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Ranking the fastest Cross-Country runner in the world can be a bit of a challenge owing to substantial differences in courses.
Cross-Country races are known to be some of the hardest competitions in the world since a runner is bound to encounter a lot of barriers before finishing a race and in this article, we shall analyse the top 10 fastest cross-country runners in 2023.
The terrains of the cross-country are never smooth but athletes have managed to push through and make a name for themselves courtesy of these races and also make it to the list of the top 10 fastest cross-country runners.
Ranking the fastest cross-country runner in the world can be a bit of a challenge since substantial differences between cross-country courses and it may prove difficult to find out who the fastest cross-country runner is.
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20:31 - 27.05.2023
ATHLETICS Athletics Kenya leads tributes to fallen long-distance runner Sammy Kosgei
Kosgei had a decorated career, having broken the 25km world record after clocking 1:11:50 to cross the finish line.
However, World Athletics made the hustle a bit easier by awarding straight Performance Scores to be used as the ranking mechanism.
Athletes’ performances are considered from the World Cross Country Championships, Area Championships, National Championships, and World Athletics Cross Country Tour competitions among other competitions recognised by World Athletics.
Below is a list of the top 10 fastest cross-country runners in 2023 according to points earned from the events competed in.
Fastest Cross-Country runners.
10) Levy Kibet
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Youngster Levy Kibet is a Kenyan long-distance runner who also prides himself as a cross-country runner. Kibet, at only 18 years, has managed to get himself among the top 10 fastest cross-country runners in 2023 courtesy of his upcoming prowess in the field.
He has 1226 points and has so far competed in six cross-country races since he kickstarted his career in 2019. Last year, Kibet achieved a podium finish in all the five cross-country races he competed in. He reigned supreme at the Cross Country Bydgoszcz na Start in Poland.
This year, the 2021 world under-20 5000m bronze medallist opened his season with a 12th-place finish at the CrossCup de Hannut in Belgium.
9) Likina Amebaw
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Likina Amebaw, the ninth fastest cross-country runner, is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. The 25-year-old just like Kibet, has 1226 points which got her into the list of top 10 fastest cross-country runners in 2023.
Amebaw started her cross-country career in 2021 at the International Cross of Soria where she finished an impressive third.
Last year, she competed in five cross-country races and achieved a podium finish in three of the races. She managed a win at the ECCC Cross Country in Portugal.
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16:46 - 02.03.2023
ATHLETICS Kenya's Lucy Mawia wins World Athletics Cross Country Tour alongside Rahel Daniel
Another Kenyan, teenager Levy Kibet settled for fourth place after gaining 3660 points.
Amebaw seems to be invested more in cross-country and may soon be rising through the ranks. Since the year started, she has competed in six cross-country races where she managed a win at the Cross of the Almond Trees in Blossom in Portugal. She surely deserves a place among the top 10 fastest coss-country runners in 2023.
8) Medina Eisa
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Medina Eisa is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who is on a journey to cement her place in the cross-country and rise through the ranks among the top 10 fastest cross-country runners. Eisa is the reigning World Cross-country silver medallist at the tender age of 18.
She has a total of 1228 points, just enough for her eighth place but she might be moving up the ladder very soon. She made her debut in cross-country running last year at the 65° Campaccio-International Cross Country where she finished fifth.
She then went for the Northern Ireland International Cross Country in December 2022 and won, just in her second race. Eisa has started her journey in the cross-country and she might just be the next big thing.
7) Edna Jebitok
Edna Jebitok is a 21-year-old Kenyan middle and long-distance runner who is also proud to be among the top 10 fastest cross-country runners in 2023. Jebitok made her first-ever appearance in the cross-country during the Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games where she finished second.
After that, she went back to the track and made a comeback in 2021 with a win at the International Cross Sales of Bathrooms in Spain. Last year, she won the Elgoibar Juan Muguerza Cross-Country in Spain before finishing 15th at the Agnes Tirop Cross-country.
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10:14 - 23.02.2023
ATHLETICS Kenya to use World Cross-country Champs blueprint for future success
Kenya bagged 10 medals both individual and team titles including six gold, two silver, and two bronze.
She returned to the 79th Elgoibar Juan Muguerza Cross-Country this year and finished second before the World Cross-country Championships where she faded to finish ninth. She has 1235 points, just enough for seventh place.
6) Lucy Mawia
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Lucy Mawia, 25, is a Kenyan long-distance runner and distinguished road racer who could also never miss on the list of the top 10 fastest cross-country runners. Mawia has marked her domain in the cross-country with impressive performances.
In 2022, she managed three big wins in the 11 cross-country races she competed in, something many cross-country runners have failed to achieve. Her remarkable performance saw her top the women’s standings at the end of the 2022-2023 World Athletics Cross-country Tour.
