Kenyan Lucy Mawia set for Cross Internacional Zornotza race in Amorebieta
By Collins Amanga, October 21, 2023
2022/2023 World Athletics Cross Country Tour Champion Lucy Mawia is ready to take on the Cross Internacional Zornotza, the opening Spanish Gold stop of this season’s series, set to unfold in Amorebieta this Sunday.
This year’s edition brings a notable change, as the women’s race will match the men’s distance, stretching over a demanding 8.7km.
Lucy Mawia prowess
Mawia, known for her cross-country prowess, embraces this alteration confidently. Last season, two out of her three Tour triumphs came from races that covered an 8km distance.
Although Mawia hasn’t been highly active in competitions this year, the commencement of the cross-country season will likely see her participate more frequently.
Nevertheless, the competition at the Cross Internacional Zornotza promises to be intense.
Ethiopian athletes Likina Amebaw and Lemlem Nibret are formidable contenders. Amebaw, who resides in Spain, secured a victory at the final leg of last season’s World Cross Country Tour in Albufeira, setting the stage for another strong performance.
His compatriot, Nibret, an 18-year-old rising star, recently achieved a remarkable fifth-place finish in the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst. Notably, Nibret also achieved personal bests of 14:56.00 for 5000m and 14:57 for the road 5km.
The hopes of the local Spanish crowd will rest with defending champion Isabel Barreiro. Her return to racing at this weekend’s event marks her first appearance since April, as a bone edema prematurely halted her track season.
The domestic lineup includes Cristina Ruiz, a strong 5000m performer boasting a personal best of 15:25.11. She represented Spain at the World Cross in Bathurst.
In the men’s competition, Burundi’s Celestine Ndikumana is set to clash with Uganda’s Leonard Chemutai. Ndikumana, 21, clinched a 20th-place finish in the senior men’s race at this year’s World Cross in Bathurst.
Subsequently, he recorded several personal bests on the track and secured a 15th-place finish in the 5km at the World Road Running Championships in Riga. Chemutai, a 20-year-old specializing in the steeplechase, improved his personal best to 8:17.14 this year and reached the final of the World Championships in Budapest.
The competition is further enriched with the participation of Eritrea’s Ghirmay Ghebreselassie, the world marathon champion from 2015, and his compatriot Merhawi Mebrahtu, the world U20 5000m silver medalist. Both athletes spend much of their training time in Madrid under the guidance of Jerónimo Bravo but will arrive in Spain fresh from a training stint in their home country.
Other competitors
Nassim Hassaous, a seventh-place finisher at the 2021 European Cross Country Championships, spearheads the Spanish entrants. The 29-year-old aims to replicate his fourth-place finish from the previous year.
In addition to Hassaous, the field will see domestic contenders Sergio Paniagua and Andreu Blanes, the national cross-country silver and bronze medalists, respectively.
The storied history of the Cross Internacional Zornotza boasts past winners such as Sergey Lebed, Joseph Ebuya, Rosa Mota, Gete Wami, and Vivian Cheruiyot.