s team’s medal chances after bronze medals in 2010 and 201 :“I don’t feel any pressure but it’s an honour to represent my country, and we’ll die trying. I hope each of us show we’re having a good time so we can win the IOC bid (for cross country to become part of the winter Olympics). On some well-known runners not competing the 2013 World Cross Country Championships:“There’s no doubt that as athletes we look at winners and top athletes as guides to where we want to be so we should feel competitiveness not seeing the event as something to defeat us before we even try.”Katarzyna Kowalska (POL) – On her lack of Polish opponents at cross country:“In Poland, runners use cross country as a way of preparing for the (outdoor) season but most prefer to train indoors so for the time being, I don’t have any major opponents for the Polish championships and so have won a succession of (six) national titles.”On her hopes to break into the top 20 here:“That will be a big challenge, three years ago I wanted to make the top 30 and finished just inside the top 40 (36th) but we had three USA runners in the top 20. I do think I can make it.”On her experience of the course:“I won the national title here two weeks ago and, like Mr Merga, I shouldn’t disclose my tactics but I believe it is a different course to three years back.” &nbsp;Nicola Bamford for the IAAF &nbsp;

IAAF press conference highlights 

IAAF athletes' press conference highlights - Bydgoszcz 2013

Ethiopian athletics is full of successful siblings with the likes of the Bekeles (Kenenisa and Tariku) and the Dibabas (Tirunesh, Genzebe and Ejegayehu) all winning global medals on both the track and cross-country. Now the Ayalew family looks to be the next in line.When Hiwot Ayalew, winner of the Ethiopian trials last month, lines up for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz later this week, she will hope to do better than her older sister Wude in winning the family’s first individual World cross-country medal.Despite her four appearances at the World Cross, Wude, the 2009 World 10,000m bronze medallist, has two fifth-place finishes (in Fukuoka 2006 and 2009 Amman) to her credit. “She [Wude] was my inspiration to take up athletics seriously,” says Ayalew of her sister. “She has supported me in every aspect. When I began running, she had already started representing her country. I am proud of her.” Strong Olympic debut, improving since Punta Umbria There are several reasons why the Ethiopian athletics community is bullish about Ayalew’s chances in the Polish city. Since finishing 11th two years ago in Punta Umbria, Spain, the 20-year-old has made a startling improvement over the cross country and her preferred track event, the 3000m Steeplechase.“An athlete will not remain in the same position,” she says. “But when I compare my performance with the one two years ago, I think I am at a better level.” Ayalew certainly broke ranks last year when she made it on to the Ethiopian women’s 3000m steeplechase Olympic team in London and finished fifth as compatriot Sofia Assefa won bronze at the event.“I would have done better if I had more experience and a stronger finish,” she says. “But it was not to be. My performance was ok.” She has continued where she left off from last season winning the Cross Internacional de Atapuerca in Spain in November 2012 and then comfortably winning the battle for Bydgoszcz places at the Jan Meda race course in Addis Ababa, competing against the likes of three-time World cross-country bronze medallist Meselech Melkamu and Olympic 10,000m finalist Belaynesh Oljira. “For Jan Meda, I had prepared well but I didn’t expect the big result as there were some strong senior athletes,” she says. “In my mind, they were the favourites, but I was still able to win. Now, there are seven athletes in our [women’s senior] team. We have been preparing