Road to World Cross Country Championships starts in Machakos

The journey to the World Athletics Cross Country Championships, set for March 30 next year in Belgrade, Serbia, starts on Saturday at the Machakos People’s Park, Machakos County.

Athletics Kenya director of competitions, Paul Mutwii said the Machakos meeting will be the first of Athletics Kenya Cross Country Series that will traverse the country ahead of Belgrade.

Mutwii said that the second leg of the AK series will be staged on October 21 in Kapsokwony, Bungoma County, adding that the rest of the legs and the 2023/2024 calendar of events will be released later in the week.

Mutwii said that the AK Technical Committee, composed of representatives from AK regions and affiliates, is developing the calendar of events for the season.

“We have a busy season ahead where we shall have Africa Games, World Cross Country Championships, World Relay Championships, World Indoor Championships and ultimately the Paris Olympic Games,” said Mutwii.

“This calls for astute planning and execution," explained Mutwii.

The 2022/2023 cross country series had five legs that prepared the athletes for this year’s World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia.

Machakos, Kapsokwony, Sotik, Ol Kalou and Iten hosted the five legs.

Last season, touring athletes dominated the event in Machakos, with Ishmael Kipkirui from Torongo, Baringo County winning the Under-20 8km race.

Kipkirui won the men's under-20 8km title on his way to claiming the world under-20 8km title in Bathurst, ending the country’s 12-year wait.

Grace Loibach, who won the women's under-20 6km race in Machakos, also made it to the senior women’s 10km team for Bathurst, finishing fourth in a race won by compatriot Beatrice Chebet.

Administration Police’s (AP) Edwin Bett and Cynthia Chepngéno from Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) won the men and women’s 10 kilometres races in Machakos.

Chepngéno made it to the senior women’s team at Bathurst but failed to finish the race.