Nairobi — World 3000m steeplechase bronze medalist Abraham Kibiwot is among elite athletes who will compete in the senior men's 10km race at this year's Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country Tour on February 3 in Eldoret.
Kibiwot will battle for the top prize with others, including the 2018 world half marathon silver medalist Aron Kifle of Eritrea, the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games champion Edwin Bett of Kenya and Africa Under 20 5000m bronze medalist Vincent Kimaiyo, among others.
An excellent performance at Lobo Village will be the perfect catalyst for a plentiful harvest for the Commonwealth Games 3000m steeplechase champion who is expected to represent Kenya at the Olympic Games in Paris in July.
For Bett, the Sirikwa Classic will bring back fond memories of his last time in Eldoret when he clocked 23:22 to finish second at the Great Chepsaita Cross Country Run at the close of last year.
Unlike Bett, 19-year-old Kimaiyo finished a disappointing 16th in the same race and will be praying for a better outcome in his next competition in Eldoret.
Another Kenyan youngster hoping to make a statement in the men's race is Daniel Kosen who clocked 27:01 to finish third at last year's Valencia Ibercaja 10km race in Spain -- in what was his best performance in 2023.
Foreign contingent
Other foreigners who will be in contention in the men's race include Collins Kgadima and Keaton Stansfeld of South Africa, and Peter Gidoska of Tanzania.
Stansfeld will be competing in the race for the second time, having finished 62nd in last year's race after timing 44:25.
On the other hand, 29-year-old Gidoska has already competed on Kenyan soil this year -- at the 2nd Athletics Kenya Track and Field Weekend Meeting on January 5 -- where he finished fifth in the men's 5000m after clocking 14:18.1.
Ladies on form
The ladies' race also promises to be one to watch for, what with the entry of world half marathon bronze medalist Catherine Amanang'ole, 2022 national cross country champion Grace Loibach and the newest long distance running sensation -- Emmaculate Anyango.
Twenty-three-year-old Anyango continues to turn heads with her excellent performances in cross country and road races and would be odds-on to continue her streak of podium finishes at Sirikwa.
She came to prominence in January last year when she clinched the women's race at the Discovery Cross Country Championships before closing 2023 with a win at the Iten leg of the AK Cross Country Weekend Series.
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Anyango began this year on a bang, clocking a personal best of 28:57 to finish second in the women's race at the Valencia Ibercaja 10km event a fortnight ago.
Her performance in Spain made her the second female athlete to run a 10km race in under 29 minutes -- after Agnes Ngetich who clocked a new world record of 28:26 to win the same event.
Going to Sirikwa, Loibach will be equally motivated by her start to the year, following a third place finish at the latest leg of the World Cross Country Tour at the Juan Muguerza International on January 7.
The 20-year-old flew the national flag at last year's World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia and finished fourth in the women's race.
Others in the same race who possess a rich pedigree include last year's runner-up at the Prague Half Marathon, Janet Chepngetich as well as runner-up at the Dublin Marathon, Joan Kipyatich.
The deadline for registration is early next week with more athletes expected to pen their names.
The categories of competition comprise senior men's and women's 10km race, under 20 men's 8km, under 20 women's 6km, under 18 boy's 5km, under 18 girls' 5km and kids athletics (boys and girls).
