Preview: Cross Internacional de la Constitucion Alcobendas
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Italy’s Nadia Battocletti and Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera are set to take center stage at the prestigious Cross Internacional de la Constitución in Alcobendas, a town conveniently located near Madrid's airport, on Sunday, November 24. As part of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold level meetings, the event promises thrilling competition, drawing top international talent to its renowned course.
Women’s Race Preview:
Nadia Battocletti leads the women’s field, bringing an impressive resume to Alcobendas. The Italian star claimed European gold in the 5000m and 10000m in Rome, setting national records with 14:35.29 and 30:51.32. Battocletti's stellar 2023 season includes an Olympic silver medal in the 10000m, where she narrowly lost to Beatrice Chebet by 0.10 seconds, and a fourth-place finish in the 5000m, improving her records to 14:31.64 and 30:43.35. Her cross-country achievements include four European titles (two under-20 and two under-23) and a senior silver medal in Brussels 2023. In Alcobendas, she previously finished second in 2022 and third in 2023. She began her 2024 cross-country campaign with a run at the Cinque Mulini in San Vittore Olona last weekend.
Battocletti faces strong competition from Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen, a world bronze medalist in the 5000m (Doha 2019) and European champion in Munich 2022. Klosterhalfen also boasts two European under-20 cross-country titles and a senior silver medal from Venaria Reale 2022. Known for her versatility, she holds German records of 8:20.07 (3000m) and 14:26.73 (5000m) and has a half-marathon best of 1:05:41. Recently, she placed ninth in the Valencia Half Marathon in 1:07:17.
Other contenders include Federica Del Buono, who has had a solid cross-country season with a victory at the Cross della Valsugana and a 10th-place finish at the Cinque Mulini. Del Buono placed fourth in the 10000m and seventh in the 5000m at the European Championships, achieving personal bests of 31:25.41 and 15:00.05. Lili Anna Vindics Toth of Hungary, 11th at the Cinque Mulini, and Spain’s Alicia Bardoza, who was 12th in the 10000m at the European Championships, will also compete.
Men’s Race Preview:
Rodrigue Kwizera headlines the men’s race, seeking his third consecutive win in Alcobendas following victories in 2022 and 2023. The 25-year-old Burundian athlete has been in excellent form, winning three straight cross-country races in Amorebieta, Alcobendas, and Soria, before finishing second to Thierry Ndikumwenayo at the Cross Italica in Seville last weekend.
Challenging Kwizera will be Kenya’s Mathew Kipchumba Kipsang, Ethiopia’s Abraham Sime, and Ugandan runners Martin Kiprotich and Samuel Cherop. Kipchumba has shown consistency with third-place finishes in Atapuerca, Soria, and San Vittore Olona. Sime, a rising talent, set personal bests of 8:02.36 in the 3000m steeplechase in Paris and 13:36 over 5km on the road in Lille last week. Kiprotich has been competitive this season, placing fifth in Atapuerca and second in San Sebastian, while Cherop brings youth promise, having placed 11th in the under-20 race at the World Cross Country Championships.
The men's and women’s fields promise a captivating day of racing, with elite athletes from around the world showcasing their talent on the challenging Alcobendas course.
