World Athletics is pleased to announce the launch of the bidding processes for the following World Athletics Series events:&nbsp;
2028 World Athletics Road Running Championships&nbsp; 2029 World Athletics Road Running Championships&nbsp; 2029 World Athletics Cross Country Championships&nbsp;
The launch follows earlier communication with World Athletics member federations, who were informed of the forthcoming bidding process in advance of the year-end period.
The World Athletics Road Running Championships has rapidly&nbsp;established&nbsp;itself as one of the sport&rsquo;s most accessible and dynamic global events. Delivered in its latest format as a one-day competition, the championships bring together approximately 350 elite athletes from about 55 countries to contest the half marathon and 5km road races, alongside highly popular mass participation events.&nbsp;
Each edition transforms the host city into the road running capital of the world,&nbsp;providing an outstanding opportunity for a host member federation&nbsp;to capitalise on the growing global appetite for road running. The event&rsquo;s strong appeal to recreational runners and spectators alike offers significant potential to drive participation,&nbsp;visibility&nbsp;and revenue, while strengthening the host&rsquo;s international road running profile.&nbsp;
The World Athletics Cross Country Championships&nbsp;remains&nbsp;the pinnacle of off-road running, designed to highlight the character and landscape of the host city through technically challenging courses and distinctive terrain. Staged as a one-day event, the championships feature approximately 550 athletes from about 52 countries with opportunities to incorporate memorable mass participation races.&nbsp;
As global interest in off-road and endurance running continues to grow, the World Athletics Cross Country Championships offers host cities a powerful platform to promote active tourism, forge new strategic partnerships and&nbsp;showcase&nbsp;their natural and urban environments to a worldwide audience.&nbsp;
Bid guides for each event, including hosting requirements and impact data from&nbsp;previous&nbsp;editions, are now available on the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/about-iaaf/documents/member-federation-resource-centre#collapsebidding" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics website</a>.&nbsp;
The deadline for submission of pre-qualification forms for the 2028 and 2029 World Road Running Championships, and the 2029 World Cross Country Championships, is 3 April 2026. Full bid process timelines are also available on the World Athletics website.&nbsp;
World Athletics

World Athletics is pleased to announce the launch of the bidding processes for three World Athletics Series events

Bidding process launched for 2028-2029 out-of-stadium World Athletics Series events 

When Jacob Kiplimo surged clear in Tallahassee to claim his third senior world cross-country title, the significance went well beyond another gold medal.
Three senior victories across different editions confirmed his status as one of the era&rsquo;s great cross-country runners. More importantly, they underlined how far Uganda has travelled: from occasional medal threat to a nation now firmly embedded among distance running&rsquo;s elite.
For decades, the World Cross Country Championships were shaped by a near-unchallengeable duopoly. Kenya and Ethiopia didn&rsquo;t simply dominate; they defined what success looked like. Uganda, despite producing talented individuals, was rarely discussed in the same breath. But that landscape has changed and the roots of that transformation stretch back further than Tallahassee.
The turning point came in 2017, when Uganda hosted the championships in Kampala. While the traditional powers still swept the senior individual medals, Uganda announced itself as a growing force by winning senior men&rsquo;s and U20 women&rsquo;s team bronze on home soil. More tellingly, a teenage Kiplimo claimed Uganda&rsquo;s first-ever individual gold at the championships, winning the U20 men&rsquo;s race in a breakthrough moment that hinted at what was to come.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/d33ee124-cf6e-4418-915f-34f492efa538.jpg" alt="Amos Kirui and Jacob Kiplimo in the U20 men's race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships Kampala 2017" />
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Amos Kirui and Jacob Kiplimo in the U20 men's race at the World Cross Country Championships Kampala 2017 (&copy; Jiro Mochizuki)
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Two years later, the shift became impossible to ignore. At the 2019 championships in Aarhus, Uganda achieved something no nation outside Kenya or Ethiopia had managed in nearly four decades: winning the senior men&rsquo;s team title. Leading that milestone were Kiplimo and Joshua Cheptegei, the athlete who would soon redefine Uganda&rsquo;s global standing on the track.
Cheptegei&rsquo;s r&eacute;sum&eacute; is now part of distance-running folklore: double Olympic champion, three-time world champion, and world record-holder over both 5000m and 10,000m. Alongside 2021 Olympic steeplechase champion Peruth Chemutai, he gave Uganda something it had never truly possessed before: sustained, visible excellence at the very highest level.
That excellence has fuelled Uganda&rsquo;s rapid rise in a discipline where it once lacked deep tradition. Cross country is no longer just a development tool, but a proving ground. Kiplimo himself articulated its value with characteristic simplicity after his Tallahassee triumph.
&ldquo;For me, I keep running cross-country so that I can get the endurance for the next season,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was just coming here to battle for the gold and to retain my title.&rdquo;
In Tallahassee, Uganda revealed layers of strength beneath the headline names. The senior men secured team bronze, while the senior women finished runners-up, driven by an outstanding silver-medal performance from Joy Cheptoyek.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6964f0f07f37c35a49ede73f.JPG" alt="Joy Cheptoyek takes senior women's silver at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26" />
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Joy Cheptoyek takes senior women's silver at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26 (&copy; World Athletics <img style="width: 16px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline;" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" alt="photographer icon" /> Morgan Tencza)
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At under-20 level, the results were even more symbolic. Uganda&rsquo;s women claimed a historic team gold &ndash; the first time any nation other than Kenya or Ethiopia had won that title &ndash; with Faith Cherop taking individual bronze, becoming the first athlete from outside Kenya or Ethiopia to reach the U20 women&rsquo;s podium since 2000, and Uganda&rsquo;s first-ever female individual medallist at the championships. The Ugandan U20 men added a team silver of their own.
Those performances placed Uganda third in the overall medal table in Tallahassee with seven medals &ndash; two gold, two silver and three bronze &ndash; behind only Kenya and Ethiopia. It marked a clear upward trend: three more medals than in Bathurst 2023 and two more than Belgrade 2024.
For Kiplimo, the wider impact matters as much as the medals. Asked about his influence on younger athletes, he pointed to a shift in mindset.
&ldquo;The upcoming athletes will see now how Kiplimo and the other guys are coming,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Now they believe that Uganda will be one of the best countries, and in the next two or three years Uganda will be battling for the gold.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6964f0c036324a42e7019e09.jpg" alt="The U20 women's team podium at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26" />
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The U20 women's team podium at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26 (&copy; World Athletics <img style="width: 16px; vertical-align: middle; display: inline;" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,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" alt="photographer icon" /> Sergio Mateo)
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Kiplimo has already hinted that Tallahassee may be his final World Cross appearance as he turns his focus towards the marathon. But the legacy is secure and Uganda no longer measures itself against Kenya and Ethiopia; it stands alongside them.
And in the mud and grass where reputations are forged early, a new generation is already running as if that status belongs to them.
Ainhoa Serrano for World Athletics

46th World Athletics Cross Country Championships

When Jacob Kiplimo surged clear in Tallahassee to claim his third senior world cross-country title, the significance went well beyond another gold medal.

