Beatrice Chebet withdraws from World Cross Country
Beatrice Chebet will not defend her senior women’s crown at the World Cross Country Championships scheduled for January 10 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida, ruling the Kenyan star out of contention for a historic third consecutive title.
The world champion will miss the 2026 season because she is pregnant and preparing to welcome her first child. She has also announced she will not compete in major events this year as she focuses on this new chapter in her life.
The two-time world champion, who won the senior women’s races in Bathurst in 2023 and Belgrade in 2024, had been named as a reserve in Team Kenya despite skipping the National Cross Country Championships and trials held on October 25 in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County. However, she will not travel with the team to the United States.
Chebet’s absence ends hopes of her becoming the first Kenyan woman to claim three straight World Cross Country senior titles. Only two athletes have achieved the feat in the event’s history: American Lynn Jennings between 1990 and 1992, and Norway’s Grete Waitz, who became the first woman to do so by winning four consecutive titles from 1978 to 1981 before adding a fifth crown in 1983.
Despite missing the championships, Chebet remains the world’s leading long-distance runner, holding Olympic and world titles in both the 5,000m and 10,000m events.
With Chebet unavailable, national cross-country champion Maureen Jepkoech Chebor will lead Kenya’s senior women’s title defence. She will be supported by 10km world record holder Agnes Jebet Ngetich, a bronze medallist at the 2023 championships, as well as Brenda Jepchumba Kenei, Rebecca Njeri Mwangi, Caren Chebet and Joyline Chepkemoi. Strong competition is expected from Ethiopia, Uganda and Italy.
The Kenyan team recently shifted its training base from Kigari Teachers Training College in Embu to the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani. Embu has traditionally hosted the national cross-country camp, except in 2023 when the team prepared in Ngong, Kajiado County.
The course in Tallahassee is expected to provide a stern test, featuring sand, water, mud and a signature rollercoaster section. The 10km route consists of two loops, with four designated challenge zones that runners must navigate five times during the race.
Athletics Kenya President Jack Tuwei said the team had completed solid preparations and was confident of positive results.
He said the athletes visited the US Embassy in two groups to process their travel visas and would depart in two batches. Tuwei added that the team sacrificed the festive period to ensure they were fully prepared for the championships.
Team Kenya will be captained by 2023 world 10,000m silver medallist Daniel Ebenyo Simiu, who urged Kenyans to rally behind the athletes as they seek to bring the title won in 2024 back home. Ebenyo identified Uganda’s defending champion Jacob Kiplimo and Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi as the main challengers.
Written by Oral Ofori
Oral Ofori is Founder and Publisher at www.TheAfricanDream.net, a digital storyteller and producer, and also an information and research consultant.
