MARTA ALEMAYO WINS GOLD AS SENIOR TEAMS SECURE DOUBLE TITLES

Ethiopian athletes fared well in Tallahassee, Florida, despite visa issues preventing the U-20 team from winning more medals at the 46th World Cross Country Championships on Saturday (10).

Senior Men: Berihu’s silver leads Ethiopia to team gold

In the senior men’s race, Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo (28:18) claimed his third consecutive world cross country title, finishing ahead of Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi, who secured silver in 28:36. This was Berihu’s fifth global silver medal and his third consecutive World Cross silver. Although he once again missed out on individual gold, Berihu led a superb Ethiopian team effort that delivered the team gold. Kenyan Daniel Ebenyo (28:45) took the individual bronze.

Ethiopian team gold scoring athletes:

Berihu Aregawi – 2nd (silver)
Tadese Worku – 4th (Improving the 12th place he finished in Belgrade 2 years ago)
Biniam Mehary – 6th
Nibret Kinde – 18th

The combined finishing positions of the four athletes earned 30 points, allowing Ethiopia to win the team gold medal in the men’s senior competition, ahead of Kenya (34) and Uganda (39). Bereket Nega, one of the six athletes representing Ethiopia in this category, finished in 35th place, while Mezgebu Sime dropped out.

In his comments after the competition, Berihu noted that the race had been tough and praised Kiplimo’s strength. He said, “I was very prepared to win the gold medal, but I am also happy with the silver medal I won.”

Senior Women: Senayet Getachew’s bronze caps Ethiopia’s dominant team gold

Kenyan Agnes Ngetich (31:28), who was the early favorite to win the race, dominated the race as expected and won the gold medal, while Ethiopia dominated the team standings.

Senayet Getachew was locked in a close battle with Uganda’s Cheptoyek for silver. Cheptoyek handled the final pass through the ‘Alligator Alley’ stretch slightly better and edged ahead, leaving Getachew with bronze, but Ethiopia’s collective strength ensured a clear team gold.

Ethiopian team gold scoring athletes:

Senayet Getachew – 3rd (bronze)
Asayech Ayichew – 4th
Aleshign Baweke – 5th
Alem Tsadik – 7th

The combined finishing positions of the four athletes totaled 19 points, enabling Ethiopia to dominate the women’s senior team competition, finishing well ahead of Kenya (36) and Uganda (37). Shure Demise (33:33) and Lemlem Nibret (34:27), the other two of the six athletes representing Ethiopia in this category, finished 12th and 26th respectively.

Senayet, the U20 gold medalist in Bathurst three years ago, said the Tallahassee course was the toughest she has faced. “I tried to follow Agnes Ngetich early on, but she was beyond my capacity, so I focused on controlling the rest of the field. I was fighting for silver until the final meters, but a dead leg caused me to drop behind the Ugandan athlete at the last obstacle. I’m happy with the individual bronze and even happier with our team’s gold victory.”

U20 Women: Alemayo retains her world U20 title

Ethiopia enjoyed a standout performance in the U20 women’s race, led by Marta Alemayo, who produced a dominant run to retain her U20 world cross country title in 18:52. She led an Ethiopian 1–2 finish, with Wosane Asefa taking silver (19:18) after a fierce battle with Uganda’s Charity Cherop, who finished one second behind in 19:19.

Ethiopian results:
Marta Alemayo – 1st (gold, 18:52)
Wosane Asefa – 2nd (silver, 19:18)
Yenenesh Shimeket – 5th (19:35)

Despite these strong individual results, Ethiopia could not contest the team standings due to the absence of one scoring athlete, a consequence of visa denial issues. That opened the door for Uganda and Kenya to tie on 29 points, with Uganda taking team gold on tiebreak, Kenya silver, and Japan earning bronze.

U20 Men: A lone Ethiopian finishes 12th

In the U20 men’s race, Ethiopia was represented by a single athlete, Ayele Sewnet, who finished 12th in 24:14. Ayele spoke openly about the psychological impact of racing without teammates, saying, “If my teammates had been with me, it would have provided both tactical support and a morale boost.”

4×2 km Mixed Relay: Ethiopia adds bronze

Ethiopia, represented by Wegene Adisu, Gela Hambese, Milkesa Fikadu, and Hirut Meshesha, claimed the bronze medal in the mixed relay that opened the Tallahassee championships, finishing in 22:34. Ethiopia, which has earned three silvers and one gold since the mixed relay debuted in Kampala in 2017, added a bronze to its tally in Tallahassee.