BATHURST, AUSTRALIA, February 18 — If you placed a bet on “heavy favorite will collapse just short of the finish line and get disqualified,” congratulations: you’re much richer today.
It’s safe to say the rest of the world didn’t see that one coming at the Women’s World XC. The race indeed offered thrills and spills, but not in the billabong mud pit or crazy zig-zag portion of the course.
Instead, it came just steps from the end, as leader Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia cratered. Grimacing in obvious pain entering the homestretch, she glanced left to watch Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet pass her by. Then she stumbled, wobbled, and crumpled to the ground. Chebet flew past to a 33:48 victory on the 5-lap 10K course.
It wasn’t the result expected by anyone who watched Gidey’s brilliant homestretch run in Eugene last summer to win 10,000 track gold.
Indeed, it wasn’t the result expected even by spectators here only 400m earlier. Emerging from the last billabong, Gidey powered up a steep hill and seemingly left Chebet for dead. Over the next minute her lead stretched to 3 seconds, and a minute later she’d added another 6.
But rounding the final curve, Chebet’s stride noticeably quickened, Gidey looked panicked, and the latter’s advantage evaporated.
“I didn’t expect to win but she was slowing,” Chebet said. “I saw my chance and I decided to kick. I felt she didn’t have any more. I knew she couldn’t threaten me. I knew I had the potential to go on and win. I was still feeling strong. I knew I could do it.
“This win has given me strength and courage and potential,” said Chebet, who won the U20 race in ’19. “I am very happy to win, it was not easy. I have won this race as a Junior and now as a Senior. It was a matter of endurance and believing in myself.”
Gidey got up to cross the line in 4th, but only with the help of a spectator in Ethiopian colors, which of course violated the assistance rule and resulted in her disqualification. It wasn’t clear what caused her collapse, but heat may have played a role — held in the Australian summer rather than the normal winter. Pre-race temperatures measured 98F (36C).
Silver went to Ethiopia’s Tsige Gebreselama (33:56) and bronze to Kenya’s Agnes Jebet Ngetich (34:00). Edna Kurgat was the lead American, placing 18th in 35:36.
Kenya won the team race 16–25 over Ethiopia, a result that would have held up even without Gidey’s DQ, but it might have been a much closer affair. If Gidey had regained her feet on her own power and still crossed 4th, Kenya’s victory would have been a mere 18–19. Uganda, which looked strong early with a wall of Chesangs (Prisca, Stella, and Doreen) placed 3rd with 41 and the Australian hosts took 4th with 92. The United States scored 103 for 5th.
The mixed-sex relay (4 legs of 2000m, man/woman/man/woman) ultimately came down to a predictable Kenya vs. Ethiopia battle, but not before Australia did its best to wreck the script.
A commanding second leg by former NCAA 1500 champ Jessica Hull swung the Aussies from a 6-second deficit to a 5-second lead after halfway.
Ultimately, the world returned to normal as Kenya won in 23:14, Ethiopia took silver in 23:21, and Australia finished 3rd in 23:26. The U.S. was 10th after the first carry and was never in it, although pulling all the way up to 5th.
WORLD XC WOMEN’S RESULTS
Teams
1. Kenya 16; 2. Ethiopia 25; 3. Uganda 41; 4. Australia 92; 5. United States 103; 6. Great Britain 137; 7. South Africa 144; 8. Canada 152; 9. Spain 155; 10. New Zealand 228; 11. Lebanon 316.
