Letesenbet, Selemon among elite athletes expected to feature
The 40th iteration of the Jan Meda international cross-country race will take place in Addis Ababa in the 6, 8, and 10k races, as well as mixed relay categories for both sexes, on January 1, 2023.
Elite athletes from East African nations will also be participating, with more than 1200 athletes expected to take part in the event. The champion will be eligible to compete in Bathurst, Australia, for the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships.
The competition, which debuted as the East African Cross Country Championships last year, is set to feature athletes from Kenya, Eritrea, Uganda, Djibouti, Sudan, and South Sudan.
The competition serves as Ethiopia’s national championships and is often held in January or February. It also counts as a qualifying event for the World Cross Country Championship of World Athletics (WA).
The main goal of the competition is to give prospective athletes a chance to compete and be inspired.
Letesenebet Gidey is one of the top elite athletes slated to compete in this year’s race. She holds three world records and numerous world bests. She triumphed in the junior 6 km race at the Jan Meda International Cross Country Trials in 2015.
On March 28, 2015, she competed in her first international competition outside of Ethiopia at the World Cross Country Championship in Guiyang, China. She went on to defend her junior title in Addis Ababa in 2017.
Later that year, she won the junior division in Kampala, Uganda.
The gold medalist from the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Selemon Barega, is anticipated to take part in this year’s race.
Muktar Edris, Getaneh Molla, Anduamlak Belihu, and Tisfaye Akalnew will all compete in the race.
Bathurst, Australia, will play host to the 2023 world cross country championships on February 18. After Auckland in 1988, Oceania will play host to the 44th round of the competition for the second time.
Because of COVID-19 and travel restrictions to Australia, the event was moved from 2021 to 2023 in December 2020.