The Kiplimo-Cheptegei effect: how Uganda has redrawn the cross-country map

On his debut at the distance, Eritrea&rsquo;s Habtom Samuel broke the course record at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon on Sunday (11), winning the World Athletics Gold Label road race in 59:01.
Less than five months after winning the Diamond League 3000m title, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Fantaye Belayneh showed her versatility by winning the women&rsquo;s race with a huge PB of 1:04:49.
A large lead pack went through 5km in 14:13 in the men&rsquo;s race, and 13 men were still together at 10km, which was reached in 28:17. Samuel still had nine other men for company at 15km, reached in 42:20, with Kenya&rsquo;s Patrick Kiprop and Morocco&rsquo;s Mohammed El Youssfi pushing the pace.
Approaching the 10-mile point, Kiprop tried to make a break, but it was relatively short lived and he was reeled in by Samuel, El Youssfi and USA&rsquo;s Isai Rodriguez. With little more than a kilometre to go, Samuel had carved out a lead, which he managed to maintain until the finish, crossing the line in 59:01 to become the first Eritrean winner in Houston.
Kiprop held on for second place in 59:14, ahead of El Youssfi (59:21) and USA&rsquo;s Alex Maier (59:23).
In the women&rsquo;s race, Belayneh ran alongside fellow Ethiopians Tsigie Gebreselama and Buze Diriba through 5km (15:12). Diriba drifted off the swift pace, but Belayneh and Gebreselama maintained it through 10km, reached in 30:35.
They continued to run shoulder-to-shoulder through 15km (45:58) and 20km (1:01:33). It was only in the closing stages that Belayneh, the African 5000m champion, managed to pull clear, crossing the line in 1:04:49 to take more than two minutes off her PB.
Gebreselama was second in 1:04:52 and Diriba held on to third place in 1:05:57 ahead of USA&rsquo;s Taylor Roe (1:06:20).
In the Chevron Houston Marathon &ndash; also a World Athletics Gold Label road race &ndash; USA&rsquo;s Zouhair Talbi (2:05:45) and Britain&rsquo;s Calli Hauger-Thackery (2:24:17) took top honours.
Talbi was part of a seven-man group to go through half way in 1:03:04, but he picked up the pace and dropped his remaining opponents in the second half to win in a PB of 2:05:45.
Hauger-Thackery, who had won the Honolulu Marathon just four weeks prior, ran with Janet Ruguru through 10km (33:23) and the half-way point (1:11:15) before the Kenyan&rsquo;s challenge faded in the second half. The Briton went on to win in 2:24:17, finishing more than two minutes ahead of USA&rsquo;s 42-year-old Sara Hall (2:26:26).

On his debut at the distance, Eritrea’s Habtom Samuel broke the course record at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon

Samuel and Belayneh impress in Houston

Sweden&rsquo;s Andreas Almgren and Kenya&rsquo;s Brenda Jepchirchir claimed impressive victories at the 10K Valencia Ibercaja by Kiprun, a World Athletics Label road race, held in near perfect conditions on Sunday (11). In the men&rsquo;s race, world 10,000m bronze medallist Almgren won in 26:45 to take eight seconds off his own European record, set when winning here last year. Jepchirchir, still only 20, produced a standout performance in the women&rsquo;s race, lifting herself to fourth on the world all-time list.
The men&rsquo;s race had been billed as a record attempt by the European mark holder, and the Tokyo world 10,000m bronze medallist delivered emphatically. With Ethiopia&rsquo;s Urgesa Negasa setting the pace, the opening kilometres were covered at between 2:40 and 2:42, taking the field through 3000m in 8:04. By that point, only three athletes remained at the front: Almgren, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Khairi Bejiga and Kenya&rsquo;s Victor Kipruto.
Once the pacemaker stepped aside, Almgren assumed control, closely shadowed by Bejiga and Kipruto. The trio passed halfway in a brisk 13:29, projecting a sub-27:00 finish, albeit slightly outside the European record. Shortly before 6km, Kipruto began to lose contact, leaving Almgren and the 19-year-old Bejiga &ndash; who came in with a personal best of 26:54 &ndash; to contest the lead, with the Swede dictating the tempo.
Bejiga briefly moved to the front at about 8km, but his surge was short-lived. Almgren reclaimed the lead just before the final kilometre, still hunting his own continental mark. The decisive move came exactly at 9km, when Almgren found another gear and quickly pulled clear. A blistering final kilometre of 2:32 sealed the deal, as he powered home in 26:45, six seconds clear of the fast-finishing Ethiopian, who also set a personal best. Kipruto completed the podium in 27:16.
&ldquo;I knew I was in great shape &ndash; even better than last year &ndash; and I was confident of breaking the record,&rdquo; said Almgren. &ldquo;Valencia is like a second home for me; I never have a bad race here. It was tough setting the pace from the third kilometre onwards and there was some headwind in places, but overall it was a perfect race. I&rsquo;m immensely happy.&rdquo;
In addition to the area records, there were national records for: Mohamed Abdilaahi (Germany) 27:22, Magnus Tuv Myhre (Norway) 27:22, Said Mechaal (Spain) 27:25, Jose Carlos Pinto (Portugal) 27:37, Joe Wigfield (Great Britain) 27:38, Efrem Gidey (Ireland) 27:38 and Baldvin Magnusson (Iceland) 27:40.
The women&rsquo;s race began at a blistering pace, with Brenda Jepchirchir &ndash; previously a 30:04 performer &ndash; surging clear early. Running among a large group of male athletes, she set a relentless tempo of about 2:54 per kilometre, opening a small gap over Ethiopia&rsquo;s Likina Amebaw. Behind them, Kenya&rsquo;s Clare Chemtai and Faith Cherono ran in close formation.
Jepchirchir passed through half way in 14:32, with Amebaw four seconds back and the Kenyan chasing pair clocking 14:41. Eilish McColgan reached halfway in eighth place in 15:04, holding a 27-second advantage over fellow Briton Alex Bell.
In the second half, Jepchirchir eased slightly, covering the remaining kilometres in the 2:56&ndash;2:58 range. Amebaw mirrored her pace and remained within five seconds throughout, but was unable to close the gap. Jepchirchir crossed the line in 29:25, elevating her to equal fourth on the world all-time list.
The Spain-based Amebaw took second in 29:30, improving her personal best by 10 seconds and moving to equal sixth on the all-time lists, while Chemtai claimed third in 29:46.
McColgan, meanwhile, produced a perfectly judged run. The 35-year-old Scot clocked identical splits of 15:04 to finish in a European record of 30:08, taking two seconds off the mark set just a week earlier by Belgium&rsquo;s Jana Van Lent.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Brenda Jepchirchir (KEN) 29:25 2 Likina Amebaw (ETH) 29:30 3 Clare Chemtai Ndiwa (KEN) 29:49 4 Wede Kefale (ETH) 29:55 5 Girmawit Gebrzihair (ETH) 30:02 6 Faith Cherono (KEN) 30:06 7 Miriam Chebet (KEN) 30:08 8 Eilish McColgan (GBR) 30:08 9 Debash Kelali&nbsp; (ETH) 30:21 10 Alice Chemati (KEN) 30:38
Men 1 Andreas Almgren (SWE) 26:45 2 Kahiri Bejiga (ETHI) 26:51 3 Victor Kipruto (KEN) 27:16 4 Valentin Soca (URU) 27:21 5 Mohamed Abdillaahi (GER) 27:22 6 Magnus Tuv Myhre (NOR) 27:22 7 Said Mechaal (ESP) 27:25 8 Isaac Kimeli (BEL) 27:29 9 Jose Carlos Pinto (PORI) 27:37 10 Kipkandie Mkulia (KEN) 27:38
&nbsp;

