The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
✳ Junior Women: 6km
✳ Junior Men: 8km
✳ Senior Women: 10km
✳ Senior Men: 10km
Tororo, Uganda | BY LOUIS JADWONG & URN | The Uganda Athletics Federation has decided that only athletes who will compete in today’s National Cross Country race in Tororo will be given a ticket to the World Championships due in Bathurst, Australia in February.
“We have now said that the athletes who want to be part of the Uganda team in Australia, must compete in our national championships,” UAF President Dominic Otuchet stressed days to the Tororo competition.
If the UAF stick to their selection plan, the world’s top two cross country runners, defending champion Joshua Cheptegei and silver medalist at the last event in 2019 Jacob Kiplimo, could miss the trip to Australia.
The two stars were noticebly absent in Tororo as athletes from across the country went through their paces on roads in town, a day before the battle for supremacy over 10km at the golf course venue.
While it is three years since the World Cross Country Championships were last held, the form of defending champion Cheptegei and silver medalist Kiplimo cannot be questioned as they have proved the runners to beat during the COVID-19 two year long disruption.
Since the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Aarhus in Denmark, Cheptegei has won two World Championship gold medals, an Olympic gold and numerous world bests in the long distance races.
The course for @athletics_kenya World Cross Country Trials tomorrow.
The water pond can never miss. It will be muddy, maybe just abit..😂. They tried to be considerate.#KOT the trials are free. Start at 10am.
Location: Ruiru Prison training College. pic.twitter.com/lpbO0iAVF9
— Katami Michelle (@MichKatami) December 9, 2022
Kiplimo on the other hand has since added double gold in the 5000m and 10000m at the Commonwealth Games, in addition to winning the World Half marathon and bagging distance race bronze medals at the World Championships and Olympics.
If Kiplimo turns up today, he will be the favourite as doubts remain on the competititiveness of Cheptegei who has been trying to kick off an injury.
Kiplimo last month showed top form as he clinched the regional championships held at the Tuban playgrounds in Kapchorwa. The 22-year-old said then that the win has given him hopes of a spectacular performance in the National cross country Championships set for December 10th in Tororo.
Tororo ready
Uganda Athletics Federation has completed the marking of the 2022 National cross country championships course at Tororo Golf course. The 2km loop course, will have obstacles like timber logs, sand, and hills.
The national Cross-country championships are normally held in February. The event was moved to accommodate time on the athletics calendar for next year’s 44th World Cross-country Championships scheduled for February 18 in Australia.
Paul Okello, the Organising Secretary of the Uganda Athletics Federation and the head of the team designing the course, says they completed the course Thursday to allow the athletes to jog through the loops ahead of the competition day. “We have started early to have the loop well designed and ready for use before the competition day,” Okello told URN in Tororo
The race has attracted over 500 athletes from across the country including some international runners. Tororo District Sports Officer, Steven Oryem, says that they are ready to host the event.
“As a district, it is an opportunity for our athletes in Tororo to be inspired by stars like Peruth Chemutai, Joshua Cheptegei, and Jacob Kiplimo,” said Oryem.
Njia Benjamin, a national athletics coach and the vice president of technical at UAF, says, they have concluded marking the course route to allow athletes to prepare for the championships.
“It’s only hours to the competitions, and our high-intensity sessions have been lowered to allow the athletes to recover for the championship,” Njia told URN.
The event will have four categories of racing. The 10km race for both the senior men and women, 8km for junior men, and 6km for junior women respectively.
Team Kenya for the 2023 World Cross Country Championship some of the big names in the team include former World XC champions Geoffrey Kamworor @GKamworor Irene Chepitai, Beatrice Chepkoech, diamond League winner Nicholas Kipkorir,U18 World 🥉 medalist Edna Jebitok among others pic.twitter.com/RnB9NfLSEe
— Charity Wanja (@CMuturi) December 10, 2022
Kenya will also today host their trials to pick a team for the World Cross Country championships. The Kenyan athletics federation have for years maintianed a policy of picking only athletes who compete locally to represent them internationally.
RESULTS FROM THE LAST WORLD CROSS COUNTRY (source wikipedia)
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | ||||||
| Senior men (10 km) |
 Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) |
31:40 | Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) |
31:44 |  Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN) |
31:55 |
| Senior women (10 km) |
Hellen Obiri (KEN) |
36:14 |  Dera Dida (ETH) |
36:16 | Letesenbet Gidey (ETH) |
36:24 |
| Junior men (8 km) |
Milkesa Mengesha (ETH) |
23:52 | Tadese Worku (ETH) |
23:54 | Oscar Chelimo (UGA) |
23:55 |
| Junior women (6 km) |
Beatrice Chebet (KEN) |
20:50 | Alemitu Tariku (ETH) |
20:50 | Tsigie Gebreselama (ETH) |
20:50 |
| Relay | ||||||
| Mixed Relay | Ethiopia
|
25:49 |  Morocco
|
26:22 | Kenya
|
26:29 |
| Team | ||||||
| Senior men | Uganda
|
20 | Kenya
|
43 | Ethiopia
|
46 |
| Senior women | Ethiopia
|
21 | Kenya
|
25 | Uganda
|
36 |
| Junior men | Ethiopia
|
18 | Uganda
|
32 | Kenya
|
34 |
| Junior women | Ethiopia
|
17 | Kenya
|
26 |  Japan
|
72 |
