Rodrigue Kwizera wins the Cross Internacional de Soria (© Asociacion ADOC)
The 70th Cross Internacional Zornotza, the first Gold meeting of this season's World Athletics Cross Country Tour, takes place in Amorebieta on Sunday (20). The line-up is headed by defending Cross Country Tour champion Rodrigue Kwizera and his compatriot Francine Niyomukunzi.
Spain-based Burundian Kwizera is a renowned cross country specialist. He was a joint winner of the 2022-2023 Cross Country Tour, then was the sole champion last season. The last race he completed on the track was his seventh-place finish over 10,000m at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. This year he mainly focused on the roads, clocking 27:07 for 10km in Herzogenaurach.
This weekend he will be joined by compatriot Egide Ntakarutimana, who clocked a 5000m PB of 13:00.74 in Paris this year then went on to compete at the Olympic Games. He recently won a 10km road race in Arezzo in 28:03.
Kwizera’s stiffest rivalry should come from Ugandan trio Oscar Chelimo, Dan Kibet and Kenneth Kiprop. Chelimo, the 2022 world 5000m bronze medallist, set a PB of 12:54.59 for the distance this year. Kibet finished just outside the top 10 at this year’s World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade; more recently he won over 10km in Berlin in 28:19.
Kiprop earned 5000m bronze at the World U20 Championships in Lima. Ethiopia’s Abdisa Fayisa, who finished marginally ahead of Kiprop, will also be in contention on Sunday. After taking 5000m silver in the Peruvian capital, Fayisa went on to take 1500m gold. More recently he finished third in a road mile in Berango last week.
Spain’s Abderrahman El Khayami, who finished ahead of Fayisa in that race, will also be racing this weekend. The Spanish contingent also includes national silver medallist Nassim Hassaous and Spanish steeplechase record-holder Fernando Carro, fresh from a comfortable victory at the San Sebastian Half Marathon two weeks ago.
For the second year in a row, the women will cover the same distance as the men (8.7km). Niyomukunzi, winner here in 2021, looks a safe bet to win again in Amorebieta. The Burundian started the year with a big PB of 30:42 over 10km in Valencia, then improved her 5000m PB to 14:44.97 before advancing to the Olympic final in Paris.
Her toughest opposition could come from Hungary’s Lili Ann Vindics-Toth. The former steeplechase specialist has recently moved up to longer distances and set a 10km PB of 31:56 earlier this year.
Olympic and European steeplechase finalist Carolina Robles leads the Spanish contingent, alongside Cristina Ruiz, Ángela Viciosa and Majida Maayouf. Ruiz will be aiming for her first podium spot here after fifth-place finishes in 2022 and 2023. Viciosa, daughter of 1998 European 5000m champion Isaac Viciosa, finished fourth in the U23 race at last year’s European Cross Country Championships.
Maayouf, the Spanish marathon record-holder (2:21:27), will be using this race as part of her preparations for the Valencia Marathon in December.
The list of illustrious past winners in Amorebieta include Ethiopia's Gete Wami (1999 and 2000), Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot (2007 and 2008), Ukraine's Sergey Lebed (2000) and Portugal's Rosa Mota (1986).
Organisers will this weekend pay tribute to two Spanish legends who passed away earlier this year: two-time world cross country champion Carmen Valero and seven-time Amorebieta victor Mariano Haro. Uganda’s Rebecca Cheptegei, runner-up here in 2014, who died tragically just 25 days after finishing the Paris Olympic marathon, will also be remembered.
Weather forecasters predict a pleasant sunny and windless day on Sunday, with the thermometer reaching 23C by the time of the event.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