Sweden’s Andreas Almgren and Kenya’s Brenda Jepchirchir claimed impressive victories at the 10K Valencia Ibercaja by Kiprun

Almgren and Jepchirchir victorious in Valencia

Ruti Aga and Dawit Wolde successfully defended their titles at the Xiamen Marathon &ndash; the first World Athletics Platinum Label road race of the year &ndash; leading Ethiopian sweeps of both podiums on Sunday (11).
Aga crossed the line in 2:22:45, finishing comfortably ahead of compatriots Meseret Abebayehu (2:25:15) and Fikrte Wereta (2:25:31). Li Meizhen was the top Chinese finisher, placing fifth in a PB of 2:27:24.
Aga adopted different tactics compared with her previous record-setting run, opting to stay patient within a larger group rather than pushing from the outset.
&ldquo;Last year I brought my personal pacer here, so I was pushing from the beginning,&rdquo; said Aga, who clocked 2:18:46 here in 2025 &ldquo;This year, I was running with the official pacers and some of male athletes. I was just concentrating on winning. I'm so happy to defend the title here in Xiamen.&rdquo;
Wolde timed his effort to perfection in the men&rsquo;s race, stopping the clock at 2:09:18 after a closely contested finish that saw three Ethiopians separated by just four seconds. Hailemaryam Kiros followed in 2:09:20, with Addisu Gobena third in 2:09:22, as the leading pack remained tightly bunched deep into the final kilometres.
Having broken the course record 12 months earlier with 2:06:06, Wolde adopted a more measured approach this time, prioritising victory over speed. The 34-year-old explained that his focus was on managing the race rather than forcing the pace early, a strategy that proved decisive in the closing stages.
&ldquo;What I wanted to do this year is just to keep my title, not to break my course record, so I had no reason to push it early,&rdquo; said Wolde, who also welcomed subtle changes to the course, notably the removal of a late U-turn, which he felt made the closing kilometres smoother.
&ldquo;This year when I came as the defending champion, I put a lot of pressure on me. I did it, so I'm happy.&rdquo;
National record-holder Yang Shaohui emerged as the leading Chinese man, finishing sixth overall in 2:11:14 after holding contact with the front group for more than 30km.

Ruti Aga and Dawit Wolde successfully defended their titles at the Xiamen Marathon