well, staying at a hotel. I am ready to do my best individually and as a team too.”No Dibaba, but Ayalew confident of her own chancesEthiopia’s chances in Bydgoszcz have been dealt a blow by the withdrawal of three-time champion Tirunesh Dibaba, a wild card selection by the Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF), through a shin injury. While Ayalew believes that this is a setback, she is confident of her own chances in Poland. <div class="quote">“It is a big advantage to have Tirunesh in our team,” says Ayalew. “She is a great athlete; you can imagine what a morale-boost her presence is to all of us. But she is now injured and cannot compete, so the rest of us have to bring the results for our country. Personally, I think I am in a good shape so I hope to get a big result.”</div>Overcoming the fear of the barriersDespite her early promise, the jury is out on whether the young runner can turn into a world-beating athlete like her compatriots Meseret Defar and Dibaba. But unlike the Ethiopian greats, Ayalew’s affection lies in the 3000m Steeplechase, an event in which she had to overcome personal fear before mastering. “I used to be frightened just watching others compete in the steeplechase, let alone running it myself,” she recalls of her early track days where she aspired to emulate Defar and Dibaba in the 5000m. “I run well in the 5000m and wanted to represent my country at that event.” She was no slouch over the event, clocking 14:49.36 at the Oslo Diamond League in 2011. It was a time that could get her into the World Championships team of many countries, but there was no place for her in Ethiopia’s team for Daegu.Reality started sinking in that her dreams may not be coming true until her agent Hussein Makke came into the picture. “He asked me to change my event and I refused to accept his advice because I thought he was asking me to shift to the Marathon,” recalls Ayalew. “He said ‘I am not saying that [switch to Marathon]. Why don’t you try it [the 3000m Steeplechase]?’ Then I said ‘I am not capable of doing it’. He insisted that I try and abandon it if it does not work out. I was not convinced enough, but decided to give it a try anyway. So he prepared a private coach who could help me train for the Steeplechase.<div class="quote">“After some sessions, he saw my progress and told me that I was doing fine. This gave me moral support and I started liking it. I used to be afraid of the Steeplechase, but when I started training for it, I became convinced that it was the right way to go for me.” </div>Long road ahead for Moscow After her breakthrough year in the event, clocking 9:23.88 at the 2011 London Diamond League, she further improved last year, lowering her personal best to 9:09.61, an African under-23 best. Ayalew has big ambitions for the World Championships in Moscow later this year, but concedes that qualifying for the Ethiopian team remains her big priority post-Bydgoszcz. “If I remain healthy, I first want to qualify for Moscow,” she says. “This year it will be difficult because there are many challengers. Sofia [Assefa], Zemzem [Ahmed], the two Birtukans [Adamu and Fente], Mekdes… they are all strong. So I have to train hard to qualify for Moscow.” Despite her second-place ranking on Ethiopia’s all-time lists behind Assefa (9:09.00), Ayalew has been touted by her coaches as someone who could make a serious challenge for the World Steeplechase record, currently held by Gulnara Galkina-Samitova of Russia from the 2008 Olympic Games (8:58.81). While flattered by the suggestion, Ayalew believes in a step-by-step approach to improvement. “8:58 is very difficult,” she says. “I want to go under 9:05 this year and be a medallist in Moscow.”First, though, she has some family business to take care of this weekend in Bydgoszcz.Elshadai Negash (with the assistance of Bizuayehu Wagaw) for the IAAF

