Rodrigue Kwizera wins in Alcobendas (© Asociación ADOC)
Italy's Nadia Battocletti and Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera are the star names at the Cross Internacional de la Constitución – the eighth Gold level event in this season’s World Athletics Cross Country Tour – in Alcobendas on the outskirts of Madrid on Sunday (24).
Battocletti earned Olympic silver over 10,000m in Paris earlier this year, finishing just 0.10 behind two-time world cross-country champion Beatrice Chebet. The 24-year-old Italian set national records when winning the 5000m and 10,000m at the European championships earlier in the summer, then went on to improve on them in Paris with marks of 14:31.64 and 30:43.35.
The European cross-country silver medallist opened her winter campaign last Sunday at the Cinque Mulini, where she finished third. Having finished third in Alcobendas last year and second in 2022, Battocletti hopes that this weekend’s race will be third time lucky.
Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen, the 2022 European cross-country silver medallist, will also be in contention in the women’s 8.04km race. The 27-year-old last raced four weeks ago at the Valencia half marathon, where she finished ninth in 1:07:07.
Federica del Buono will also be a contender. The versatile Italian competed over 10,000m at the European Championships, then dropped down to the 1500m at the Paris Olympics. She placed 10th at the Cinque Mulini, 19 seconds ahead of Hungary’s Lili Anna Vindics-Toth, also entered for Sunday’s race. Alicia Berzosa, who finished 12th in the 10,000m at the European Championships, should lead the Spanish challenge.
The men’s contest, also held over 8.04km, features defending champion Rodrigue Kwizera. The Burundian suffered his first defeat of the current cross-country season last weekend when he was outsprinted by Thierry Ndikumwenayo at the Cross de Itálica. The 25-year-old reached the finish line first at the past three editions of this race, although he was disqualified in 2021 for not wearing the vest of his Spanish club, Playas de Castellón. He made amends with victories in 2022 and 2023, and so goes into this weekend’s race as the hot favourite.
He may not have it all his own way, though. Kenya’s Mathew Kipchumba Kipsang, Ethiopia’s Abrham Sime and Ugandan duo Martin Kiprotich and Samuel Cherop will be keen to make an impact. Kipsang has achieved podium finishes in Atapuerca, Soria and San Vittore Olona in recent weeks, while Kiprotich was fifth in Atapuerca. Cherop, who was 11th in the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships earlier this year, is fresh from a 13:46 run over 5km in Lille. Sime, who has a highly respectable steeplechase PB of 8:02.36, clocked 13:36 in Lille for fifth.
With many of Spain’s top distance runners building up for the European Cross Country Championships on 8 December, Juan Antonio Pérez – a 27:46.08 performer for 10,000m – should lead the home challenge.
Notable past winners here include Portugal's 1993 world cross-country champion Albertina Dias (1996), Eritrea's former world half marathon record-holder Zersenay Tadese (2005), Kenya’s 2016 Olympic 5000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot (2009), Ethiopia’s Olympic marathon champion Tamirat Tola (2015) and Uganda’s two-time world cross country champion Jacob Kiplimo (2018).
Weather forecasters predict a sunny and windless day on Sunday with temperatures ranging between 12-14C.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