Aga and Wolde retain Xiamen Marathon titles

For the third edition in a row, Uganda&rsquo;s Jacob Kiplimo won the senior men&rsquo;s title ahead of Ethiopia&rsquo;s Berihu Aregawi at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26 on Saturday.
In so doing, Kiplimo confirmed his status as one of the great distance runners of his generation as the Ugandan proved untouchable when it mattered most, opening up a staggering 18 seconds on his fellow medallists on the final lap alone.
Aregawi once again had to settle for silver individually, but he gained some consolation by leading Ethiopia to gold in the team contest. Kenya&rsquo;s Daniel Ebenyo claimed individual bronze behind Aregawi.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6960404b3c5238afe2617368.jpg" alt="WXC Tallahassee 26 highlights" /></a></div>
As he has done so often on the world stage, Kiplimo allowed the race to develop before asserting control with a devastating surge in the closing stages. He also led Uganda to their best ever medal haul &ndash; seven in total, including two gold &ndash; at a World Cross Country Championships.
The early pace was set by USA&rsquo;s Wesley Kiptoo, who surged to the front from the gun and covered the opening lap in 5:39, establishing a two-second advantage over a chase pack led by Uganda&rsquo;s Dan Kibet and Australia&rsquo;s Ky Robinson. The move briefly stretched the field, but by 3km (8:39) Kiptoo had been reeled in as the leading group began to take shape.
At 4km, the complexion of the race was a familiar one, with Kenyan, Ethiopian and Ugandan athletes filling the top 12 positions. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tadese Worku led at that stage, closely followed by Uganda&rsquo;s Dolphine Chelimo and Kenya&rsquo;s Daniel Ebenyo, while Kiplimo moved into fourth place, calmly tracking the front and making his presence known.
Worku attempted to force the pace as the race approached halfway, adding a burst of pace that briefly gave him a narrow cushion over Kiplimo and Ebenyo, with Aregawi sitting just behind. The effort, however, proved short-lived. By 6km, Worku had been brought back as Kiplimo edged to the front at the end of the third lap, leading a tightly packed group that included Ebenyo, Worku and Aregawi. Biniam Mehary and Ishmael Kipkurui followed in fifth and sixth, while European cross-country champion Thierry Ndikumwenayo ran further back in seventh.
The fourth lap marked another turning point. Kipkurui was the first to lose contact, followed soon after by Worku, reducing the medal battle to four men: Kiplimo, Ebenyo, Mehary and Aregawi. As the bell sounded for the final lap, the race distilled further with Mehary falling behind, leaving the three pre-race favourites to contest the podium places.
It was then that Kiplimo made his decisive move. Digging deep, the Ugandan opened up a gap of eight seconds over the next kilometre, breaking clear of Aregawi and Ebenyo. His authority grew with each stride, and he continued to stretch his advantage relentlessly, gaining 18 seconds on the final lap alone.
Kiplimo crossed the line in 28:18 to become the fourth man in history to win three consecutive world cross-country titles, matching feats previously achieved by John Ngugi, Paul Tergat and Kenenisa Bekele. His victory also marked the biggest winning margin in the senior men&rsquo;s race since 2007.
"I didn't expect to win, but I was happy to cross the finish line first for the third consecutive time," said Kiplimo. "The course was really nice. I'm happy for my gold, but also for the team.
"The key to my success is consistency in training and belief in what you're doing," added Kiplimo, whose last race prior to today was his 2:02:23 victory at the Chicago Marathon in October. "Many more Ugandan runners are catching up."
Aregawi secured his fifth global silver medal, and his third at the World Cross, in 28:36, while world half marathon silver medallist Ebenyo added another major honour to his collection by claiming bronze in 28:45.
Worku, Kipkurui and Mehary completed the top six. Ndikumwenayo finished eighth, while world 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier placed 15th, four positions behind his French teammate Yann Schrub. US cross-country champion Parker Wolfe was the leading home finisher in 12th. Ethiopia won the team title ahead of Kenya and Uganda.
Jon Mulkeen&nbsp;for World Athletics 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #222222; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">SENIOR MEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Jacob Kiplimo (UGA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">28:18</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Berihu Aregawi (ETH)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">28:36</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Daniel Simiu Ebenyo (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">28:45</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">4</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Tadese Worku (ETH)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">28:49</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">5</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Ishmael Kipkurui (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">28:53</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">6</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Biniam Mehary (ETH)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">29:03</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">7</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Dolphine Chelimo (UGA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">29:07</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">8</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Thierry Ndikumwenayo (ESP)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">29:16</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">9</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Denis Kipkoech Kemboi Kipkemoi (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">29:18</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">10</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Keneth Kiprop (UGA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">29:20</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-championships/tallahassee26/results/men/senior-race/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
<table style="width: 677.25px; border-color: #222222; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; width: 662.453px;" colspan="3">SENIOR MEN'S TEAM RESULTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 53.1797px; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 392.109px; background-color: #e9c968;">Ethiopia</td>
<td style="width: 189.57px; background-color: #e9c968;">30</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 53.1797px; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 392.109px; background-color: #ced4d9;">Kenya</td>
<td style="width: 189.57px; background-color: #ced4d9;">34</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 53.1797px; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 392.109px; background-color: #bd895e;">Uganda</td>
<td style="width: 189.57px; background-color: #bd895e;">39</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; width: 662.453px;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-championships/tallahassee26/results/men/senior-race/final/team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

For the third edition in a row, Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo won the senior men’s title ahead of Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi

History repeats as Kiplimo wins senior men's gold from Aregawi in Tallahassee

Agnes Ngetich ensured that a 10th successive senior women&rsquo;s title for Kenya never looked in doubt as she secured a processional victory at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26 on Saturday (10).
Winning by 42 seconds, the world 10km record-holder achieved the second-biggest winning margin in any race in World Cross Country Championships history. She clocked 31:28 for the 10km race to clinch her first global title ahead of Uganda&rsquo;s Joy Cheptoyek and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Senayet Getachew.
Cheptoyek, who finished seventh in the 10,000m at the World Championships in Tokyo, became Uganda&rsquo;s first ever individual senior women&rsquo;s medallist at the World Cross Country Championships. Clocking 32:10, she secured the silver by three seconds ahead of Getachew, who adds senior bronze to the U20 gold she won in 2023.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6960404b3c5238afe2617368.jpg" alt="WXC Tallahassee 26 highlights" /></a></div>
Getachew led Ethiopia to the team title &ndash; the nation&rsquo;s 13th senior women&rsquo;s team title overall and first since 2019. She was followed over the finish line by Asayech Ayichew, who also successfully stepped up to the senior stage after finishing second in the U20 race in 2024, and Ethiopia&rsquo;s scoring team was completed by world U20 3000m champion Aleshign Baweke in fifth and Alem Tsadik in seventh.
Kenya clinched team silver and Uganda got bronze.
Beatrice Chebet had won the past two titles but with the double Olympic champion missing the 2026 season to start a family, Ngetich was on a mission to retain the title for Kenya.
Always to the fore, she was initially joined by Getachew, Ayichew and Cheptoyek and that quartet completed the first of the five 2km loops in 6:03. Clearly feeling good, Ngetich soon left her rivals behind and she took off on the second loop, creating a gap of 17 seconds on that chase trio &ndash; led by Cheptoyek &ndash; by the end of that circuit.
Ngetich increased her advantage to 25 seconds by the halfway point, and her lead only continued to grow &ndash; to 31 seconds by the end of the third loop and to 40 seconds with the final 2km circuit to go.
Ayichew had been dropped by Cheptoyek and Getachew by that point and was followed by a four-strong pack featuring Tsadik, Baweke, Uganda&rsquo;s Rispa Cherop and Kenya&rsquo;s Maurine Chebor.
At the front of the race, Ngetich carried on unchallenged and she strode over the finish line in 31:28 to add gold to the bronze she claimed at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst and the fourth-place finish she achieved in Belgrade the following year.
Her winning margin of 42 seconds is only beaten by Grete Waitz's victory by 44 seconds in 1980.
"I am so happy with this title," said&nbsp;Ngetich. "I now have an individual title and I am proud to become the 10th woman to win world cross country gold for Kenya. Beatrice (Chebet) told me to bring the (gold) medal back home. This title is special."
A bit further back, the battle was on between Cheptoyek and Getachew. Cheptoyek managed the &lsquo;Alligator Alley&rsquo; log stretch slightly better than Getachew when they passed that section for the final time, and she edged ahead, securing silver in 32:10 to Getachew&rsquo;s 32:13. Ayichew got fourth place in 32:44 and was followed by Baweke and Cherop.
Ednah Kurgat, the 2017 NCAA cross-country champion, led the host nation squad as she finished 10th in 33:28.
Jess Whittington&nbsp;for World Athletics 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #222222; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">SENIOR WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Agnes Ngetich (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">31:28</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Joy Cheptoyek (UGA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">32:10</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Senayet Getachew (ETH)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">32:13</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">4</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Asayech Ayichew (ETH)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">32:44</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">5</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Aleshign Baweke (ETH)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">32:49</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">6</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Rispa Cherop (UGA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">32:52</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">7</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Alem Tsadik (ETH)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">33:00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">8</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Maurine Chebor (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">33:06</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">9</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Sarah Chelangat (UGA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">33:20</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">10</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Ednah Kurgat (USA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">33:28</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-championships/tallahassee26/results/women/senior-race/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #222222; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">SENIOR WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Ethiopia</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">19</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Kenya</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">36</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Uganda</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">37</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-championships/tallahassee26/results/women/senior-race/final/team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

