Global stars sign up for third edition of Sirikiwa Classic
Athletes battle it out in the senior women's 10km race during Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country Tour-Gold Series at Lobo Village in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County on February 04, 2023. Faith Chepgn'etich won the race.
What you need to know:
- Lemlem Nibret and Meseret Yeshaneh, who finished fifth and seventh to guide Ethiopia to the women’s under-20 team title at the World Cross Country Championships last year in Australia, highlight the Ethiopian entries in the women’s 10km race.
- Yeshaneh is also the 2022 World Athletics Under-20 3,000m steeplechase bronze medallist from Colombia.
Over 25 elite athletes from 10 foreign countries have confirmed participation in the Sirikiwa Classic World Cross Country Gold Tour scheduled for February 3 at the Lobo Village, Eldoret.
Distance running powerhouse Ethiopia leads the vanguard with eight entries mostly from last year’s World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia, while Germany has five entries.
The race director, Barnaba Korir, disclosed that the third edition of the Gold Tour has drawn contestants from Great Britain, South Africa, Ukraine, Tanzania, Norway, Tanzania, Morocco, Romania, and Bahrain.
“More conformations are expected in the course of this week and we should anticipate a huge turnout compared to the two previous editions," said Korir.
Lemlem Nibret and Meseret Yeshaneh, who finished fifth and seventh to guide Ethiopia to the women’s under-20 team title at the World Cross Country Championships last year in Australia, highlight the Ethiopian entries in the women’s 10km race.
Yeshaneh is also the 2022 World Athletics Under-20 3,000m steeplechase bronze medallist from Colombia.
Tinebeb Asres, who finished eighth in the under-20 race at the World Cross Country event, is also coming to Lobo.
Wubrist Aschal, who claimed the 5,000m and 1,500m gold medals at the Africa Athletics Under-20 Championships last year in Zambia is also in the Ethiopian mix.
Walle Fenta, the 2023 Africa Under-18 2,000m steeplechase gold medallist, also makes the Ethiopian field saturated with juniors graduating to senior ranks.
The 2022 Great North 10km champion Kate Maltby from Great Britain and South Africa’s Glenrose Xaba, who finished 12th in a half marathon during the 2023 World Road Running Championships in Latvia, have joined the women’s 10km fray.
Xaba represented South Africa in the 10,000m at the 2022 Africa Athletics Championships, finishing sixth.
Also heading to Lobo from Europe are the Norwegian 10,00m champion Hanne Maridal, who settled 36th in the half marathon World Road Running Championships in Latvia, and Ukraine national marathon champion Maryna Nemchenko.
Last year, Nemchenko won the Jerusalem Half Marathon to finish third at the Warsaw Marathon.
