Kenya's Beatrice Chebet celebrates as she crosses the finish line to win the women's senior race during the 2023 World Cross Country Championships at Mount Panorama in Bathurst on February 18, 2023.
The absence of back-to-back reigning champion Beatrice Chebet from the 2026 World Cross Country Championships that will be held in Tallahassee, Florida, USA on Saturday, throws the fight for the women’s senior 10km title wide open.
Chebet, cross country world champion in 2023 Bathurst (Australia) and 2024 Belgrade (Serbia), announced last week she was taking a maternity break until 2027.
The reigning double Olympics and world champion in women’s 5,000m and 10,000m, and holder of both world records, was the overwhelming favourite to win in Tallahassee.
Kenya's Beatrice Chebet reacts as she crosses the finish line to win women's World Cross Country title in Belgrade, Serbia on March 30, 2024.
In her absence, several Kenyan runners will whet their appetites for a stab at world glory.
Women’s 10km world record holder Agnes Jebet Ngetich will fancy her chances of helping Kenya retain the senior women’s individual title.
Ngetich, with a blistering personal best time of 28 min 46 sec in 10km, won the senior women’s bronze medal in Bathurst in 2023 but saw a drop in performance a year later to finish fifth in the same race, and will presumably be fired up for redemption.
The Kenyan assault will also have ambitious reigning national champion Maureen Jepkoech, Brenda Kenei, Rebecca Mwangi, Caren Chebet and Joyline Chepkemoi.
Janeth Chepngetich (right) celebrates with Agnes Jebet Ngetich and Beatrice Chebet after the trio filled up the podium places in the women’s 10,000m race at Athletics Kenya National Trials for the 2025 World Athletics Championships at Ulinzi Sports Complex, Nairobi on July 22.
The Kaptarakwa-based Jepkoech said yesterday that she is up to the task of defending Kenya’s honour.
She said that despite her relative inexperience competing on the international level in cross country, running as a team will be key in Kenya flooring their opponents, who include the ever dangerous Ethiopians and fast improving Ugandans.
“I know the race shall be competitive and we face a big task to defend our title as Kenyans, and at the same time go for the individual medals. Training has been good, and what remains is to implement what we have been coached,” said Jepkoech.
She added that competing in local Athletics Kenya weekend meets has helped her improve her endurance. She showed her form with victories in the Machakos and Olkalou weekend meets before prevailing at the national trials on October 25 in Eldoret with a time of 34:17.
Jepkoech confesses she decided to focus on cross country after failing to qualify to make the Kenyan team for last year’s Paris World Athletics Championships.
Kenya’s biggest threat could come from Ethiopian Asayech Ayichew, the 2024 World Cross Country junior silver medallist, who is now on the senior side.
Kenya's Beatrice Chebet (left) reacts after winning her heat ahead of Italy's Nadia Battocletti (right) during the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 18, 2025.
Italy’s world and Olympics 10,000m silver medallist Nadia Battocletti is another serious threat together with Ugandan Loice Chekwemoi, winner of the 2024 Chepsaita Cross Country.
Chebet led Lilian Kasait and Margaret Chelimo in a Kenyan clean sweep in Belgrade in 2024.
Action in Tallahassee will kick off with the mixed relay at 5:45pm (Kenyan time) and end with the senior men’s 10km at 8:20pm. Teams can feature up to six athletes in each race, with the top four scoring.
This is the third time the US will be hosting the cross country championships after the event was held in New York in 1984 and Boston in 1992.
