Lucy Mawia Muli on her way to winning in Bydgoszcz (© Pawel Skraba)
Lucy Mawia, winner of the 2022/2023 World Athletics Cross Country Tour, is one of the leading entrants for the Cross Internacional Zornotza, the first Spanish Gold stop of this season's series, which takes place in Amorebieta on Sunday (22).
She will take on a field that includes Ethiopian duo Likina Amebaw and Lemlem Nibret, while Burundi's Celestine Ndikumana clashes with Uganda’s Leonard Chemutai in the men's event.
For the first time at this event, the women’s race will be held over the same distance as the men’s race, 8.7km. Mawia won’t mind, though, as two of her three victories in last season’s World Cross Country Tour came in races held over 8km.
The 24-year-old Kenyan has competed sparingly so far this year, but she’ll likely ramp up her competitive outings now that the cross-country season is beginning. She may not have it all her own way, though.
The Spain-based Amebaw won at the final leg of last season's World Cross Country Tour in Albufeira and should be in the hunt for the victory alongside compatriot Nibret. The 18-year-old finished fifth in the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, then went on to set PBs of 14:56.00 for 5000m and 14:57 for the road 5km.
Spanish hopes rest with defending champion Isabel Barreiro, though this weekend’s race will be her first outing since April because a bone edema ended her track season prematurely.
The local squad also includes Cristina Ruiz, a 15:25.11 5000m performer who represented Spain at the World Cross in Bathurst.
Burundi’s 21-year-old Ndikumana finished 20th in the senior men’s race at this year’s World Cross in Bathurst, then continued his 2023 campaign with a series of PBs on the track and a 15th-place finish in the 5km at the World Road Running Championships in Riga.
He finished just ahead of Chemutai in the Latvian capital, and the duo will renew their rivalry this weekend in Amorebieta. 20-year-old Chemutai is a steeplechase specialist on the track; this year he lowered his PB to 8:17.14 and reached the World Championships final in Budapest.
The line-up also includes Eritrea’s 2015 world marathon champion Ghirmay Ghebreselassie and compatriot Merhawi Mebrahtu, the world U20 5000m silver medallist. Both live for much of the year in Madrid where they train under the guidance of Jerónimo Bravo but on this occasion they will arrive in Spain on Saturday after a training stint in their home country.
In addition to his 2015 world title, Gebreselassie placed fourth at the 2016 Olympics and won the New York marathon later that year. He set a marathon PB of 2:05:34 last year, but this weekend he’ll be looking to rebound from his run at the recent Berlin Marathon, where he placed 31st in 2:12:34.
For Mebrahtu, meanwhile, this weekend’s race will be his first outing since placing 19th in the 10,000m at the World Championships.
Nassim Hassaous, who finished seventh at the 2021 European Cross Country Championships, is the leading Spanish entrant. The 29-year-old will aim to replicate his fourth-place finish from last year, but he’ll face domestic opposition from Sergio Paniagua and Andreu Blanes, the national cross-country silver and bronze medallists respectively.
The list of illustrious past winners in Amorebieta include Ukraine's Sergey Lebed (2000), Kenya's Joseph Ebuya (2011 and 2012), Portugal's Rosa Mota (1986), Ethiopia's Gete Wami (1999 and 2000) and Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot (2007 and 2008).
Weather forecasters predict a sunny and pleasant day on Sunday, with the thermometer reaching between 18-20C by the time of the event.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
