Samuel Kibet wins in Chiang Mai (© Marco Gulberti/Corsa in Montagna)
Grace Loibach Nawowuna and Samuel Kibet, last year’s winners at the Cross International Le Maine Libre-Allonnes-Sarthe, will face stiff opposition when they return to the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting on Sunday (17).
Nawowuna – who finished fourth at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships – was a convincing winner in Allonnes last year, crossing the line 30 seconds ahead of her opponents. This year’s race has been increased from 6.98km to 7.61km, which could play into the Kenyan’s hands, given she excels over 10,000m on the track – as shown by her PB of 29:47.42 – and recently made a promising half marathon debut of 1:07:16.
She’ll be looking for her first victory in a Cross Country Tour race this year, following a third-place finish in Elgoibar back in January and a runner-up spot in Atapuerca last month.
Sarah Chelangat will be aiming to become the first Ugandan woman to win in Allonnes. She holds national records for 3000m (8:32.53), 5000m (14:40.88), 10,000m (30:24.04) and the half marathon (1:07:59), and finished sixth at this year’s World Cross, all of which suggests she’ll be Nawowuna’s toughest opposition.
Norah Jeruto, the 2022 world steeplechase champion, will also be no push-over. The Kazakh runner will be making her first cross-country appearance since 2021 when she won in Seville.
Fellow steeplechaser Marwa Bouzayani, is also in the line-up. The Tunisian record-holder is a two-time world finalist at her specialist discipline, but also possesses the versatility to perform well at cross country.
France’s 2013 European cross-country champion Sophie Duarte, French half marathon record-holder Mekdes Woldu, Portuguese half marathon specialist Monica Silva, and Algeria’s Nawal Yahi are also in the line-up.
The men’s race last year was much closer than the women’s with Samuel Kibet winning by just four seconds from Yann Schrubb. Both men will be back in Allonnes to renew their rivalry.
Kibet won the 2022 world mountain-running title, then went on to place 30th at the 2023 World Cross, earning bronze in the team competition.
After his runner-up finish in Allonnes last year, Schrubb went on to win the European cross-country title. This weekend’s race will be his first cross-country outing since his continental victory. Earlier this year, he took silver over 10,000m at the European Championships.
He’ll be joined on the startline by compatriot Jimmy Gressier, the winner here in 2021. Gressier has enjoyed a fine season so far, setting French records over 5000m (12:54.97) and 10,000m (26:58.67), as well as a European record at 10km (27:07).
Vinent Kimayo is another one to watch. The Kenyan clocked a 10km PB of 27:21 in Madrid in June, finishing two places ahead of Kibet. Look out, too, for prodigious Ethiopian teenager Kuma Girma, who ran 13:03.37 for 5000m at the age of 17 last year.
Other contenders include European steeplechase champion Alexis Miellet, fourth her last year, European steeplechase silver medallist Djilali Bedrani, European indoor 3000m finalist Bastien Augusto, and French short course cross-country champion Nicolas Daru.
