On her international debut, Louise Small secured a top 40 finish in the senior women’s race, while Victoria Weir and Sam Stevens finished as the top Britons in their junior races with 40th and 43rd place finishes respectively as the GB team put in a determined showing.

For Small and her fellow senior women’s team members Claire Duck, Rebecca Murray and Emily Hosker-Thornhill, the anticipated quick-fire pace from the gun saw the field of 106 split in a near instant, with each of the quartet working hard throughout to pull back places.

As the five laps went on and the 10km race drew to a close, it was Aldershot, Farnham & District athlete Small who did the most when it came to working her way through the strung out field effectively and efficiently for an eventual 38th place finish, while European Cross U23 team gold medallist Murray also impressed to claim 42nd as she transitions into running as a senior athlete.

GB team captain Claire Duck finished in 63rd, and Hosker Thornhill finished in 90th.

Afterwards Small, reflected on the race: “It was tough and it was hot out there, but I’m proud of the way we battled as individuals and as a team.

“The pace was quick from the off, but obviously we expected that to be the case, so it was a case of making sure we kept our cool and ran our own races regardless of what was going on in front or behind. Overall I’m pleased with the finish, and both the race and the championships have been a fantastic experience.”

In the men’s U20 race, won by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo in front of a rapturous home crowd, Leicester’s Sam Stevens worked his way through the field over the course of the three 2k laps to eventually claim a highly respectable 43rd place finish as he, like many, debuted at the World Cross Country Championships against stiff opposition.

With the sextet of junior men largely sticking together as a pack for the first lap-and-a-half of the 6km race, it was Stevens, Scott Beattie (Mike Bateman) and Inter-County champion Jonathan Shields (Michael Thompson) who led the way for the British Athletics team, with the sight of the trio swapping places something of a regular occurrence in the earlier stages of the race.

Only when the bell came did Stevens make a push forward as the heat began to take its toll on many competitors, and as the home straight beckoned it was he who pushed on to claim a finish inside the top 45, with Beattie four places and nine seconds behind for 47th place.

Commenting on the race, he said: “As a team we played the race out to go off steady and I think we did that. As we went through the race we tried to move through as individuals and a team, but obviously it’s so difficult to not drop off out there.

“I’m pleased overall though – I was ill at nationals, then I wasn’t quite at it when it came to Inter-Counties, so I really wanted to just come here and kill myself out there on the course, and I 100% feel like I did that.”

Elsewhere in the race, Shields took 60th; Hugo Milner was 69th, despite a niggling injury throughout; debutant Luke Prior (Simon Prior) finished 80th; and Ben Davies (Simon Goodwin) came home in 87th.

In the first race of the day to feature British athletes, the women’s U20 race, Victoria Weir (Bud Baldaro) was the first Briton over the line for a noteworthy 40th place in another impressive showing on what was her first global competition in a British vest.

At the 2km point of the U20 women’s 6km race Weir was sat at a mid-way point between the middle and back of the field, but a resilient final lap saw her move through the field to snatch placings back from the 104-strong field in determined fashion.

Speaking on a challenging course and temperatures of 27 degrees, post-race Weir said: “You train to be able to run hard, so in that aspect the course is fine because you’re used to running hard, but for me I hadn’t really adapted my training to the heat. I think if I was to do another course like this in these conditions I would definitely be changing aspects of my training as a means of preparation.”

On her first international vest and representing GB for a third time, she concluded: “I can’t even describe it – last season I didn’t even do cross country and was unsure about continuing to run competitively, so to start University after a really good track season and be able to be given the opportunity to represent your country, which was a life-long dream, three times in almost as many months [European Cross Country & Great Edinburgh XCountry] is almost indescribable.”

Also in the midst of the field for much of the race were Scottish duo Gillian Black and Anna MacFadyen, as the pair eventually settled for 46th and 48th place finishes on their British Athletics debuts. In the same race, Tonbridge’s Phoebe Barker (Richard Owen) was 57th on the back of good work undertaken in the earlier stages of the race, and Wales’ national U20 champion Cari Hughes (Andrew Walling) claimed 64th.

Unfortunately Amelia Quirk did not finish the race as she withdrew at around the 3km point.

