{"id":14901,"date":"2026-01-10T09:31:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T09:31:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/14901\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T09:31:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T09:31:22","slug":"ugandas-kiplimo-seeks-third-world-cross-country-crown-in-a-row-national-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/14901\/","title":{"rendered":"Uganda’s Kiplimo seeks third world cross country crown in a row | National"},"content":{"rendered":"

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, the reigning Chicago Marathon champion, will attempt to win his third consecutive men’s crown at the World Cross Country Championships on Saturday in Tallahassee, Florida.<\/p>\n

Kiplimo could become only the fourth man to win three world cross country titles in a row after\u00a0Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele (2002-2006), Kenya’s Paul Tergat (1995-1999) and\u00a0Kenya’s John Ngugi (1986-1989).<\/p>\n

Kiplimo was last year’s London Marathon runner-up in 2hrs 3mins 37secs in his debut at the 26.2-mile distance, then captured the Chicago Marathon in 2:02:23 and has not competed since ahead of the matchup at Apalachee Regional Park.<\/p>\n

Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi, the world cross country runner-up to Kiplimo the past two events, lost the 10-kilometer showdown by nine seconds in 2023 and only three seconds in 2024.<\/p>\n

Aregawi was the 10,000m runner-up at the 2024 Paris Olympics.<\/p>\n

Ethiopian trials winner Bereket Nega and world half marathon runner-up Daniel Ebenyo of Kenya also figure into the title chase.<\/p>\n

France’s Jimmy Gressier, the reigning world 10,000m champion, and European champion Thierry Ndikumwenayo of Spain look to contend, as does Adriaan Wildschutt, the South African half-marathon record holder who makes his world cross country debut.<\/p>\n

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On the women’s side, Kenya’s two-time defending champion Beatrice Chebet has withdrawn from the event, her agent announcing she will take a maternity break in 2026.<\/p>\n

With the reigning Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion out of the chase,\u00a0compatriot Agnes Ngetich, the world 10km record-holder, will be among those looked to bring Kenya a 10th consecutive women’s world cross country title.<\/p>\n

Ngetich was third behind Chebet in 2023 and fourth in a Kenyan top-four sweep in 2024 as well as the world 10,000m final in Tokyo.<\/p>\n

She has not competed in a cross country event since winning on home soil in the Sirikwa Classic last February.<\/p>\n

Maurine Chebor, 21, won the Kenyan trials last October and joins trials runner-up Brenda Jepchumba Kenei as hopefuls to extend her homeland’s reign.<\/p>\n

Ethiopian contenders include 2023 world under-20 champion Senayet Getachew and 2024 under-20 runner-up Asayech Ayichew, who captured the Ethiopian Championship in November.<\/p>\n

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