Ayalew seeks to fulfil sister’s dream in Bydgoszcz

No less than US$280,000 in prize money will be paid out by the IAAF to the leading runners in the two senior races at the 40th edition of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, which will be held in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz on Sunday 24 March 2013. A first prize of US$30,000 will be awarded to each individual winner of the men’s and women’s senior races, with money available down to sixth place.In total, US$140,000 is on offer for individual prizes.&nbsp; In the team contest in both senior races, there is another prize pool of US$140,000. This is distributed with US$20,000 going to the first team home in each race, descending to sixth place in both races, where the pay out by the IAAF is US$4000. Prize Money (in US$) – senior men’s and women’s races only.* Individual 1st – &nbsp;30,000 2nd –&nbsp; 15,000 3rd –&nbsp; 10,000 4th –&nbsp; 7000 5th –&nbsp; 5000 6th –&nbsp; 3000Team 1st – 20,000 2nd – 16,000 3rd – 12,000 4th – 10,000 5th – 8000 6th – 4000* No prize money paid for the junior races. The payment of prize money in the senior races is dependent upon the athletes clearing the usual anti-doping procedures. Extensive background information and complete coverage of the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships can be found on our <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-cross-country-championships" target="_blank">dedicated competition site</a>.IAAF

Prize money of US$280,000 – Bydgoszcz 2013

Two years ago, when Imane Merga won at the last IAAF World Cross country Championships, it was a slight surprise to many people as the Ethiopian had a reputation for competing well on the track but rarely winning.He was only an outside bet for a medal in Punta Umbria and probably almost nobody's favourite for gold. Now the spotlight is on him.In addition to a 10,000m bronze medal at the 2011 IAAF World Championships, his winter performances have made him among the leading candidates to win the coveted senior men's title on Sunday (24).“Last summer was a disappointment. I had some slight injuries in July and lost my chance to go to the Olympics, but since November I have been steadily improving,” the 24-year-old runner modestly told the IAAF last week.He won at the high-quality IAAF Cross Country Permit meeting in Atapuerca, near Burgos, in Spain last November and then took the honours at the famous Boclassic road race in Bolzano, Italy, on New Year’s Eve.Although he dropped out of the Ethiopian trials last month, Merga just put this down to over-training and high mileage.“I have been having some excellent training sessions, I've been going very well, so I will go to Poland feeling very confident of what I can do there,” he added.By his own admission, back in 2011 cross country was hardly his favourite surface. However, a lot has changed in the intervening 24 months.What pundits will be aware of though is that Merga’s best cross country results have come on dry courses and often in relatively hot weather. His two previous World Cross Country Championships outings – he was also seventh as a junior at the 2007 event in Mombasa – were in exactly those sort of conditions.By contrast, the runners in Bydgoszcz are expected to have to compete in sub-zero conditions, and perhaps on a slippery or frozen course after several days of snow falling on the Polish city.However, the conditions will be the same for everyone and as nearly all the other expected medal contenders come from East Africa, there will inevitably be the widespread feeling that the runners from the Rift Valley and beyond are a long way from home.Ethiopia has named a strong squad that also includes the top class marathon runner Feyisa Lilesa, who showed that he is in shape to contest shorter distances with aplomb when he won the Ethiopian trials race last month.Traditional rivals Kenya have chosen a team which will certainly be competitive but has little experience at the very highest level. Only two of their six-man team has competed in the championships before.Hosea Macharinyang has competed in seven of the last eight championships and will be keen to finally make the podium after six top-10 finishes without managing to get an individual medal. Meanwhile Japheth Korir raced twice in the championships as a junior in 2009 and 2010, finishing fifth and third respectively.However, a lot of eyes will be on the surprise Kenyan trials winner Philemon Rono, who will be competing in his first major international championship.Rono, 22, could only finish eighth in the Kenyan Police Championships a month before the national trials, and barely made his profession’s team for Kenya’s top domestic race, but the policeman then completely upset the formbook in Nairobi last month and left many of the better-known names in his wake.Uganda and Eritrea have had men among the medals in recent editions of the championships and have some familiar names in their teams again.Moses Kipsiro remembers Bydgoszcz well after winning a bronze medal when the city last staged the championships three years ago. He also won a silver medal in 2009 and could challenge again after looking in fine form when winning at the Ugandan trials last month.Teklemariam Medhin, the silver medallist in 2010, is the main name in the Eritrean team.Still just 23, Medhin finished seventh in the 10,000m at the London 2012 Olympic Games last summer and, more recently, won the famous and consistently classy January cross-country race in the Spanish city of San Sebastian. In addition to Merga and Macharinyang, one other top-10 finisher from 2011 returns to the fray in Poland – Bahrain’s Hasan Mahboob Ali, who finished ninth in Punta Umbria.It seems highly likely that Kenya and Ethiopia will contest the men’s gold and silver team medals. Kenya’s senior men have won the team title every year since 1986 apart from a two-year hiatus in 2004 and 2005 when Ethiopia took the honours.Three years ago in Bydgoszcz, Eritrea usurped Ethiopia to take the team silver medals for just the second time and they will be bidding to reach that rung on the podium again, although they are more likely to be battling for the bronze medals with Uganda. Phil Minshull for the IAAF