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21:30 - 28.05.2023
ATHLETICS Emmanuel Wanyonyi mantains hot streak with dominant win in Rabat
Korir, who has been in impeccable form since the season started, was leading from gun to tape.
Mawia brags of a total of 1240 points but she might move up the ranks very soon courtesy of her outstanding performances.
5) Rahel Daniel
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Born on November 16, 2001, Rahel Daniel Chebre is an Eritrean long-distance runner who also made her name known through her exploits in cross-country running. Daniel, just like Mawia, has 1240 points.
She started her cross-country campaign in 2021, two years after she had begun her career in athletics. Surprisingly, she won her first-ever cross-country race, the XVII Cross of Atapuerca. She then went ahead to finish fifth at the XXXIX Cross of Italica the same year.
Last year, 2022, she won two of the three cross-country races she competed in and finished second in the third.
She opened her season with three wins in the World Athletics Cross-country tour before heading out to the World Cross-country championships where she failed to deliver. She finished 57th in the highly-contested race.
4) Rodrigue Kwizera
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23-year-old Rodrigue Kwizera is a Burundian long-distance runner and cross-country runner who has placed his country on the world map courtesy of his great performance.
Weirdly, Kwizera started his athletics career with a 38th-place finish at the 2017 World Cross-country Championships in Uganda. However, he did not afford to give up as he returned to the 2019 World Cross-country Championships and finished 11th, an improvement.
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10:01 - 18.02.2023
ATHLETICS Beatrice Chebet over the moon after surprising win at the World X-country Champs
Chebet admitted that she had already given up on the title chase and had made peace with settling for second place.
In 2021, he meant business when he won four out of the six cross-country races he was competing in. He then came back in 2022 and managed five wins out of the seven races he competed in. Coming back in 2023, Kwizera has won two of the three cross-country races he has participated in.
He opened his season with a win at the 66° Campaccio-International Cross Country in Italy before reigning supreme at the ECCC Cross Country in Spain. He finished eighth at the World Cross-country Championships, which is an improvement.
The Burundian has a total of 1240 points and he surely deserves to be among the list of top 10 fastest cross-country runners in 2023.
3) Yann Schrub
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Cross-country races are known mostly for Africans (Kenyans, Ugandans, Ethiopians, Burundians, and Eritreans) but Yann Schrub of France has established himself among the top 10 fastest cross-country runners in 2023.
Schrub, 27, has a total of 1240 points and has had impressive performances in the category. In 2023, he has already competed in three cross-country races and won all of them. He opened his season with a win at the CrossCup de Hannut.
He then won the LII Gran Premio Cáceres Campo a Través and Cross das Amendoeiras em Flor respectively. He has been a regular participant in the European Cross-country championships since 2018.
2) Thierry Ndikumwenayo
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Thierry Ndikumwenayo is a Spanish-Burundian long-distance runner, most well-known for his cross-country running results. Ndikumwenayo has cemented his place in the cross-country with his prowess and big wins and he is a perfect fit for a second place among the top 10 fastest cross-country runners in 2023.
The 26-year-old has 1240 points and has for the longest time been a force to reckon with in the cross-country. This year, he opened his season at the Spanish Cross-country championships and was awarded points since he was competing as an ‘outsider’.
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16:02 - 15.02.2023
ATHLETICS Calm Emmanuel Wanyonyi promises medal haul in World Cross-country championships
In the mixed relay, Wanyonyi will be in the company of compatriots Beatrice Chepkoech and Brenda Chebet. The final startlists will be out on Friday.
Last year, Ndikumwenayo was unbeaten in all his races as he notched up victories. However, in 2021 his season was not a smooth sailing as he failed to win a single race and his best performance was a sixth-place finish. It is just a matter of time before he climbs the ladder to the top.
1) Beatrice Chebet
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Beatrice Chebet, 23, is a Kenyan long-distance runner who against all odds, deserves a place among the top 10 fastest cross-country runners in 2023. Chebet has not only dominated the 5000m on the track but also the cross-country races.
She is the reigning World Cross-country champion, a title she got when she destroyed a strong field to win the World Cross-country championships in Bathurst, Australia.
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19:08 - 15.05.2023
ATHLETICS Dazzling Chebet to compete in two Diamond League Meetings before World Championships
The 23-year-old is not resting as she revealed that she will go back into training.
She tops the list with a total of 1293 points. Chebet also brags about having the 2019 World Cross-country junior champion. The Commonwealth Games 5000m champion has also participated in a series of the World Athletics Cross-country tours and has managed big wins.
This year, she opened her season with a win at the 91st Cinque Mulini Cross-country in Italy. Last year, she managed four podium finishes out of the five cross-country races she competed in. She truly deserves to be among the top cross-country runners.
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