A report on the senior women's race at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26

Ngetich delivers masterclass to maintain Kenyan win streak in Tallahassee

Following a handful of near-misses so far in his burgeoning career, Frankline Kibet struck gold on his global championships debut by winning the U20 men&rsquo;s race at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26 on Saturday (10).
The teenager had finished second at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships in February last year. He also claimed the runner-up spot in the 5000m at Kenya&rsquo;s trials for the African U20 Championships. And at the end of 2025, he finished second once again in the trial race for the World Cross.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6960404b3c5238afe2617368.jpg" alt="WXC Tallahassee 26 highlights" /></a></div>
It&rsquo;s no surprise that most eyes were on his teammates Emmanuel Kiprono, the Kenyan Trials winner, and Andrew Alamisi, the world U20 5000m champion. But it was Kibet who timed his effort to perfection, kicking to victory in 23:18 to lead a Kenyan 1-2-3-4 finish and securing team gold in the process.
Up until the last lap, the race was impossible to call. A large pack went through the first kilometre in 2:48, led by Kiprono and fellow Kenyan Edwin Elkana. Belgium&rsquo;s Willem Renders, the European U20 5000m and cross-country champion, then took a turn leading the pack, passing through 2km in 5:49 and 3km in 8:56. It wasn&rsquo;t enough to break up the pack, though, as 18 men were within two seconds of the leader.
The Belgian was soon passed by the Kenyan contingent, this time led by Andrew Kiptoo, while Kibet bided his time a stride or so behind. Uganda&rsquo;s Abraham Cherotich, the world U20 mountain running bronze medallist, also featured prominently in the lead pack for most of the race and led through 5km in 14:54.
At 6km, with one lap to go, Kiprono, Kibet and Alamisi led from Cherotich and his teammate Daniel Chologoi. With the pace increasing in the closing stages, the lead pack finally started to splinter and Kiprono, Kibet and Alamisi finally broke free from the rest of the leaders.
With just a few hundred metres to go, Alamisi&rsquo;s challenge finally faded, leaving Kiprono and Kibet to battle it out for victory. Coming off the final bend, it was the slightly shorter figure of Kibet who burst into the lead, charging through the line in 23:18. Kiprono held on for silver in 23:20 and Alamisi ended as a comfortable bronze medallist in 23:28. Kiptoo was fourth (23:42), but was rewarded with team gold as Kenya achieved a &lsquo;perfect 10&rsquo; score.
"I am very happy with my victory and the team gold," said Kibet. "We trained together, so it is good to celebrate as a team. The course was tough, but I was determined and trained well, primarily focused on speed."
Uganda, led by fifth-place finisher Cherotich, secured team silver ahead of hosts USA, who repeated their team bronze from 2023.
It was the sixth time in World Cross history &ndash; following 1993, 2000, 2005, 2007 and 2010 &ndash; that Kenya had swept the U20 men&rsquo;s medals. No other nation has achieved the feat.
Jon Mulkeen&nbsp;for World Athletics 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #222222; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">U20 MEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Frankline Kibet (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">23:18</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Emmanuel Kiprono (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">23:20</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Andrew Alamisi (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">23:28</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">4</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Andrew Kiptoo (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">23:42</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">5</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Abraham Cherotich (UGA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">23:47</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">6</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Brian Kiptarus (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">23:49</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">7</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Daniel Chelogoi (UGA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">23:51</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">8</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Edwin Elkana (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">24:00</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">9</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Solomon Andiema (UGA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">24:01</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">10</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Dan Kipyeko (UGA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">24:02</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-championships/tallahassee26/results/men/u20-race/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
<table style="width: 677.25px; border-color: #222222; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; width: 662.453px;" colspan="3">U20 MEN'S TEAM RESULTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 53.1797px; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 392.109px; background-color: #e9c968;">Kenya</td>
<td style="width: 189.57px; background-color: #e9c968;">10</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 53.1797px; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 392.109px; background-color: #ced4d9;">Uganda</td>
<td style="width: 189.57px; background-color: #ced4d9;">31</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 53.1797px; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 392.109px; background-color: #bd895e;">United States</td>
<td style="width: 189.57px; background-color: #bd895e;">75</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; width: 662.453px;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-championships/tallahassee26/results/men/u20-race/final/team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

Frankline Kibet struck gold on his global championships debut by winning the U20 men’s race at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26

