Although Athletes from 30 countries have been entered, only sixteen countries are fielding full teams today at the World Cross Country Championships, Kampala 2017.
Since 1988, Kenya has won in all categories but two of the team’s last titles are undecided in the U-20 men’s race, considering Ethiopia has in the past broken Kenya’s dominance in 1998 and 2013.
Since 1985, only once has a team other than Kenya or Ethiopia finished in the top two in the U-20 men’s team competition when the championships were last in Africa with Eritrea taking team silver in 2007.
The third spot on the podium tends to be more open and is often contested between the likes of Eritrea, Morocco, and Uganda.
Host nation Uganda will have its hopes in World U-20 10,000m bronze medalist Jacob Kiplimo, who also won the U20 men’s race by 28 seconds at the Ugandan Cross Country Championships.
Titus Kwemoi and Victor Kiplangat, the second and third-place finishers at the national championships, will help Uganda’s chances of winning a team medal.
The Eritrean team is led by world U-20 steeplechase silver medalist Yemane Hailesilassie, while Morocco’s squad features national U-20 cross-country champion, Mohcin Outalha, and World U-20 steeplechase finalist Abdelkarim Ben Zahra.
Japan recently collected 15 bronze medals and the team comprises of 1500m finalist at the 2015 World U18 Championships, Wakana Kabasawa, and Rika Kaseda, a 5000m finalist last year in Bydgoszcz.
Kenya will be ready to take the team title that Ethiopia took in 2015
PAY DAY
Besides national pride, athletes will also be running for cash prizes with a total prize pool of $30,000 on offer and $12,000 earmarked for the winning team.
Winners of the individual men’s and women’s races will each earn $30,000, with money paid out to the top six finishers. In total, $140,000 is on offer in the two senior races.
In the team contest for both senior races, there is another prize pool of $140,000; $20,000 going to the winning team, with prizes also awarded to sixth place in both races, where the payout by the IAAF is $4000.
There is also a cash winning of $30,000 on offer for the inaugural relay race, with $12,000 reserved for the winning team. Here, only the first four teams across the line will be awarded prize money.
Prize money (in US Dollars) – senior men’s and women’s races only
Individual races: Team races Relay race
1st – 30,000 1st – 20,000 1st – 12,000
2nd – 15,000 2nd– 16,000 2nd – 8000
3rd – 10,000 3rd – 12,000 3rd– 6000
4th – 7000 4th – 10,000 4th – 4000
5th – 5000 5th – 8000
6th – 3000 6th – 4000
Featured photo: Getty Images
