Two-time back-to-back World Cross Country champion Beatrice Chebet will not be defending her title at the 46th World Cross Country Championships scheduled for January 10 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida, US.
Chebet, winner of the senior women’s title in Bathurst 2023 and Belgrade 2024, had initially been named as a reserve in Team Kenya for this year’s meet despite not competing at the National Cross Country Championships cum trials in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, on October 25.
Chebet will thus miss out on the chance of attempting to become the first Kenyan woman to win three consecutive World Cross Country Championships senior titles.
Kenya's Beatrice Chebet celebrates winning the women's 10,000m Final at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo on September 13, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
In fact, only two women have won three consecutive senior titles in history.
US’s Lynn Jennings claimed the titles in 1990, 1991, and 1992. But it is Norway’s Grete Waitz who wrote history as the first woman to achieve this rare feat and went further to make it four in a row in 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981. For good measure, she added a fifth title a year later in 1983.
Chebet is the current double Olympics and world champion in the 5,000m and 10,000m races, and easily the best long-distance runner in the world at the moment.
With Chebet out of the team, the National Cross Country champion Maureen Jepkoech Chebor will lead Kenya’s senior women’s title defence with stiff competition expected from Ethiopia, Uganda and Italy.
Others in the senior women’s squad are women’s 10km world record holder Agnes Jebet Ngetich, a bronze medallist at the 2023 championships, Keringet-based Brenda Jepchumba Kenei, Rebecca Njeri Mwangi, Caren Chebet and Joyline Chepkemoi.
World 10km record holder Agnes Jebet Ng’etich during training at Lornah Kiplagat Sports Academy in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County in July.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation
The Kenya team shifted its base from Kigari Teachers Training College in Embu to Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, on Sunday.
Embu has traditionally hosted the national cross-country training camp, except in 2023 when the team trained in Ngong, Kajiado County.
The terrain at Apalachee Regional Park will feature sand, water, mud and a signature rollercoaster element that will challenge the best of cross country runners. The course includes two loops, four challenge areas are planned and runners will face each challenge five times during the 10km race.
In an interview with Nation Sports , Athletics Kenya President Jack Tuwei said that he was confident the team, after good preparations in Kigari, would be able to register good results at the championships.
“The team went to the US Embassy in two groups and they have received their travel visa documents. They will once again depart in two groups, that’s on January 5 and 6, respectively. We are confident of good results because we trained well while at the camp, where we even sacrificed the festive period to prepare for the championships,” said Tuwei.
Team Kenya is captained by the 2023 world 10,000m silver medallist Daniel Ebenyo Simiu.
Daniel Simiu celebrates winning the men's 10,000m race during the Absa Kip Keino Classic at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on May 13, 2023.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
“I want to ask Kenyans and all the fans to pray for the team because we have to bring the title won in 2024 back home. I’m glad to represent Kenya again and I’m heading to the US to do my very best,” said Ebenyo while pointing out defending champion Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo and Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi as the main threats.
