BELGRADE: Six Indians, including three women are among a total of 245 athletes (138 men, 107 women) who have entered for the individual senior races in the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade on March 30.
As many as 187 athletes (95 men, 92 women) will be in action in the U20 races. In the mixed relay, 12 countries have been entered.
Indians Hemraj Gujjar, Kartik Kumar and Gulveer Singh in the men's section and Ankita, Anjali Kumari and Seema in women's section will represent India in the WXC Belgrade 24.
Kenya topped the medal table at the last edition of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia, in 2023, with a total of six gold medals.
Beatrice Chebet, who went on to win world 5000m bronze on the track and the inaugural world 5km road race title later in the year, was among Kenya’s champions in Bathurst and she defends her title in the senior women’s race. Her compatriots Agnes Ngetich, the bronze medallist in Bathurst, and Emmaculate Anyango are expected to provide tough opposition.
The entry list also features multiple Olympic and world gold medallist Sifan Hassan, but she has confirmed that she no longer intends to compete.
The winners of the past two senior men’s titles – Jacob Kiplimo and Joshua Cheptegei – will race, looking to add more medals for Uganda. In fact, the full podium from Bathurst will clash again, as champion Kiplimo and bronze medallist Cheptegei line up along with Ethiopia’s silver medallist Berihu Aregawi. Their challengers include Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe.
Ethiopia’s Lemlem Nibret, who finished fifth in Bathurst, and Abel Bekele, seventh last year, again feature in the U20 races.
Kenya will defend their title in the mixed relay, for which the nation’s squad – including reserves – features Purity Chepkirui, Mirriam Cherop, Reynold Cheruiyot, Kyumbe Munguti, Virginia Nyambura and Emmanuel Wanyonyi. Hagos Gebrhiwet is entered as part of the Ethiopian squad, while the host nation team features multiple European medallist Elzan Bibic.
The final start lists will be available on March 29.