Individuals
(10K) 1. Beatrice Chebet (Ken) 33:48; 2. Tsige Gebreselama (Eth) 33:56; 3. Agnes Ngetich (Ken) 34:00; 4. Grace Loibach (Ken) 34:13; 5. Fotyen Tesfay (Eth) 34:30; 6. Hawi Feysa (Eth) 34:36; 7. Prisca Chesang (Uga) 34:42; 8. Edina Jebitok (Ken) 34:45; 9. Emily Chebet (Ken) 34:49; 10. Stella Chesang (Uga) 34:58;
11. Doreen Chesang (Uga) 35:01; 12. Gete Alemayehu (Eth) 35:04; 13. Annet Chalangat (Uga) 35:08; 14. Nozomi Tanaka (Jpn) 35:08; 15. Wede Kefale (Eth) 35:14; 16. Risper Cherop (Uga) 35:30; 17. Dolshi Tesfu (Eri) 35:32; 18. Ednah Kurgat (US) 35:36; 19. Ellie Pashley (Aus) 35:38; 20. Parul Chaudhary (Ind) 35:39;
21. Weini Kelati (US) 35:48; 22. Leanne Pompeani (Aus) 35:49; 23. Rose Davies (Aus) 35:52; 24. Abbie Donnelly (GB) 35:53; 25. Amelia Quirk (GB) 35:56; 26. Laura Galván (Mex) 36:01; 27. Cian Oldknow (SA) 36:02; 28. Caitlin Adams (Aus) 36:03; 29. Isobel Batt-Doyle (Aus) 36:17; 30. Irene Sánchez-Escribano (Spa) 36:20;
31. Katie Izzo (US) 36:25; 32. Mercyline Chelangat (Uga) 36:30; 33. Allie Buchalski (US) 36:37; 34. Regan Yee (Can) 36:43; 35. Natalia Hawthorn (Can) 36:43; 36. Poppy Tank (GB) 36:47; 37. Kyla Jacobs (SA) 36:49; 38. Aynslee van_Graan (SA) 36:59; 39. Laura Luengo (Spa) 36:59; 40. Julie-Anne Staehli (Can) 37:03;
41. Cristina Ruiz (Spa) 37:04; 42. Glenrose Xaba (SA) 37:08; 43. Katelyn Ayers (Can) 37:09; 44. Georgia Hansen (Aus) 37:15; 45. Naima Ait Alibou (Spa) 37:17; 46. Maria Bernard (Can) 37:23; 47. Sanjivani Jadhav (Ind) 37:30; 48. Kesa Molotsane (SA) 37:37; 49. Sarah Drought (NZ) 37:53; 50. Carolina Robles (Spa) 38:10;
51. Kate Vaughan (Can) 38:20; 52. Megan Keith (GB) 38:32; 53. Reimi Yoshimura (Jpn) 38:34; 54. Emily Roughan (NZ) 38:57; 55. Chavi Yadav (Ind) 39:00; 56. Emily Lipari (US) 39:06; 57. Rahel Daniel (Eri) 39:22; 58. Farhat Bano (Pak) 39:23; 59. Cacisile Sosibo (SA) 39:25; 60. Laura Maasik (Est) 39:33;
61. Hannah Miller (NZ) 39:45; 62. Momoka Kawaguchi (Jpn) 39:50; 63. Xia Zhou (Chn) 39:50; 64. Lisa Cross (NZ) 40:02; 65. Olivia Mugove (Zim) 40:06; 66. Mary Tenge (PNG) 40:30; 67. Kerry White (NZ) 40:54; 68. Miao Yao (Chn) 41:20; 69. Katherine Camp (NZ) 41:45; 70. Yingcui Li (Chn) 41:48;
71. Laura Cusaria (Col) 42:08; 72. Ongan Awa (PNG) 42:30; 73. Dianah Matekali (SOL) 42:51; 74. Joan Makary (Leb) 43:12; 75. Jennifer Tomazou (Leb) 43:35; 76. María Pía Fernández (Uru) 43:53; 77. Scholastica Herman (PNG) 44:02; 78. Sharon Firisua (SOL) 44:06; 79. Lauriane Bisch (PYF) 44:08; 80. Ramata Abdulai (Gha) 44:23;
81. Vanessa Lee Ying Zhuang (SGP) 44:41; 82. Nathania Tan (NMI) 44:51; 83. Nesrine Njeim (Leb) 45:17; 84. Tiana Abdel Masih (Leb) 45:27;… dnf—Cynthia Chepngeno (Ken), Betty Teuei (Kyr), Aina Goir (PNG);… dq—Letesenbet Gidey (Eth) (88 started, 84 finished).
WORLD XC MIXED-SEX RELAY RESULTS
(4×2000) 1. Kenya 23:14 (Emmanuel Wanyonyi 5:41, Mirriam Cherop 5:58, Daniel Munguti 5:09, Brenda Chebet 6:26);
2. Ethiopia 23:21 (Adihana Kasaye 5:48, Hawi Abera 5:59, Getnet Wale 5:13, Birke Haylom 6:21);
3. Australia 23:26 (Olli Hoare 5:47, Jessica Hull 5:47, Stewart McSweyn 5:22, Abbey Caldwell 6:30);
4. South Africa 23:50 (Ryan Mphahlele 5:41, Prudence Sekgodisa 6:07, Tshepo Tshite 5:11, Caster Semenya 6:51);
5. United States 24:32 (Alec Basten 5:57, Emma Coburn 6:13, Jordan Mann 5:29, Heather MacLean 6:53);
6. Great Britain 24:39; 7. Morocco 24:48; 8. Canada 24:55; 9. Uganda 25:06; 10. New Zealand 25:08; 11. Spain 25:14; 12. China 26:27; 13. Athlete Refugee Team 27:15; 14. Papua New Guinea 29:42; 15. Fiji 34:27.
