Athletics. Prize money and scoring details revealed ahead of Saturday’s IAAF event
Athletics
By
Dennis Okeyo
| Mar 26, 2019
Kenyan squad to the biennial World cross country championships in Aarhus, Demark is set to depart tomorrow as they seek to maintain their winning ways.
IAAF said more than 300 athletes (171 men, 139 women) are entered for the individual senior races, while more than 200 (121 men, 111 women) will be in action in the U-20 races slated for Saturday.
Ten teams have been entered for the mixed relay. Two-time champion World cross country champion Geoffrey Kamworor and world 5,000m champion Hellen Obiri will lead Kenya’s charges alongside national champion Amos Kirui.
The Kenyan duo will be out to stop Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo and Ethiopian champion Mogos Tuemay as Kamworor seeks to bag his third consecutive senior men’s title.
In senior women’s race, Obiri will line up against steeplechase world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech, Ethiopia’s two-time world U-20 cross-country champion Letesenbet Gidey and Commonwealth 10,000m champion Stella Chesang.
A close encounter is also expected in the junior men’s event as national U-20 champion Samuel Chebolei and world U-18 steeplechase champion Leonard Bett takes on double European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
Ethiopians are also expected to provide a strong challenge for the title.
In the corresponding junior women’s contest, Kenya will rely on Sarah Chelangat, the 3,000m Youth Olympic champion to deliver the medal.
Another favourite for a podium finish is world U-20 5,000m champion Beatrice Chebet.
Ethiopia have entered African U-20 cross-country champion Girmawit Gebrzihair.
Kenya will also be out to defend their title in the mixed relay, where world and Olympic steeplechase champion Conseslus Kipruto and world 1,500m champion Elijah Manangoi will compete.
Meanwhile, in all races, teams may enter a maximum of eight athletes, but no more than six shall be allowed to start in each race with four to score.
The team results are decided by the aggregate of places recorded by the scoring athletes of each team. The team with the lowest aggregate of points will be judged the winner.
If a team fails to finish with a complete scoring team, the runners finishing shall be counted as individuals in the race result and be eligible for the individual prize money (senior races only).
In the event of a tie, it shall be resolved in favour of the team whose last scoring member finishes nearer to first place.
At the same time, Sh31 million ($310,000) will be awarded as prize money with winners in both senior events taking home Sh3 million each.
No prize money will be paid to winners in the U-20 races.