Kenya tops medal table at 2024 African Cross Country Championships
26th February 2024
The event was held on Sunday February 25 in Tunisia.
- A total of 12 nations took part in the sixth edition of the event which was staged at the Citrus Golf Club in Hammamet, Tunisia.
- The participating countries included Morocco, Angola, Algeria, Libya, Kenya, Ethiopia, Liberia, Seychelles, Congo, Uganda, Cape Verde and Tunisia.
- This was the first time the championship was successfully held since the 2018 edition that was hosted by Algeria.
Kenyan athletes ran the show at the 2024 African Cross-Country Championships held on Sunday, February 25 in Tunis, Tunisia.
The East African athletics powerhouse won all the individual titles except the women’s 6km under 20 category.
Little-known Gideon Kipngetich led his compatriots Joash Kiprotich Ruto and Titus Kipkoech to a clean podium sweep in the men’s under 20 8km discipline.
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Kipngetich crossed the finishing line in 23:16.34 while Ruto and Kiprotich managed times of 23:17.31 and 23:18.02.
Other Kenyan representatives in this race Maywa Simon and Joseph Wanjiru Njoroge settled for fourth and 11th positions respectively.
In the senior 10km women’s category, Ethiopian runner Azimeraw Degitu prevented Kenyans from winning all the medals.
The hugely competitive race was won by Cintia Chepngeno who cut the tape at 32:31.04. Chepngeno was followed by teammate Virginia Nyambura (32:33.45) with Degitu settling for a bronze medal in 33:03.95.
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The situation was similar in the men’s 10km senior category
where Kenyan men managed first and second-place finishes. Vincent Langat edged
out Naibei Kiplimo in the race where Ethiopia’s runner bagged a bronze medal.
Meanwhile, in the U20 women’s 6km category, Ethiopia bagged the top three positions with Diriba Robe Dida clinching the title in 20.59.
She was closely followed by Ademas Yenenesh and Dagnaw Tinesbeb who clocked 21:00.18 and 21:00.58 respectively.
The Kenyan duo of Judy Chepkoech (21:03.68) and Marion Jepngetich (21:05.03) settled for sixth and seventh positions in this category.
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Kenya also secured a gold medal in the mixed relay category with rivals Ethiopia and Morocco picking up silver and bronze medals.
A total of 12 nations took part in the sixth edition of the event which was staged at the Citrus Golf Club Hammamet.
These countries include Morocco, Angola, Algeria, Libya, Kenya, Ethiopia, Liberia, Seychelles, Congo, Uganda, Cape Verde and Tunisia.
This was the first time the championship was successfully held since the 2018 edition that was hosted by Algeria.
The 2020 edition which was supposed to be staged in Togo was delayed to 2021 due to the pandemic before being cancelled.
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2024 African Cross Country Championships Results
Senior Women’s Category
Cintia Chepngeno - Gold - Kenya
Virginia Nyambura - Silver - Kenya
Azimeraw Degitu - Bronze - Kenya
Senior Men’s Category
Vincent Langat - Gold - Kenya
Naibei Kiplimo - Silver
Mixed Relay Category
Kenya - Gold
Ethiopia - Silver
Morocco - Bronze
Under 20 Women’s Category
Diriba Robe Dida - Gold - Ethiopia
Ademas Yenenesh - Silver - Ethiopia
Dagnaw Tinesbeb - Bronze - Ethiopia
Under 20 Men’s Category
Gideon Kipngetich - Gold - Kenya
Joash Ruto - Silver - Kenya
Titus Kiprotich - Bronze- Kenya
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