Rodrigue Kwizera and Likina Amebaw headline the Cross Internacional de Soria
Rodrigue Kwizera of Burundi and Likina Amebaw of Ethiopia will headline the Cross Internacional de Soria, the fourth stop of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold.
Kwizera, a three-time champion in Soria (2021, 2023, 2024), will aim to extend his remarkable winning streak just a week after triumphing at the Cross Itálica in Seville. The 25-year-old Burundian, a two-time overall Tour winner, is in superb form this season—having also clocked a personal best of 58:38 at the Valencia Half Marathon last October.
With another win, Kwizera would become the first athlete in history to capture four titles at Soria, surpassing Uganda’s Timothy Toroitich, who claimed three consecutive victories (2014–2016).
His main challengers include Kenya’s Mathew Kipsang and Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo. Kipsang, who celebrates his 30th birthday on race day, will chase a second straight win after triumphing last weekend at the Cardiff leg of the Tour. He finished third in Soria last year and owns personal bests of 7:33.23 (3000 m) and 12:58.61 (5000 m). Ndikumwenayo, fifth in Seville, will seek a return to the top in Soria, where he claimed victory in 2022.
Other strong contenders include Emile Hafashimana—winner in Amorebieta and ninth in Seville—Uganda’s Martin Toroitich (14th at the 2024 World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, and runner-up at both the World Mountain and Trail Championships and the San Sebastián Tour Silver race), Samuel Cherop (fifth in the 5000 m at the 2024 World U20 Championships in Lima), and fellow Kenyans Naibei Kiplimo Mayebei and Edwin Kiplangat Bett, who finished second and third respectively in San Sebastián. Spain’s Ilias Fifa, the 2016 European 5000 m champion, also lines up after winning the 10 km road race in Casablanca (27:51).
Women’s 8 km Race
Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw will contest her third race of the season on the World Cross Country Tour after winning in Amorebieta and placing third in Seville. A familiar name in Soria, Amebaw won here in 2023 and finished second in 2021.
Her toughest opposition comes from Kenya’s Shelia Jebet, a 20-year-old rising star who placed fourth in the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade and fifth in the 5000 m at the World U20 Championships in Lima.
Local hopes rest on Marta Pérez and Idaira Prieto. Pérez, the Spanish record holder in the 1500 m (3:57.75) and a native of Soria, finished fifth at last year’s race. Prieto, who represented Spain at the World Championships in Tokyo, is coached by her father Antonio Prieto, a former international who twice finished fifth at the World Cross Country Championships (1981 and 1983).
The 2025 edition promises tactical depth, fast runs and — given the forecast wet and windy conditions — true cross-country grit. With elite starts around 13:25 CET for the women followed by the men, the stage is set for thrilling competition. A win for Kwizera would make him the most successful athlete in Soria history; for Amebaw, setting the tempo could secure her ascent in the global cross scene.
