Rodrigue Kwizera and Francine Niyomokunzi clinched a Burundian victory at the Cross Internacional Zornotza in Amorebieta, marking the inaugural event of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold.
The race commenced at a blistering pace with Uganda's Dan Kibet leading the first kilometer in 2:47. Kwizera, alongside Uganda’s Oscar Chelimo and Kenya's Kenneth Kiprop, were the only contenders able to match Kibet. Chelimo and Kibet alternated leading, completing the 2 km mark in 2:50, while Kiprop began to lag.
The lead trio completed the second lap in 6:03, with Kwizera taking the lead for the first time and distancing Chelimo.
In the final lap, Kwizera surged ahead, securing the victory in the men’s 8.7 km event with a time of 25:29, creating a 12-second margin over Chelimo. Kibet claimed third, trailing by eight seconds. Kenya’s Matthew Kipchumba Kipsang passed a weakening Kiprop in the final stretch.
“It was a challenging race due to the heat. The initial kilometers were rapid, so I opted to stay behind the leaders initially, then moved forward to gauge my competitors' stamina. At the final bell, I chose to accelerate, opting not to wait until the later stages. It’s crucial for me to amass points for the Cross Country Tour. I am set to compete in Atapuerca next Sunday,” Kwizera stated.
Women’s race:
Francine Niyomokunzi immediately took command at the onset of the women’s 8.7 km race, with Spain’s marathon record holder Majida Maayouf in close pursuit. They widened their lead from a trailing group comprising Hungary's Lili Anna Vindics Toth, Ecuador’s Katherine Tisalema, Carone Robles, Cristina Ruiz, and Angela Viciosa (daughter of the former European 5000m champion Isaac Viciosa).
Niyomokunzi was ahead by four seconds at the 3 km checkpoint, with Maayouf struggling to maintain pace. The gap widened to 16 seconds over Vindics Toth.
By the final bell, Niyomokunzi had expanded her lead over Maayouf to 44 seconds and finished with a commanding 64-second lead, clocking in at 30:07. Maayouf secured second place in 31:11, narrowly ahead of Caroline Robles at 31:19. Vindics Toth and Ruiz finished fourth and fifth, timing 31:34 and 31:46, respectively.
“I aimed to set a strong pace from the start. Although Maayouf matched me initially, I continued to increase the tempo and successfully broke away from her. I'm looking forward to my next race in Atapuerca. I felt very strong throughout the competition,” Niyomokunzi remarked.
TOP RESULTS MEN 8700m
1. KWIZERA, Rodrigue - BURUNDI - 25:29
2. CHELIMO, Óscar 2001 - UGANDA - 25:41
3. KIBET, Dan - UGANDA - 25:49
4. KIPSANG, Mathew Kipchumba - KENIA - 26:07
5. KIPROP, Kenneth - UGANDA - 26:16
6. NTAKARUTIMANA, Egide - BURUNDI - 27:09
7. HASSAOUS GARCÍA, Nassim - CA BIKILA NA-14315 - 27:15
8. CARRO MORILLO, Fernando - NIKE RUNNING M-542 - 27:18
9. FAYISA GUTAMA, Abdisa - ETIOPÍA - 27:33
10. EL KAYAMI EL KOMIRY, Abderrahman - SPAIN- 27:35
TOP RESULTS WOMEN 8700m
1. NYOMUKUNZI, Francine - BURUNDI - 30:07
2. MAAYOUF, Majida - ESP - 31:11
3. ROBLES CAMPOS, Carolina - ESP - 31:19
4. VINDICS-TÓTH, Lili Anna - HUNGRÍA - 31:34
5. RUIZ FERNÁNDEZ, Cristina - ESP - 31:46
6. ARCE PEREIRA, Carla - ESP - 31:51
7. TISALEMA PURUNCAJA, Katherina - ECUADOR - 31:56
8. VICIOSA VILLA, Ángela - ESP - 32:08
9. DÍAZ CALVO, Azuzena - ESP - 32:53
10. PELAYO GONZÁLEZ, Irene - ESP - 33:05