Kibet gains redemption and leads Kenya to U20 men’s sweep in Tallahassee

Marta Alemayo retained her U20 title with a dominant performance at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26 on Saturday (10).
The 17-year-old became the fifth woman to win back-to-back world U20 cross-country titles, clocking 18:52 to win the 6km race by 26 seconds.
She led an Ethiopian top two as Wosane Asefa won a fierce battle for the silver medal, gritting her teeth to edge Uganda&rsquo;s Charity Cherop, 19:18 to 19:19. With that third-place finish, Cherop became the first athlete from a nation other than Kenya or Ethiopia to make the U20 women's podium since the 2000 edition &ndash; also becoming Uganda's first ever women's individual medallist at the World Cross Country Championships.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6960404b3c5238afe2617368.jpg" alt="WXC Tallahassee 26 highlights" /></a></div>
With four athletes in the top 10, Cherop led Uganda to a historic team title ahead of Kenya and Japan. It was incredibly close and Uganda clinched the team crown on countback &ndash; becoming only the third nation after Kenya and Ethiopia to ever win this team gold since the U20 race was introduced at the World Cross Country Championships in 1989.
With just three Ethiopian athletes in action &ndash; short of the four needed for team scoring &ndash; the nation&rsquo;s run of making the team podium at every edition since 1991 came to an end.
But Alemayo made sure her presence was felt in the individual race and she went straight to the fore, leading that Ethiopian trio through a first kilometre that included the &lsquo;rollercoaster&rsquo; hill and sand pit in 3:02.&nbsp;
A pack of eight broke away by the end of the first 2km loop, Alemayo joined by her compatriots Asefa and Yenenesh Shimket, Kenya&rsquo;s Cynthia Chepkirui and Joan Chepkurui, and Uganda&rsquo;s Cherop, Felister Chekwemoi and Bentalin Yeko.
Alemayo kicked as they started the second loop and that move broke up the lead pack. By the third kilometre the defending champion was joined only by Chepkirui and Asefa, with Cherop following them, four seconds back.
As they reached &lsquo;Alligator Alley&rsquo;, with its carved log obstacles, Alemayo cleared the barriers with the most ease and she started to move away from her rivals. She had a seven-second advantage as she started the final 2km loop and the title looked hers to lose.
Alemayo remained well ahead as she reached the sand and water pits for the final time, with Chepkirui and Asefa locked in battle behind her. But they were nowhere to be seen as Alemayo hurdled the logs for the last time and she ran unchallenged to reach the finish line in 18:52, raising her hands in the air and looking to the sky as she completed her successful title defence.
"I am very happy with my second consecutive gold medal and to be joined by Wosane on the podium," said Alemayo, who joined Viola Kibiwot, Genzebe Dibaba, Faith Kipyegon and Letesenbet Gidey in winning two consecutive U20 titles. "We trained in cooler weather at home so we had to adjust. That was the biggest difference from the 2024 World Championships. We prepared as a team and I am glad we won gold and silver today.
"My next plan is to run indoors and I hope to compete at the World Indoor Championships in March."
Cherop closed hard to catch the chasers but steeplechase specialist Asefa held on to secure the silver after a sprint finish. Cherop gained a historic bronze and Chepkirui finished fourth in 19:22. Shimket rounded out the top five in 19:35.
The Ethiopian, Ugandan and Kenyan team members clinched the first 13 places, followed by Japan&rsquo;s Yui Onotora in 14th. Blair Bartlett was the top finisher for the host nation, placing 16th.
Jess Whittington&nbsp;for World Athletics 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #222222; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">U20 WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Marta Alemayo (ETH)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">18:52</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">Wosane Asefa (ETH)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">19:18</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Charity Cherop (UGA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">19:19</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">4</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Cynthia Chepkirui (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">19:22</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">5</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Yenenesh Shimket (ETH)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">19:35</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">6</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Joan Chepkurui (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">19:43</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">7</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Bentalin Yeko (UGA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">19:50</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">8</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Mercy Chepngeno (KEN)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">19:52</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">9</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Felister Chekwemoi (UGA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">19:53</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">10</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Peace Chebet (UGA)</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">19:54</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-championships/tallahassee26/results/women/u20-race/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
<table style="width: 677.25px; border-color: #222222; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center; width: 662.453px;" colspan="3">U20 WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 53.1797px; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 392.109px; background-color: #e9c968;">Uganda</td>
<td style="width: 189.57px; background-color: #e9c968;">29</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 53.1797px; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 392.109px; background-color: #ced4d9;">Kenya</td>
<td style="width: 189.57px; background-color: #ced4d9;">29</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 53.1797px; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 392.109px; background-color: #bd895e;">Japan</td>
<td style="width: 189.57px; background-color: #bd895e;">87</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; width: 662.453px;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-championships/tallahassee26/results/women/u20-race/final/team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

A report on the U20 women's race at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26

Dominant Alemayo retains U20 title, Uganda wins historic team gold in Tallahassee