Merga now the man to look out for – Bydgoszcz 2013 senior men's preview

With Kenya’s 2011 gold and silver medallists Vivian Cheruiyot and Linet Masai opting to focus on the summer season, and Ethiopia’s four-time winner and Olympic 10,000m champion Tirunesh Dibaba withdrawing through injury, the senior women’s race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland this Sunday (24) could be viewed as an open affair. Despite the lack of big-name entrants, the championship will however continue to host a breeding ground for potential future stars of the global distance running community, and Hiwot Ayalew and Margaret Muriuki are top of the list of gold-medal contenders. Aspiring to clinch her nation’s first victory since 2008, Ayalew asserted her authority in winning the highly competitive Ethiopian trial last month and is a much-improved athlete compared to the runner who finished 11th in the last global contest in Punta Umbria two years ago. After clocking an Ethiopian under-23 best of 9:09.61 in the 3000m Steeplechase in Oslo, the 23-year-old finished fifth in the Olympic final in London last summer. She then switched surfaces to take the first leg of the IAAF Cross Country Permit series back in November in Atapuerca, Spain, and looks set to threaten the podium in Poland.Eager to continue the Kenyan stranglehold of the winners’ trophy, Muriuki was equally impressive in claiming her national trial in Nairobi, which doubled as the penultimate leg of the IAAF Cross Country Permit series.Turning 27 today (21), she finished sixth at the 2010 World Cross and despite her relatively low profile on the international stage since, Muriuki too could be set to challenge for a medal. The 2012 African Cross Country Championship runner-up registered a 69:21 Half-marathon best in Lisbon this time last year and is part of a strong Kenyan contingent here. Her teammate, Emily Chebet, will be aspiring for a return to the medal rostrum as the 2010 champion has been in fine form domestically this winter. Despite only finishing fourth in the Kenyan trial, the 27-year-old will hope to recreate the golden memories from her last visit to the course. Having failed to qualify for her national squad in 2011, Chebet bounced back to claim the bronze medal at the 2012 African Cross Country Championships and recorded a 30:58 10km PB in Tilburg in September. Meanwhile, 20-year-old Genet Yalew will be aiming to translate her eye-catching junior form into the fiercer senior ranks. The 2011 junior silver medallist was a runner-up at the Ethiopian trial and clocked a 14:48.43 5000m lifetime best in Rome last spring. She will be hoping to match her fifth-place finish from the last time she competed in Poland, albeit this time in the senior event.Joining the Ethiopian team and bringing a plethora of experience will be four-time bronze medallist Meselech Melkamu. The third-place finisher at the 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010 events, Melkamu will hope to maintain her impressive consistency and reach the podium once again after finishing just outside of the medals in the 2011 edition. Despite finishing only fourth at the Ethiopian trial, the 27-year-old 2011 World 10,000m fifth-place finisher certainly has the familiarity to cause a medal upset.Recording a 2:21:01 marathon debut in Frankfurt last autumn, the 2004 junior champion also clocked a useful 68:05 Half-marathon in Ras Al Khamiah last month and is the second-fastest woman in history over 10,000m.Of those determined to disrupt the familiar East African supremacy, Bahrain’s Shitaye Eshete should feature highly. The 22-year-old finished fifth in the World Indoor 3000m final twelve months ago and backed up her performance with her sixth-place finish in the Olympic 10,000m in London.Eshete has also finished 11th and 12th respectively at the 2010 and 2011 World Cross and is looking capable of finally advancing into the top ten in Poland.Two other athletes with high aspirations will be Eritrea’s Nazaret Weldu, following her victory in the IAAF Cross Country Permit in Soria, Spain, back in November and Ireland’s Fionnuala Britton.Britton, the two-time European cross-country champion, will be making an impressive eighth appearance at the event and looks set to improve on her 16th position from Punta Umbria. A bronze medallist over 3000m at the recent European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg, the 28-year-old finished 15th in the Olympic 10,000m final last summer but appears to have gained in strength and confidence since, winning the Edinburgh and Antrim stages of the IAAF Cross Country Permit series at the turn of the year. Nicola Bamford for the IAAF

Ayalew and Muriuki head open senior battle – Bydgoszcz 2013 senior women’s preview

WORLD ATHLETICS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Pundits ponder if Gebrhiwet was the best ever junior men's winner – Bydgoszcz 2013

Comeback queen Chebet now focused on Moscow 10,000m – Bydgoszcz 2013

Kenya's teenage talent Korir repays faith - Bydgoszcz 2013

Change of pace the next step for Kipyegon - Bydgoszcz 2013

Korir becomes youngest ever champion – Bydgoszcz 2013 senior men's report