Agnes Jebet leads stellar women's cast for Sirikwa Classic
Kenya’s Agnes Jebet Ng'etich celebrates after breaking the 10km world record at the Valencia 10km road race in Spain on Sunday.
What you need to know:
- The race has so far attracted 562 athletes in the junior and senior categories, both local and international, with competitors from 17 countries having confirmed their attendance
- The World Road Running Half Marathon bronze medalist Catherine Reline said she will be fine-tuning for the national trials through the Sirikwa Classic
- Kenyan-born athletes who have switched allegiance Stella Rutto (Romania), Rose Chelimo (Bahrain), Roselidah Jepketer (Bahrain) are some of the contenders in the senior women’s race
The newly crowned world 10km record holder Agnes Jebet Ng’etich leads a packed field for Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country Gold Tour slated for February 3 at Lobo Village in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.
The race has so far attracted 562 athletes in the junior and senior categories, both local and international, with competitors from 17 countries having confirmed their attendance.
Jebet, who trains at Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County, won bronze at the World Cross Country Championships that were held in Bathurst, Australia last year.
She will be competing against World Cross Country champion Beatrice Chebet who is also using the Sirikwa Classic as part of build-up for the global event where she will be looking to retain her title in Belgrade, Serbia on March 30.
The World Road Running Half Marathon bronze medalist Catherine Reline said she will be fine-tuning for the national trials through the Sirikwa Classic.
“I’m looking forward to a good race because I have been training at Kapsait in Elgeyo Marakwet in preparation for the global event. It will be a competitive race but I’m going to use it as part of training ahead of the World Cross Country national trials next month,” said Reline.
Some of the top athletes who will also be featuring in the event include World Road Running 5km silver medalist Lilian Rengeruk Kasait, Nagoya Marathon champion Ruth Chepng'etich, Irene Kimais, the 2022 World 10,000m bronze medalist Margaret Chelimo, among others.
Kenyan-born athletes who have switched allegiance Stella Rutto (Romania), Rose Chelimo (Bahrain), Roselidah Jepketer (Bahrain) are some of the contenders in the senior women’s race.
Alley Yeshaneh Asmarech (Ethiopia), Grace Charles Jackson (Tanzania), Joy Cheptoyek (Uganda), Maridal Hanne (Norway), Maltby Kate (Great Britain), Nemchenko Marina (Ukraine) and Xaba Glenrose (South Africa) complete the list of international invitees.
In the men’s race, World Cross Country junior champion Ishmael Kipkurui will try his luck in the senior category where he will come up against established athletes like former World Half Marathon record holder Kibiwott Kandie, Daniel Simiu, Dominic Mutuku, Edward Zakayo, Kamar Etiang, Asbel Kiprop, Raphael Dapash among others.
The invitation criteria that was used by the federation include top 20 athletes at 2023 National Cross Country Championships, the team that represented Kenya at the World Cross Country Championships last year, top 20 finishers at AK Weekend Meets and the top 10 ranked athletes in 1,500m-10,000m events as at January 11.
Others are top six athletes from AK regional championships held this year, athletes invited by the race organiser (international and Kenyan elite), and top 10 at the Chepsaita Cross Country Championships held last year.
The Sirikwa Classic will be used to select the team that will represent Kenya at the Africa Cross Country Championships set for Tunis, Tunisia on February 25.