Australia&rsquo;s decision to field a full-strength team for the mixed relay paid off handsomely at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26 as they powered to a convincing victory in the first discipline on Saturday (10).
Their quartet of Olli Hoare, Linden Hall, Jack Anstey and Jessica Hull improved on their bronze medal from 2023 to win in 22:23 ahead of surprise silver medallists France. But perhaps the biggest shock of the race was that four-time winners Kenya finished one place shy of the podium.
<div><a href="https://worldathletics.org/videos" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6960404b3c5238afe2617368.jpg" alt="WXC Tallahassee 26 highlights" /></a></div>
On the first leg, Silas Chemutai took an early lead for Uganda, hitting the one kilometre checkpoint in 2:33 just ahead of USA&rsquo;s Ethan Strand, Kenya&rsquo;s Reynold Cheruiyot and Australia&rsquo;s Hoare.
Cheruiyot, the world 1500m bronze medallist, moved up through the field during the second half of the 2km lap, then Strand pulled ahead as they negotiated the section featuring alligator-shaped wooden logs.
Cheruiyot once again edged ahead through the mud section, but Strand managed to gain a narrow lead over the Kenyan at the end of the leg, which was covered in 5:12, with France and Australia coming through in third and fourth respectively.
Winfred Mbithe, twice a medallist for Kenya in this event, put Kenya back in the lead for the first half of the second leg, but Australia&rsquo;s Linden Hall moved to the front soon after and started to carve out a significant lead.
Further back, USA&rsquo;s Sage Hurta-Klecker dropped down the field, while Ethiopia&rsquo;s Gela Hambese and France&rsquo;s Sarah Madeleine remained in contention.
Hall made easy work of the logs, but Mbithe struggled towards the end and almost tripped, allowing the field behind her to bunch up. Hall reached the half-way point of the race with a six-second lead, with Madeleine having moved France into second place. Karabo More&rsquo;s 6:02 split &ndash; beaten only by Hall on that leg &ndash; elevated South Africa into third place.
Jack Anstey tried his best to hold on to Australia&rsquo;s lead on the third leg, but France&rsquo;s Antoine Senard had reduced it to just one second at 5km, 13:50 to 13:51. Senard took the lead shortly after and kept it until the end of his leg, also making the smart decision to hand over to European indoor 1500m champion Agathe Guillemot towards the end of the changeover zone. Anstey managed to keep the gap to within two seconds as he handed over to Olympic 1500m silver medallist Jessica Hull.
Hull reeled in Guillemot gradually, and with one kilometre to go she had a two-second lead over the former heptathlete. Behind them, Hirut Meshesha had moved into third for Ethiopia, keeping defending champions Kenya outside of the medal positions.
Hull dug deep over the logs and through the mud, holding off a determined Guillemot in the closing stages. Hull strode ahead &ndash; all smiles &ndash; to cross the line in 22:23 to take gold, finishing three seconds ahead of France. Meshesha anchored Ethiopia to bronze (22:34), keeping Kenya off the podium for the first time ever in a mixed relay at the World Cross Country Championships.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 75%; border-color: #222222; border-style: solid;" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #fd5249; text-align: center;" colspan="3">MIXED RELAY RESULTS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #e9c968; text-align: center;">🥇</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #e9c968;">Australia</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #e9c968;">22:23</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #ced4d9; text-align: center;">🥈</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #ced4d9;">France</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #ced4d9;">22:26</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; background-color: #bd895e; text-align: center;">🥉</td>
<td style="width: 60%; background-color: #bd895e;">Ethiopia</td>
<td style="width: 30%; background-color: #bd895e;">22:34</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">4</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Kenya</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">22:42</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">5</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">United States</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">22:43</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">6</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">South Africa</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">23:04</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">7</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Great Britain &amp; NI</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">23:11</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 10%; text-align: center;">8</td>
<td style="width: 60%;">Uganda</td>
<td style="width: 30%;">23:43</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background-color: #34495e; text-align: left;" colspan="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;<a style="color: #ffffff;" href="https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-championships/tallahassee26/results/mixed/mixed-relay/final/result" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Full results</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;

Australia’s decision to field a full-strength team for the mixed relay paid off handsomely at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26

Hull anchors Australia to mixed relay gold in Tallahassee, ending Kenya’s reign

The opening press conference for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Tallahassee 26 brought together past and present champions and provided World Athletics President Sebastian Coe the perfect platform to reinforce the importance of the event and the discipline, particularly in such a busy year for the sport.
The competition on Saturday (10) kicks off an action-packed international athletics calendar. The World Cross Country Championships is the first of six World Athletics Series events taking place in 2026 &ndash; a year that will also feature the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in September and the new World Treadmill Championship.
Saturday&rsquo;s event in Tallahassee, Florida, sees the United States host the World Cross Country Championships for the third time, following editions in New York in 1984 and Boston in 1992. It will feature more than 450&nbsp;athletes as they compete for individual and team titles across a programme of five races.
&ldquo;The local organising committee has really set some extraordinary standards here,&rdquo; said Coe during the press conference at the Apalachee Regional Park on Friday (9). &ldquo;Thank you to our local dignitaries and thank you to Tallahassee for being such gracious hosts.
&ldquo;Cross country is one of the core pillars of our sport. I joined the World Athletics Council in 2003 and from that moment, I've been pushing the cause of cross country. It's an inseparable part of the journey that distance and endurance athletes make.
&ldquo;We have royalty in the house this morning,&rdquo; added Coe, who was joined at the press conference by Kenya&rsquo;s five-time world cross-country champion&nbsp;Paul Tergat. &ldquo;Five straight world cross-country titles, and any number of medals on the track, which goes to show that, yes, you can do cross country and run track at the same time.&rdquo;
Reflecting on his cross-country career, Tergat said: &ldquo;Cross country is such a unique event. It is where some of us built our careers, through cross country. Winning five times in a row was a major milestone in my career.&rdquo;
With world champion Jimmy Gressier of France also speaking at the press conference, Tergat was asked about Gressier&rsquo;s performance in Tokyo &ndash; one that saw him win the 10,000m by just six hundredths of a second &ndash; and if it reminded him of his own fierce battles.
&ldquo;It gave me memories of what it used to be in 2000, at the Olympic Games, between me and Haile Gebrselassie,&rdquo; Tergat said. &ldquo;This is what sport is all about. Between me and Haile, we were fighting when it came to the competition, but immediately after that, we would hug each other and say we'll meet the next day. Sport is an opportunity to bring people together, for generations. I'm very proud that I have been part of the sport for many years, and I'm still able to see what the sport has given to the newer generations like these guys who are competing tomorrow.&rdquo;
Gressier is among them and during the press conference he explained how his runner-up finish at the European Cross Country Championships in December left him even more motivated for the competition in Tallahassee.
&ldquo;Yes, it is true that I fell in the last few metres at the European Championships, and it was really frustrating,&rdquo; explained Gressier, speaking through an interpreter. &ldquo;But it just pushed me even more to train harder, as I have a clear objective here, which is to go home with a medal.&rdquo;
Gressier was sitting alongside Australia&rsquo;s Olympic and world 1500m medallist Jessica Hull, who was asked about her versatility. As well as the World Cross Country Championships, she is targeting the World Indoor Championships, the Ultimate Championship and the World Road Running Championships in 2026.
&ldquo;When you have different things to focus on, it keeps it exciting,&rdquo; said Hull, who claimed bronze as part of the mixed relay team at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships on her home soil in Bathurst. &ldquo;The 800m was my kind of fun event last year and getting ready to start the year with some 2km cross country, you need to be versatile. Versatility is pretty important to me, and I think it's going to be the key to a long career.&rdquo;
Weini Kelati Frezghi will be racing for the host nation after winning the trial race in Portland in December, extending her cross-country career.
&ldquo;I love cross country, but as I&rsquo;m thinking of moving up the distances, my focus was going to be on longer distance training,&rdquo; explained Kelati Frezghi, who finished 14th at the 2024 World Cross Country Championships. &ldquo;But when I heard this event was going to be in the United States, I thought why not give it a try &ndash; to race with a home crowd on home soil.&rdquo;
Local organising committee co-Chairs Taylor Wheaton and Amanda Heidecker hope the experience leaves all athletes with lasting memories.
&ldquo;As a former athlete, I understand that tomorrow will be a day that these athletes will carry with them forever,&rdquo; said Wheaton. &ldquo;From the beginning, our vision for this event went beyond just staging a world-class competition. We set out to really have an immersive destination experience that reflects Florida's global tourism, one that's defined by energy, accessibility and unforgettable moments.&rdquo;
Heidecker added: &ldquo;This venue has become a world-renowned cross-country facility. We have hosted over 75 championships on every level and tomorrow marks a milestone unlike any other. Beyond this event, and what it means to Tallahassee and Leon County, we hope that it continues to elevate the sport of cross country and showcase why it deserves a place on the Olympic stage.&rdquo;
The press conference opened with a welcome from Leon County Commission Chairman Christian Caban and Leon County Administrator Vincent S Long.
&ldquo;This event is the first time that the World Cross Country Championships has been held in the United States in over 30 years, and it was chosen to be here at home for us and our neighbours in Leon County,&rdquo; said Caban. &ldquo;That is something for myself, my colleagues on the county commission and our entire community, our neighbours at home, to be so extremely proud of.&rdquo;
Long added: &ldquo;In my 30-plus years at Leon County, we're not supposed to have favourites, but this cross-country facility is one of my favourite projects. It's not just because of the result, it's not just because of big events like this, but it's because of how we got here. Runners built this course for runners.&rdquo;
World Athletics

