New Champion to Emerge at World Athletics Cross Country Championships as Beatrice Chebet Steps Away

A new senior women's champion is guaranteed at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee on Saturday, January 10, as the world's best distance runners prepare to battle for the title.

Kenyan athletes have dominated this event, winning the last nine individual gold medals. However, with two-time reigning champion Beatrice Chebet absent this season to start a family, the top spot on the podium is wide open.

"I've chased finish lines, medals, and dreams. Now I'm chasing a love I haven't met yet," reads text added to a photo of Beatrice Chebet wearing her Kenya running top and looking at a reflection of herself in a window. "Motherhood begins in 2026."

Leading the charge for Kenya is Agnes Ngetich, the world 10km record-holder. Ngetich will be looking to upgrade the bronze medal she won behind Chebet in Bathurst in 2023.

She also secured a fourth-place finish at the 2024 championships in Belgrade and demonstrated strong form by winning the Sirikwa Classic, a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold event, in February.

Making her international championship debut is Maurine Chebor, who earned her spot by winning the Kenyan national trials in October.

The 21-year-old has made a powerful comeback from injury struggles in 2024 and is considered a top contender.

The Kenyan squad, also featuring Brenda Jepchumba Kenei, Joyline Chepkemoi, Rebecca Mwangi, and Caren Chebet, aims to secure its third consecutive team title.

The historic rivalry between Kenya and Ethiopia is set to continue, as one of the two nations has won every senior women's team title since 1995.

Ethiopia's team features rising stars Senayet Getachew, the 2023 world U20 champion, and Asayech Ayichew, the 2024 U20 runner-up. Ayichew recently won the Jan Meda International Cross Country, which serves as the Ethiopian Championships.

Uganda, a consistent force with team medals in four of the last five editions, will be led by national champion Joy Cheptoyek and Sarah Chelangat, who finished fifth in Belgrade two years ago. Cheptoyek dominated the Ugandan championships, winning by an impressive 26 seconds.

The host nation, the USA, will be spearheaded by Weini Kelati Frezghi. The 29-year-old won the US trial race in Portland after deciding to extend her cross-country career for a chance to compete on home soil.

"I thought that last year was going to be my last cross-country race," said Kelati Frezghi. "But when I heard that the World Cross Country Championships were going to be in the US, I thought, 'Why not try to make the team and represent the USA and show the world we can be competitive?'"

Kelati Frezghi is joined by a strong American contingent, including trial runner-up Katie Izzo and Ednah Kurgat, who was the top US finisher at the 2023 championships.

Other notable athletes to watch at Apalachee Regional Park include Great Britain's European silver medallist Megan Keith, Burundi's Francine Niyomukunzi, and Australia's Lauren Ryan, who will renew her rivalry with Keith after finishing just ahead of her in the world 10,000m final in Tokyo.