Chebet and Aregawi Headline the Elgoibar World Cross Country Tour Gold Race
Kenya's Beatrice Chebet and Ethiopia's Berihu Aregawi will be the central figures at the Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza in Elgoibar, the 13th leg of the World Cross Country Tour Gold.
Chebet clinched the 5 km road race in Barcelona, setting a new world record of 13:54, thus becoming the first woman to break the 14-minute barrier on any surface. The 24-year-old Kenyan athlete will make her fourth appearance in Elgoibar, having secured second place in 2020 and 2022 and a first-place finish in 2024.
Chebet has also garnered two Olympic gold medals in the 5000m and 10000m events in Paris and established a world record in the 10000m at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, becoming the first woman to break the 29-minute barrier with a time of 28:54.14. Additionally, she captured her second consecutive world cross country gold medal in Belgrade, claimed the Diamond League Trophy in the 5000m in Brussels, and set the season's leading time of 14:09.52 in the 5000m in Zurich.
Ethiopia’s Melknat Wudu will compete in Elgoibar just two days post her 20th birthday. Wudu recorded a personal best of 14:36.65 in the 5000m at the Diamond League final in Brussels and placed fourth with a time of 14:53 in the 5 km road race in Barcelona on December 31.
Burundi's Francine Niyomokunzi will strive to secure a top-three finish for the fourth time at this year's edition of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour after triumphs in Amorebieta, and third and second-place finishes in Atapuerca and Soria respectively. The 25-year-old African athlete has set personal bests of 14:44.97 in the 5000m and 30:42 in the 10 km road race.
Prominent European contenders include Spain’s Caroline Robles, who placed eighth at the European Championships in the 3000m in Rome and fourth at the San Silvestre Vallecana in Madrid in 31:58 over 10 km, and France’s Marie Bouchard, who finished 12th at the European Cross Country Championships in Brussels in 2023.
The line-up also features promising European talents like Claudia Correl from Spain, 15th at the European Under-23 Championships in Antalya 2024, and Great Britain's Katie Willis and Megan Gadsby, who finished 11th and 23rd in the under-23 category at the European Cross Country Championships in Antalya.
Aregawi Clashes Against Kwizera in the Men’s Race
Olympic 10000 metres silver medalist Berihu Aregawi will face off against Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera in the men's race.
Aregawi kicked off his cross country season with a third-place finish in Seville, trailing Thierry Ndikkumenayo and Rodrigue Kwizera, but returned to winning form on December 31 when he triumphed at the San Silvestre Vallecana in Madrid, setting a new course record of 26:32. Aregawi has also claimed runner-up positions at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst in 2023 and in Belgrade in 2024, as well as an Olympic silver medal in the 10000m in Paris in 26:44.43 and a second-place finish at the Diamond League final in the 5000m in Brussels in 12:43.66.
Kwizera, who was a close second at the Elgoibar Cross Country race just five seconds behind Aregawi, is poised for a rematch in this year's race. The current leader of the World Country Tour Ranking recently completed a three-week high-altitude training session in Sierra Nevada.
Other contenders for a top-three finish include Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu, Spain’s Adel Mechaal and Aaron Las Heras, and Tomer Terragano from Great Britain.
Firewu achieved a sixth-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase final at the Olympic Games in Paris at the tender age of 20 and set a personal best of 8:04.34 over the distance.
Mechaal secured a third-place finish at the San Silvestre Vallecana in Madrid over 10 km in 27:39, trailing Aregawi and Jacob Kiplimo. Mechaal and Las Heras clinched the team senior gold medal at the 2024 European Cross Country Championships in Antalya last December.
Terragano will compete in Elgoibar a day after his 24th birthday. The British athlete triumphed at the national cross country Trials in Liverpool and placed 19th at the European Cross Country Championships in Antalya.