The World Cross Country Championships is the first of six World Athletics Series events taking place in 2026

WXC Tallahassee 26 kicks off action-packed year of global athletics

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Ruti Aga and Dawit Wolde return to the C&amp;D Xiamen Marathon to defend their titles at the first World Athletics Platinum Label road race of the year on Sunday (11).
Aga and Wolde set respective course records of 2:18:46 and 2:06:06 to win last year. While Wolde tops the men&rsquo;s entry list again this year with his PB of 2:03:48 from Valencia in 2023, Aga will clash with her compatriot Megertu Alemu, who leads the women&rsquo;s entries with her career best of 2:16:34 from London in 2024.
Aga&rsquo;s PB of 2:18:09, set in Dongying&nbsp;in 2023, stood as the Chinese all-comers' record until it was broken by Brigid Kosgei in Shanghai in November. Aga&rsquo;s performance remains the second-fastest women&rsquo;s run ever achieved in China and her course record in Xiamen last year was the fourth sub-2:19 performance of her career so far.
The 31-year-old won the Tokyo Marathon in 2:20:40 in 2019 and her CV features four other major marathon podium places, including a 2:18:34 runner-up finish in the 2018 Berlin Marathon. She followed her Xiamen&nbsp;Marathon&nbsp;win last year with another marathon victory in Hangzhou in November.
Alemu has dipped under 2:19 seven times so far, her CV topped by that 2:16:34 to finish fourth in London in 2024. She won the Valencia Marathon in 2:16:49 later that year and was runner-up in Chicago in October in 2:17:18.
They will be joined by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Meseret Abebayehu and Fikrte Wereta, and Kenya&rsquo;s Helah Jelagat Kiprop. Abebayehu ran her PB of 2:19:50 in Amsterdam in 2023, the same year she won the Xiamen Marathon in 2:24:42, but she was 16th on her return last year. Wereta placed third in Xiamen last year, clocking 2:23:15, and she ran her PB of 2:21:32 to win the Seoul Marathon in 2024. Kiprop, the 2015 world silver medallist, most recently ran 2:26:40 in Taiyuan in September. Her PB of 2:21:27 was set in 2016.
Kenya&rsquo;s Mercy Kwambai also returns following her fourth-place finish in Xiamen in a PB of 2:23:58 last year.
In the men&rsquo;s race, Wolde will take on his compatriots and fellow sub-2:05 runners Hailemaryam Kiros and Asefa Mengstu.
Wolde ran his PB of 2:03:48 when finishing third in Valencia in 2023 and most recently placed second in Shanghai in 2:06:27 in November.
Kiros won the Sydney Marathon in a course record of 2:06:06 in August and set his PB of 2:04:35 when finishing fifth in the Berlin Marathon in 2024.
Mengstu, the 2019 Chicago Marathon third-place finisher, ran his PB of 2:04:06 in Dubai in 2018 and has focused on Chinese marathons over the past couple of years, his most recent performance being a 2:12:23 run in Harbin in August.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s 21-year-old Addisu Gobena, who is the nephew of defending women&rsquo;s race champion Aga, finished just 10 seconds behind Kiros to claim the runner-up spot in Sydney last year. The pair will battle again as Gobena returns to marathon action looking to build on his PB of 2:05:01 set when winning in Dubai on his marathon debut as a 19-year-old in 2024.
They will be joined by Kenya&rsquo;s Enock Onchari, who ran 2:05:20 in Barcelona last year, and Eritrea&rsquo;s Ablelom Maryo, who finished fifth in Xiamen last year in 2:07:05.
<h3>Elite fields</h3>
Women Megertu Alemu (ETH) 2:16:34 Ruti Aga (ETH) 2:18:09 Meseret Abebayehu (ETH) 2:19:50 Helah Jelagat Kiprop (KEN) 2:21:27 Fikrte Wereta (ETH) 2:21:32 Stacey Chepkemboi Ndiwa (KEN) 2:23:42 Mercy Kwambai (KEN) 2:23:58 Bai Li&nbsp;(CHN) 2:26:33 Xu Bingjie (CHN) 2:27:11 Lu Ying (CHN) 2:27:30
Men Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:03:48 Asefa Mengstu (ETH) 2:04:06 Hailemaryam Kiros (ETH) 2:04:35 Addisu Gobena (ETH) 2:05:01 Enock Onchari (KEN) 2:05:20 Ablelom Maryo (ERI) 2:07:05 Boaz Kipkemei (KEN) 2:07:06 Yang Shaohui (CHN) 2:07:09

Ethiopia’s Ruti Aga and Dawit Wolde return to the C&D Xiamen Marathon to defend their titles at the first World Athletics Platinum Label road race of the year on Sunday

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