Ethiopia men, Kenya women win team titles in Uganda

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

The Ethiopia men edged Kenya by a point Sunday to claim the team title at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships at Kololo Independence Grounds in Uganda.

Despite going 1-2 up front, with with Geoffrey Kamworor repeating as the individual champion, Kenya had only one other runner in the top 11.

Ethiopia's narrow victory did not diminish a remarkable day for the Kenya, running close to home across its western border. 

The Kenyan women swept the first seven spots in the senior race. And Kenya won the first mixed gender relay by seven seconds, with former Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop saying the relay "brought me back to cross country."

The U.S. men, led by the 11th-place finish of Sam Chelanga, took fifth. Leonard Korir and Shadrack Kipchirchir were together in 21st and 22nd.

Aliphine Tuliamuk led the U.S. women with her 15th-place finish. The women were also fifth with 90 points. Stepanie Bruce and Natosha Rogers were 22nd and 23rd, respectively.

In the inaugural mixed relay, Kenya covered the 8,000 meters (4x2,000) in 22:22. Ethiopia was next in 22:30 and Turkey was third. The U.S. was sixth in 24:08. 

In the men's U20 race, Jacob Kiplimo gave Uganda something to cheer about with his victory in 22.40. Ethiopians and Kenyans took the next seven spots. Paul Roberts, a year out of Lyons HS in Colorado, was the top U.S. finisher in 33rd place. Aidan Reed of Helena, Mont., a freshman at Southern Utah, was 46th. The U.S. team was ninth.

In the women's U20 race, runners from Ethiopia and Kenya claimed 12 of the top 14 spots. Michelle Magnani (Moorpark, Calif.) of Oklahoma State was the top U.S. finisher in 37th place and Logan Morris (Spartanburg, S.C.) of Clemson was 45th. The team finished 12th.