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The Keynan team ran most of the race tightly together, before Cheptai broke to the front in final 1K to claim the gold, crossing the line in 31:57. Teammates Alice Aprot followed to claim silver in 32:01, and Lilian Kasait Rengeruk claimed the bronze in a time of 32:11.
Cheptai crossed the line in 31:57 four seconds clear of Aprot, and 52 second before the first woman not wearing a Kenyan team kit.

USA athletes
Three USA athletes finished in the top 30, helping the US claim 5th place in the team standings.

The first to cross the line, was Aliphine Tuliamuk, in 15th place, followed by Stephanie Bruce in 21st, and Natosha Rogers finished close behind in 22nd.

The remaining women of Sarah Pagano finished in 29th place, Elaina Balouris followed in 47th, and Emily Pritt finished 74th.

Great Britian Athletes
GB’s Louise Small worked hard to move from 81st after the first 2K to finish in a very respectable 38th. Next to finish for the Great Britian team was Rebecca Murray in 42nd place. Unfortunately Emily Hosker Thornhill and team captain Claire Duck failed to finish the race.

U20 Round up

The men’s U20 race produced a bit of history, with Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo putting in a stunning performance to win gold. The young athlete covered the 8km course in 22:40, and his victory was Uganda’s first ever gold medal at a World Cross Country Championships.

Silver place went to Ethiopia’s Amdework Walelegn, and Kenya’s Richard Yator Kimunyan claimed bronze.

In the women’s U20 race Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey claimed gold for a second consecutive year. The 19-year-old becomes only the fourth female, in World Cross Country Championship history to win back-to-back U20 titles; joining fellow Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba, and Kenyan’s Viola Kibiwot and Faith Kipyego, on the list.

With no great success on the track to date, the 5000m runner Gidey, will now hope this victory will help launch a successful track senior career.

Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa claimed the silver medal, and bronze went to Celliphine Chepteek Chespol of Kenya.

The post Irene Chepet Cheptai, leads Kenya to unprecedented top six sweep in World Cross Championships appeared first on Fast Running.

The victory though was not simple for Kamworor, as he had to fend off a strong challenge from Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda.

Half way into the race the host nation athlete raced to the front and built up a sizable lead on Kamworor and the rest of the chasing pack over the next 3K. The cheering Kampala crowd and everyone watching around the world believed Cheptegei had the race won.

However going into the final 2K, Cheptegei paid the heavy price for his quickening of the pace earlier in the race, and began to slow at an alarming rate. Kamworor’s experience paid dividends, as he pounced on his competitors weakness, and overtook him to claim his second consecutive title, crossing the line in a time of 28:24.

Congratulations to #Kenya‘s Kamworor for defending title! Another #Gold ? for @athletics_kenya. Photos by; @JoshWama #iaafkampala2017 pic.twitter.com/ugRWVHJIIs

— iaafkampala2017 (@iaafkampala2017) March 26, 2017

Although his earlier challenge was brave and exciting for the home crowd, Cheptegei will have learnt a hard lesson as he struggled to the finish line, eventually finishing in over 90 seconds behind Kamworor in 30th place.

Second place went to Kenya’s Leonard Kiplimo Barsoton and Abadi Hadis of Ethiopia finished third.

Ethiopia won the team race by one point, with Kenya finishing second, and Uganda claiming third, thanks to Cheptegei battling it to the finish line.

The USA team finished in fifth place, thanks to strong performances from Sam Chelanga (11th place), Leonard Korir (20th), Shadrack Kipchirchir (21st) and Stanley Kebenei (26th).

Regarding Great Britian, a senior men’s team was not sent to World Cross Country Championship in Kampala, Uganda.

The post Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor successfully defends his World Cross Country title appeared first on Fast Running.

1. In 1903, Scotland hosted the first International Cross Country Championships, and the the first World Cross Country Championships, held under the IAAF flag was in 1973.

2. 1971, USA’s Doris Brown won her fifth consecutive title.

3. Also in 1979, Ireland’s John Treacy became the first man to defend a World Cross Country title.

4. The first World Cross Country Championships on U.S soil was in 1984.

5. 1984, was also the last championships that Africans failed to win a medal in the senior men’s race.

6. 1990, in her fifth attempt, USA’s Lynn Jennings won her first title.

7. Catherina McKiernan of Ireland won four straight silver medals, from 1992 to 1995.

8. Prize money was only introduced in 1997.

9. 2001, Great Britian’s Paula Radcliffe won the long-course title, making her the first to win both the junior (1992) and senior long title.

10. Kenyan women have won the last five world championships.

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