Kwizera and Chelimo resume rivalry in Atapuerca

The Cross Internacional de Atapuerca, the second Gold leg in the World Athletics Cross Country Tour, will be held on Sunday (27) near the northern Spanish city of Burgos and features the most prominent line-up of any cross-country event so far this season.

Double Cross Country Tour winner Rodrigue Kwizera will start the men’s 9km race as the man to beat following his commanding win last week in Amorebieta.

The 25-year-old from Burundi has won at most of the leading Spanish cross-country events in recent years, but he is yet to win in Atapuerca. He has finished third for the past two years and was second in 2021.

Oscar Chelimo, the 2022 world 5000m bronze medallist, will be Kwizera’s toughest opponent, having finished second to Kwizera in Amorebieta last week. He’ll be joined by fellow Ugandan Martin Kiprotich, fresh from his victory over 10km in Trieste last week.

World U20 cross-country silver medallist Mezgebu Sime leads a strong Ethiopian contingent. He’ll be joined by steeplechase specialist Hailemariyam Amare, who finished one place behind Kwizera at last year’s World Cross Country Championships, and teenager Ayele Tadesse, who lowered his 10km PB to 27:40 in Brasov last month.

Ireland’s Efrem Gidey, who this year has set PBs at 5000m, 10,000m and the half marathon, will also be in contention. Meanwhile, Spanish record-holders Fernando Carro (3000m steeplechase), Abdessadam Oukhelfen (10km) and Carlos Mayo (half marathon) will be joined by European indoor 3000m silver medallist Adel Mechaal.

The women’s 8km race looks set to be a thrilling encounter between Kenya’s Grace Nawowuna and Burundi’s Francine Niyomukunzi.

Nawowuna finished fourth at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst and went on to clock a PB of 29:47.42 over 10,000m, then placed ninth over that distance at the World Championships in Budapest. More recently, she clocked 30:33 over 10km in Brasov and ran 1:07:16 on her half marathon debut in Cardiff.

Niyomukunzi, meanwhile, is fresh from a highly convincing victory in Amorebieta.

Kazakhstan’s Daisy Jepkemei should also be in the hunt for a podium finish. The steeplechase specialist was seventh at the World Cross Country Championships earlier this year. Last month she ran 31:32 over 10km in Brasov and clocked 1:07:54 on her half marathon debut in Montbeliard.

Moroccan steeplechaser Ikram Ouaaziz, Portugal’s Mariana Machado and Germany’s Elena Burkard complete the international line-up. Carolina Robles, third in Amorebieta last weekend, leads the Spanish challenge alongside Olympic 1500m finalist Águeda Marqués and 2022 European U20 champion María Forero.

More than 3500 athletes from 15 countries will take part in the event. Weather forecasters predict a cloudy day with temperatures between 6-8C and 90% chance of rain.

By Emeterio Valiente, for World Athletics