An epic showdown is expected tomorrow evening in Bathurst Australia as top athletics stars search for global honours during the 44th edition of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia.

With Kenya seeking to reclaim the overall team title that was won by Ethiopia in 2019, head coach Julius Kirwa says mental preparedness for his charges will be of the essence in achieving the feat.

“We have had good preparations towards this event and all the athletes know the task ahead that they are going to carry the weight of a country.

“They have given their all in training but maybe that is not enough because they also need to be in good shape psychologically.

“Without that, it can be difficult to achieve our targets. If somebody is not charged up in the mind that he can compete and challenge for the podium finishing for sure is difficult.

“I am here to guide them and to shape them up to the last moment before the race”, Kirwa told People Daily Sports.

Experienced, two-time winner of the World Cross Geoffrey Kamworor and 2022 Valencia Half Marathon Champion Kibiwott Kandie will be keen to lead Kenya’s contingent in the senior men’s 10 race, a fierce East African battle expected to be the major highlight of the event at Mount Panorama Circuit.

Their neighbours Uganda, have named a strong team for the championships tomorrow. The team includes World cross-country defending champion Joshua Cheptegei.

Cheptegei who is also the double world champion in men’s 10,000, had a stellar performance last year and will be hoping to rekindle it in Bathurst tomorrow.

His 22–year–old compatriot, Jacob Kiplimo is also a man to watch on the team. Kiplimo is in superb form. He won a gold medal as a junior on home soil in Kampala in 2017 and made a name in senior men in that last edition in 2019 when he bagged silver, finishing behind countryman Cheptegei.

In 2021, he clocked an impressive 57.31 in Lisbon to break the World Half Marathon record that was previously held by Kenya’s Kandie.

Ethiopia will highly depend on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic men’s 10,000 champion Selemon Barega.

Big names

Despite the big names in the senior men’s race, coach Kirwa said it will not be a battle against single athletes but countries competing in the event.

“When I train athletes I don’t look at individual athletes that are our opponents. We train for everyone who will be there, it is not about Uganda or Ethiopia or who. We shall fight them all”, added coach Kirwa.

Kenya has not lost a senior women’s at the World Cross country Championships since 2009. The last time the country failed to win gold in that race was in 2008 when the Championships were held in Edinburg, Scotland. Ethiopia’s Terunesh Dibaba won the race with Kenya’s Linet Masai settling for a bronze medal.

Since 2009, Kenya’s female athletes have gone ahead to win in six straight editions including Hellen Obiri’s good show in Denmark three years ago.

Tomorrow in Bathurst, women’s 5000m Commonwealth Games champion Beatrice Chebet will be carrying Kenya’s hope for a podium finish, teaming up with home girls Edina Jebitok, Emily Chebet, Beatrice Chebet, Cynthia Chepngeno and Grace Loibach.

“Everyone is expecting me to do well in Australia, even Obiri called me and told me to bring the gold medal home. What I can promise is that I will give it a fight as usual for a podium finish. We will focus to accomplish our goals”, Chebet (Emily) told People Daily Sports.

The scintillating event that brings together phenomenal world long-distance runners is scheduled to start at 1:00am Kenya time on Sunday.