World Cross Country: Ethiopia’s Gidey the one to beat
Ethiopian Gidey Letesnbet broke the half marathon world record at the Valencia Half Marathon on October 24, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Event’s goodwill ambassador Tergat motivates Kenyan camp
In Bathurst, Australia
Kenya and the rest of the world face formidable opponents in Ethiopians known to produce a one-of-a-kind athlete each generation.
And one such athlete is, currently, Letesenbet Gidey, the 24-year-old showing potential to emulate greats such as Gete Wami and Derartu Tulu who won everything that was thrown at them in global competition.
The 24-year-old will face Kenyans Grace Loibach Nawowuna, Agnes Ngetich, Emily Chebet and Beatrice Chebet in the senior women’s race.
The Kenyans have the advantage of having arrived in Bathurst on Tuesday where temperatures soar up to 33 degrees centigrade in early afternoon and is predicted to reach 34 on race day.
They have logged 48 hours of competition to shrug off the jet lag and adapted to the natural body clock time difference between Kenya and Australia (Australian time is eight hours ahead of Kenyan), compared to their rivals who jetted in Thursday morning and only had an easy workout later in the day.
“This was a wise technical decision to arrive early," said the championship's goodwill ambassador, five times World Cross Country
champion Paul Tergat.
The legend joined the team for lunch and had a pep talk accompanied by Nike executive who is in-charge of the Kenyan contract with the
American shoe manufacturer for the last 30 years, Robert Lotwis.
“You have now rested and adapted to the heat. I don't see you failing in your quest for glory,” Tergat, a former
marathon world record holder and president of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K), said.
“I know you can do it as I am speaking as a person who has been there. But it is important to be proud to be a Kenyan. It's a privilege to wear the national colours. So go there and make us all proud,” added Tergat, last here as a competitor in the 2000 Sydney Olympics when he won his second 10,000 metres Olympic silver medal.
Team manager Patrick Arandu enumerated the team's preparations since the official camp opened in Embu six weeks ago, saying they were in a positive frame of mind with only one goal of doing their best.
Beatrice Chebet will be leading the Kenyan assault, not worried about her opponents.
The 5,000m silver medalist at last year's World Championships, and the defending champion in the under-20 women’s class from the 2019 World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, said they have hatched a plan to execute during the race.
"We expect the best, at least aiming a podium finish,” said the African, Commonwealth and Diamond League 5,000m champion.
Teenager Grace Loibach Nawowuna, two-time world cross-country champion Emily Chebet and Agnes Ngetich complete the Kenyan front liners.
But the Ethiopian sensation is not a pushover as her form of the last two seasons can confirm. She set new world records of 14 minutes, 6.62 seconds for 5,000m and 29:01.03 for 10,000m last season besides winning a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics and rounding up last year with a gold medal in the Oregon World Championships.
She is no stranger in cross country running, having finished third at the last edition in Aarhus, Denmark.
Her compatriots Gete Alemayehu, who is also an upcoming half marathoner, Tsigie Gebreselama, a bronze medallist in the under-20
race in Aarhus, and Fotyen Tesfaye will be the other runners to watch.
Ugandan senior official Beatrice Ayikoru said they will be looking towards the Kenyans to pull them through.
"We look up to Kenyans for motivation. We want to be like you. So don't take all the medals,” she said.
Naturalised Kenyan Ednah Kurgat assisted by Weini Kelati will represent the United States as Rose Davies and Leanne Pompeani of Australia will fly their country’s national flag.
Eritrea’s Rahel Daniel has dominated the World Athletics Cross Country Tour and currently tops the season standings thanks to her three victories last month.
She won at the prestigious Campaccio meeting in San Giorgio su Legnano, then two days later triumphed in Elgoibar, winning by eight seconds.
More recently, she won in Hannut, racing in heavy snow, showing she can cope well in any conditions.
Daniel enjoyed a successful 2022 campaign on the track, setting national records for 5,000m (14:36.66) and 10,000m (30:12.15), the latter when placing fifth at the World Championships in Oregon.
