News: #Ethiopia finishes second at World athletics cross country championships despite Visa setbacksAddis Abeba — Ethiopia placed second overall at the 2026 #World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, United States, despite fielding only about half of its intended team due to visa-related challenges, according to the Ethiopian Athletics Federation (#EAF).In a statement issued on 11 January 2026, the federation said the championships, which concluded on 10 January, brought together 485 athletes from 52 countries. Ethiopia finished second behind #Kenya, securing a total of seven medals: three gold, two silver, and two bronze.
The EAF said Ethiopia was able to send only 14 athletes out of a planned 28 after the US Embassy in Addis Abeba denied visas to several members of the national team.
As a result, the federation noted that Ethiopia could not register a full team result in the youth categories, fielding only one male youth athlete and three female youth athletes.
Despite these constraints, the federation described Ethiopia’s second-place finish as a strong showing, emphasizing that the result was achieved with roughly 50 percent of its intended participants unable to compete due to visa issues.
According to the EAF, Ethiopia won two team gold medals in the 10km races for senior men and senior women. Individually, Marta Alemayehu claimed gold, while Berihu Aregawi secured silver in the senior men’s race. Wesene Assefa also won silver in the youth women’s category.
The federation added that Ethiopia earned bronze medals in the mixed relay and through Senayet Getachew in the senior women’s race.