World cross country champion Beatrice Chebet will make her debut in the Boston 5km race on April 15.

Last month, Chebet bagged victory in the women’s 10 km race during the World Cross Country championship in Bathurst, Australia after she clocked 0:33:48.

Ethiopian Tsigie Gebreselama (0:33:56) and another Kenyan, Agnes Ngetich (0:34:00), claimed silver and bronze respectively.

Chebet, whose star started rising when she won the World Under-20 5,000m title in 2018, claimed the World Cross Country Under-20 6km crown in 2019. She then claimed silver in 5,000m at the World Athletics Championships in 2022 in Oregon, United States before winning the Commonwealth Games 5,000m title in Birmingham, England also last year.

“Nothing is impossible. I’m well prepared for the race and, of course, my goal is to return with a gold medal,” Chebet said.

Chebet will team up with Agnes Ngetich and will take on World Athletics Championships 3000m steeplechase bronze medalist Mekides Abebe of Ethiopia, all racing the Boston Athletics Association (B.A.A.) 5K for the first time.

Bronze medalist

Others in the race are reigning USA 5K national champion Weini Kelati, defending B.A.A. Invitational Mile winner Annie Rodenfels, 2022 USA Club Cross Country champion Bethany Hasz, Olympian Marielle Hall, and 2022 USATF 10,000m bronze medalist Natosha Rogers.  Rodenfels and Hasz are members of the B.A.A. High-Performance Team, training in Boston under coach Mark Carroll.

 In the men’s category, Kenya is represented by Olympic 3000m bronze medalist Benjamin Kigen and Boston Half Marathon champion Geoffrey Koech.

The duo will be challenged by Olympian Mason Ferlic, two-time World Cross Country participant Emmanuel Bor of the US, Road Mile champion Eric Avila and NCAA All-American Morgan Beadlescomb among others.

In the wheelchair competition, Marcel Hug and Jenna Fesemyer will aim to defend their titles, joined by Boston Marathon champions Daniel Romanchuk and Ernst van Dyk as well as  Susannah Scaroni.

Hug clocked a course record time of 10:05 last year, while Fesemyer finished the course in 12:34. Just 48 hours after the B.A.A. 5K, these wheelchair competitors will race the 127th Boston Marathon.

The B.A.A. 5K starts and finishes in Boston Common where 10,000 athletes from 87 countries and all 50 U.S. states will be competing for top honours. For the first time, the event is presented by Point32Health.

“This year’s professional fields blend experience with up-and-coming stars for the B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile,” said Mary Kate Shea, B.A.A. Director of Professional Athletes.

“Participants, spectators, and running enthusiasts will get to witness world-class competition at shorter distances two days before the 127th Boston Marathon.”