Ebba Tulu Chala wins the TCS Lidingöloppet 30km (© Organisers)
Egide Ntakarutimana and Francine Niyomukunzi ran race records to win the 15km events, while Evelina Henriksson and Ebba Tulu Chala dominated the 30km contests as the TCS Lidingöloppet opened the World Athletics Cross Country Tour season in Lidingö, Sweden, on Saturday (26).
Ntakarutimana and Niyomukunzi secured a 15km double for Burundi, respectively clocking 44:36 and 51:25. Ntakarutimana won ahead of his compatriots Tharcisse Nizigiyimana and Elie Sindayikengdera, while Niyomukunzi clinched the crown ahead of Sweden’s Johanna Bäcklund and Smilla Szalkai.
Racing in wet conditions, Ntakarutimana and Nizigiyimana started fast and broke away early on. Ntakarutimana was in control and he gradually moved away from his compatriot, building a 12-second lead by the 5.5km checkpoint at Hustegaholm. By Grönsta at 11.4km he had extended his advantage to 33 seconds and he continued unchallenged to win by 51 seconds – Nizigiyimana following him over the finish line in 45:27. Sindayikengdera was third in 46:48.
“The race was good,” said Ntakarutimana, whose victory followed two top-10 finishes at two global championships in recent weeks – eighth in the World Athletics Ultimate Championship 5000m and ninth in the 5km at the World Athletics Road Running Championships. He also finished second in the 5000m at the Wanda Diamond League Final, setting a national record of 12:46.73.
“The course was hard, it’s up and down, but I tried to push the flat and I was keeping energy for the finish. I am happy for the course record.”
Niyomukunzi, who also contested the 5km at the World Road Running Championships a week ago, was even more dominant. After leading by more than three minutes at Grönsta, she maintained the momentum and eventually won by four minutes.
Bäcklund was in fourth place at Hustegaholm, 90 seconds behind Niyomukunzi, but she moved up and was clear in second place by Grönsta. She clocked 55:27 at the finish line, more than a minute ahead of Szalkai in 56:40.
Having previously been a World Cross Country Tour Silver level fixture, the Lidingöloppet – which lays claim to being the world’s largest cross-country event – was upgraded to Gold for the 2026-2027 season. Alongside the 15km races, athletes contested the event’s famously demanding 30km course – the longest race on this season’s tour.
Chala and Henriksson secured a Swedish 30km double, respectively running 1:38:50 and 1:53:28.
Like Ntakarutimana and Niyomukunzi in the 15km contests, Chala took control early on. Initially joined by Kenya’s defending champion William Nyarondia Morwabe, Chala had built a 46-second lead by the 15km mark at Fågelöudde and continued to move away.
Sweden’s David Nilsson finished strongly to secure second place in 1:40:55, one year on from winning the 15km. Nyarondia Morwabe, who won ahead of Chala last year, narrowly held on to third place in 1:41:06.
“It was a bit windy, cold and slippery, and I had to run alone, but my body felt good,” said Chala, who regained a title he won in 2024. “I'm in good shape and felt like I had it the whole way.”
Swedish 10,000m champion Henriksson won by an even bigger margin. Securing top spot for the first time after two consecutive third-place finishes, she claimed the crown by almost three minutes. Kenya’s four-time winner Sylvia Mboga Medugu was second in 1:56:26, repeating her placing from last year, while Sweden’s Hanna Lindholm was third in 1:56:53.
“The race went better than I had imagined,” Henriksson told organisers. “Previously it felt very heavy in the first mile, so I expected that, but it felt very easy the whole way. Everything flowed.”
Leading results
Women’s 15km
1 Francine Niyomukunzi (BDI) 51:25
2 Johanna Bäcklund (SWE) 55:27
3 Smilla Szalkai (SWE) 56:40
4 Louise Wiker (SWE) 57:32
5 Fanny Schulstad (SWE) 57:56
Men’s 15km
1 Egide Ntakarutimana (BDI) 44:36
2 Tharcisse Nizigiyimana (BDI) 45:27
3 Elie Sindayikengdera (BDI) 46:48
4 Jonathan Grahn (SWE) 47:01
5 Karl Ottfalk (SWE) 47:13
Women’s 30km
1 Evelina Henriksson (SWE) 1:53:28
2 Sylvia Mboga Medugu (KEN) 1:56:26
3 Hanna Lindholm (SWE) 1:56:53
4 Frida Michold (SWE) 1:58:32
5 Emy Thorén (SWE) 1:59:11
Men’s 30km
1 Ebba Tulu Chala (SWE) 1:38:50
2 David Nilsson (SWE) 1:40:55
3 William Nyarondia Morwabe (KEN) 1:41:06
4 Leonid Latsepov (EST) 1:41:06
5 Mohammadreza Abootorabi (SWE) 1:42:10
