Rodrigue Kwizera wins the 2025 Cross Internacional das Amendoeiras em Flor (© European Athletics / Marta Gorczynska)
Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera and Francine Niyomukunzi won the senior races at the Cross Internacional das Amendoeiras em Flor – the penultimate Gold level event in this season’s World Athletics Cross Country Tour – in Albufeira on Sunday (2).
The current leader in the World Cross Country Tour standings, Kwizera held off the challenge of defending champion Thierry Ndikumwenayo to win the men’s title, while Niyomukunzi solo ran her way to victory to claim the women’s crown in the Portuguese coastal city, at an event that doubled as the European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country.
Racing for Spanish club Playas de Castellon, Kwizera matched the fast early pace set by Kenya’s Charles Rotich. Stringing out the field, Rotich was followed in single file by his compatriot Gideon Kipkertich Rono and Kwizera, with last year’s runner-up Oscar Chelimo of Uganda and Spain’s Ndikumwenayo a couple of seconds back.
A four-strong group completed the first of the five laps together, with Ndikumwenayo starting slightly more conservatively and running with Turkiye’s Sezgin Atac four seconds behind the leaders.
Rotich and Kwizera continued to take charge at the front and Ndikumwenayo gradually moved up the field. The leaders passed half way and Ndikumwenayo moved into third place, on the hunt for a second consecutive title.
Kwizera passed Rotich as they approached the start of the penultimate lap and during that loop he created a gap of 11 seconds ahead of Rotich and Ndikumwenayo, running together at that stage.
Kwizera – the winner in Amorebieta-Etxano, Atapuerca, Soria and Alcobendas this season – continued to move away and had more than enough time to celebrate as he approached the finish line to regain a title he won in 2022.
He clocked 27:02 for the 9280m race, finishing 15 seconds ahead of his Playas de Castellon teammate Ndikumwenayo, who held on for the runner-up spot by a single second ahead of 19-year-old Rotich.
Chelimo finished fourth, Rono fifth and Atac sixth.
Francine Niyomukunzi wins at the 2025 Cross Internacional das Amendoeiras em Flor (© European Athletics / Marta Gorczynska)
Niyomukunzi secured an even more dominant victory in the women’s 9280m race. In doing so, the 25-year-old claimed her second Gold race win of this World Cross Country Tour season and her fifth podium place, having also won in Amorebieta-Etxano in October and then finished third in Atapuerca, second in Soria and third in Elgoibar at the start of January.
Her success never looked in doubt in Albufeira.
Running for Italian team Cus Pro Patria Milano, she started to break away from the lead pack towards the end of the first of five laps, and she had a three-second advantage ahead of a chase group led by Portugal’s Mariana Machado by the end of that lap.
Niyomukunzi continued to push the pace and the field began to string out. By the end of the second lap she had a 28-second lead ahead of chase group of six and she was 44 seconds ahead as she started her penultimate loop.
With one lap to go her advantage was 47 seconds, with Turkiye’s Bahar Yildirim breaking away from the rest of the chase pack.
Niyomukunzi ran away with victory, crossing the finish line in 31:44 to win by 38 seconds, but there was a battle for the runner-up spot. Machado was working hard but Yildirim had the stronger finish and secured second place in 32:22, one second ahead of Machado.
Maria Forero and Carolina Robles of Spain respectively secured fourth and fifth place finishes, while Turkiye’s Ruken Tek was sixth.
Leading results
Women
1 Francine Niyomukunzi (BDI) 31:44
2 Bahar Yildirim (TUR) 32:22
3 Mariana Machado (POR) 32:23
4 Maria Forero (ESP) 32:40
5 Carolina Robles (ESP) 32:45
6 Ruken Tek (TUR) 32:50
Men
1 Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 27:02
2 Thierry Ndikumwenayo (ESP) 27:17
3 Charles Rotich (KEN) 27:18
4 Oscar Chelimo (UGA) 27:44
5 Gideon Kipkertich Rono (KEN) 27:53
6 Sezgin Atac (TUR) 27:58
