Reigning 10 kilometre world record holder Agnes Jebet Ngetich is among the top athletes who will participate in the 4th edition of the Absa Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country tour to be held at the Lobo Village in Kapseret on the 22nd of this month.
According to the organisers, only top-ranked athletes and those cleared of doping by World Athletics and the Athletes Integrity Unit will be invited for the core events.
The local organising committee has already completed route mapping which will for the 1st time see the introduction of a water sprinkler as part of the obstacles.
Athletes will battle in the mixed relay, 10 km senior races and the under-20 junior men and women races, with the winners of the senior races set to be rewarded 780,000 Kenya shillings while the silver medallist will pocket 650,000 kenya shillings .
Bronze medallists will be rewarded 520,000 kenya shillings with the prize money trickling down to the athletes in the 15th position , who will get 26,000 kenya shillings.
The World athletics senior program Manager Alice Annibol emphasized on need for Kenyan athletes to run clean.
Absa Sirikwa Cross Country is the only gold label cross country competition in Africa and was introduced in the World Athletics calendar in 2022.
The competition has also attracted local and international athletes from Poland, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, the Czech Republic, Germany, Ukraine and India.
