IAAF World Cross: Medal Hungry Team Kenya Set To Depart For Denmark

NAIROBI, Kenya- The most successful team in the history of the IAAF World Cross- Kenya- will depart on Wednesday night for Aarhus, Denmark for the global event on Saturday (March 30) seeking to hold on or add to the four individual and one team gold they minted from the last edition in Kampala, Uganda.

Geoffrey Kipsang Kamworor (senior men 10km), Irene Chebet Cheptai (senior women 10km), Mixed Relay and senior women teams wrought the top medals in Uganda for Kenya.

Kamworor will return to Denmark seeking his third straight senior men crown following his success at Guiyang 2015 and Kampala 2017 while there will be a new senior women champion with Cheptai missing as she attends to maternal duties.

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Jacob Kiplimo (Uganda) and  Letesenbet Gidey (Ethiopia) who won the men and women junior races were the other individual winners in Kampala where the Ethiopian senior men, junior men and junior women squads rounded off the team golds to finish second behind Kenya on the medal charts.

According to the world governing body, entry lists for the IAAF/Mikkeller World Cross Country Championships Aarhus 2019 confirm that 582 elite runners from 67 teams will descend on Denmark for the global event on Saturday.

The entry lists can be downloaded here.

More than 300 athletes (171 men, 139 women) are entered for the individual senior races, while more than 200 (121 men, 111 women) will be in action in the U20 races. Ten teams have been entered for the mixed relay.

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Both individual men’s winners from 2017 will clash in the senior men’s race in Aarhus as two-time champion Kamworor of Kenya takes on Kiplimo. Kenyan cross-country champion Amos Kirui and Ethiopian champion Mogos Tuemay are also expected to be strong challengers.

Record holder

In the senior women’s race, world 5000m champion Hellen Obiri will line up against steeplechase world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech, two-time world U20 cross-country champion Gidey of Ethiopia and Commonwealth 10,000m champion Stella Chesang.

Double European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen will contest the U20 men’s race, taking on the likes of Kenyan U20 champion Samuel Chebolei and world U18 steeplechase champion Leonard Bett.

Sarah Chelangat, the Youth Olympic champion at 3000m and cross country, is among the favourites for the U20 women’s race along with world U20 5000m champion Beatrice Chebet of Kenya and African U20 cross-country champion Girmawit Gebrzihair of Ethiopia.

Beatrice Chebet (left) on her way to winning the junior 6km national cross title at Eldoret Sports Club on Saturday, February 23, 2019. PHOTO/Courtesy

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Kenya will defend their title in the mixed relay, helped by world and Olympic steeplechase champion Conseslus Kipruto and world 1500m champion Elijah Manangoi. Morocco, Ethiopia and Uganda have also fielded strong teams.

Thousands more runners will take to the start line in Aarhus for the various mass participation races held in conjunction with the championships. 

The final start lists will be available on Friday.

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Prize Money

A total of USD 310,000 in prize money will be awarded by the IAAF to the leading runners in the senior races on Saturday.

Winners of the individual men's and women's races will each earn USD 30,000, with money paid out to the top six finishers.

In total, USD 140,000 is on offer in the two senior races.

Prize pool

In the team contest in both senior races, there is another prize pool of USD 140,000, with USD 20,000 going to the winning team, with prizes awarded to sixth place in both races, where the pay out by the IAAF is USD 4000.

There is also a total prize pool of USD30,000 on offer for the mixed relay, with USD 12,000 earmarked for the winning team. Here, the first four teams across the line will be awarded prize money.

Prize money (in USD)

-Senior men’s and women’s races only

Individual races

1st - 30,000

2nd - 15,000

3rd - 10,000

4th - 7000

5th - 5000

6th - 3000

Teams

1st - 20,000

2nd - 16,000

3rd - 12,000

4th - 10,000

5th - 8000

6th - 4000

Mixed relay

1st - 12,000

2nd - 8000

3rd - 6000

4th - 4000

-No prize money paid for the U20 races. The payment of prize money in the senior races is dependent upon the athletes clearing the usual anti-doping procedures.

Scoring

In all races, teams may enter a maximum of eight athletes, but no more than six shall be allowed to start in each race with four to score.

The team results are decided by the aggregate of places recorded by the scoring athletes of each team. The team with the lowest aggregate of points will be judged the winner.

If a team fails to finish with a complete scoring team, the runners finishing shall be counted as individuals in the race result and be eligible for the individual prize money (senior races only).

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In the event of a tie, it shall be resolved in favour of the team whose last scoring member finishes nearer to first place.

Further background information and complete coverage of the championships can be found on our dedicated competition mini-site.

National Under 20 women cross country champion, Beatrice Chebet, after winning the junior 6km race at the Eldoret Sports Club on Saturday, February 23, 2018. PHOTO/Courtesy