TALLAHASSEE (10-Jan) — The Kenyan men had a dream race in the U20 competition at the 46th World Athletics Cross Country Championships at Apalachee Regional Park here in Tallahassee, Florida, on Saturday, January 10. The Africans racked up a perfect score of 10 points by sweeping the top four positions.
Frankline Kibet and Emmanuel Kiprono came around the final left turn before the downhill straight to the finish, and Kibet prevailed in the sprint, 23:18 to 23:20. Their compatriot Andrew Kiptoo Alamisa got third (23:28), and Andrew Kiptoo was fourth (23:42).
“I am very happy with my victory and the team gold,” Kibet told the World Athletics flash quotes team. “We trained together so it is good to celebrate as a team. The course was tough, but I was determined and trained well, primarily focused on speed.”
Uganda got the silver medal with 31 points and –in a surprise– Team USA got the bronze (75 points). Tyler Daillak of Cal Poly was their top finisher (16th overall), despite the fact that he ran most of the race with only his left shoe. His right shoe had come off in the mud pit on the second lap.
“It fell off in the mud in the back,” said Daillak, who had not yet retrieved his lost shoe. “And I just used it as an opportunity to advance the pain in my running, and focused still on the race. When things go bad in the race, you always want to plan for the worst and expect the best.”
The U20 women’s race saw a dominating performance by Ethiopia’s Marta Alemayo who successfully defended her title from Belgrade two years ago. She beat teammate Wosane Asefa by 26 seconds, 18:52 to 19:18. Uganda’s Charity Cherop got the bronze in 19:19.
“I am very happy with my second consecutive gold medal and be joined by Wosane on the podium,” Alemayo told the flash quotes team. “My next plan is to run indoors and hope to compete at the World Indoor Championships in March.”
Both Uganda and Kenya scored 29 points, but Uganda won on the tie-breaker (their fourth runner finished 10th to Uganda’s 11th). Ethiopia could not score as a team because they did not field a full team due to athletes being denied visas.
Results – U20 Race Men
Tallahassee (USA) • 10 January 2026
| Medal | Name | Country | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Frankline Kibet | Kenya | 23:18 |
| 🥈 | Emmanuel Kiprono | Kenya | 23:20 |
| 🥉 | Andrew Kiptoo Alamisi | Kenya | 23:28 |
| 4 | Andrew Kiptoo | Kenya | 23:42 |
| 5 | Abraham Cherotich | Uganda | 23:47 |
| 6 | Brian Kiptarus | Kenya | 23:49 |
| 7 | Daniel Kiprotich Chelogoi | Uganda | 23:51 |
| 8 | Edwin Elkana | Kenya | 24:00 |
Results – U20 Race Women
| Place | Name | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Marta Alemayo, Ethiopia | 18:52 |
| 🥈 | Wosane Asefa, Ethiopia | 19:18 + 26 |
| 🥉 | Charity Cherop, Uganda | 19:19 + 27 |
| 4 | Cynthia Chepkirui, Kenya | 19:22 + 30 |
| 5 | Yenenesh Shimket, Ethiopia | 19:35 + 43 |
| 6 | Joan Chepkurui, Kenya | 19:43 + 51 |
| 7 | Bentalin Yeko, Uganda | 19:50 + 58 |
| 8 | Mercy Chepngeno, Kenya | 19:52 + 1:00 |
Click here for the complete results.
