The Cross of Itálica brings together the national and world elite of cross country

In this sense, the first three absolute finishers, the first sub 23 and the first four sub 20 (both in men and women) of the joint classification of the Spanish Championship and the International Cross Country Championship will earn the status of preselected for the Championship of Europe. The Sevillian Carolina Robleswho will run the absolute women’s event, leads the women’s classification.

The cross country day is double this year in the ruins. This Saturday, several events were already held in lower categories of the Itálica International Cross, as well as the popular mixed long cross and the popular mixed relay; and this Sunday, in a marathon day that starts at 9 a.m., the National Club Championship and the absolute international events will be held. in the female category (12.25 hours) and male category (13.05)which will also have the rank of Spanish Championship.

The show is, therefore, served because there is a lot at stake. Some 6,000 athletes will meet between the two days at the archaeological site, where more than 3,000 runners from 430 clubs from all over the country will meet. In the two main events on Sunday, which will precede the popular short women’s crosses (2:10 p.m.) and men’s (2:40 p.m.), the names of the Ethiopian stand out Berihu Aregawithe Italian Yemaneberhan Crippa, the Kenyan Beatrice Chebet and the French Alice Finot. Among the large list of Spanish athletes there will be no shortage of Adel Mechaal, Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Fernando Carro, Dani Arce, Ignacio Fontes, Carolina Robles, Marta García, María Forero or Águeda Marqués.

Olympic stars

Debutant in Santiponce, Berihu Aregawi is the double world runner-up in the specialty in the Bathurst 2023 and Belgrade 2024 events. At just 23 years old, the Ethiopian is already collecting laurels on all surfaces and has become the current world record holder in the 5K and 10K on the road. First, he broke the five-kilometer record in Barcelona with a time of 12:49, a record he also holds in Laredo, when he stopped the clock at 26:33 in the ten kilometers. They have not been the only exploits of the African. And it is that Aregawi achieved glory at the Paris Games proclaiming himself Olympic runner-up in the 10,000 meters three years after the fourth place achieved in Tokyo 2020 in the same distance.

Nothing has to envy Aregawi’s colossal record of the young woman Chebettwice a member of the podium at the Poncino archaeological site. It was second in 2020 and third in 2021, when the Kenyans took the top three positions. Those two excellent races gave solid clues to an indisputable budding talent that manifested itself in the silver of the 5,000 meters in the Eugene World Cup 2022. In 2023 he would confirm his status as a star with the world cross-country crown in Bathurst, the world bronze in the 5,000 meters in Budapest, the world title in the five kilometers in Riga and the universal record for this distance in Barcelona ( 14.13). The last year has not left him behind, and in 2024 he revalidated the world cross country title in Belgrade and in the Paris Games He opened the doors of Olympus with a cathedral double in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.

An impressive poster of runners

With Aregawi, long-distance runners of great pedigree such as his compatriots Ayele Tadesse and Wegene Addisu, the Burundian Rodrigue Kwizera (winner in 2021), Thierry Ndikumwenayo (winner in 2022) and the Italian will compete in the Albero Poncino. Yemaneberhan Crippa, who already knows Seville having competed here in the second marathon of his life, achieving, with a time of 2.06:06, the record for his country in the Pheidippides distance. Crippa, 28, is a gold medalist in the half marathon (European Rome) and also continental champion of the 10,000 meters in Munich 2022. Otherwise, and as has historically happened in Italica, the African contingent will be made up of athletes from very high level wishing to be crowned in one of the best crosses in the world. Note there the names of the Ugandans Dan Kibet, Hosea Kiplangat and Keneth Kiprop, this last world sub 20 bronze in the 5,000 meters in Lima 2023. Also be careful with the Portuguese Etson Barros and the Spanish-Uruguayan Santiago Catrofe (winner in Lasarte), as well as the always large and competitive list of Spaniards. Which they will be part of this time Adel Mechaalwhich does not fail Itálica; the national 10K record holder, Abdessadam Oukhelfen; that of the 3,000 meter obstacles, Fernando Carro; in addition to other athletes such as Dani Arce, Ignacio Fontes, Adam Maijó, Eduardo Menacho or Jesús Ramos.

Among women, Chebet is the undisputed favorite but not the only contender. The nationalized Kazakh woman also opposes this privilege. Daisy Jepkemeiseventh in the Belgrade World Championship and winner of the Atapuerca Cross. It will be their first time in Itálica and the gala based in Galicia will also debut in the Ruins of Itálica Alice Finot after completing an extraordinary year: he touched the podium at the Paris Games with a time that was a European record (8.58:67). Faced with the proven and triumphant experience of Jepkemei and Finot, the shameless youth of the Ugandan Charity Cherop (world under 20 bronze in the 5,000 meters) and the Kenyan sisters Diana and Sharon Chepkemoi. Among the foreigners, other names stand out, such as those of the Kenyan Mercy Chepkemoi (winner of the Cross de Soria), the Swede Sarah Lathi and the Portuguese Mariana Machado.

The core of national runners is led by the Sevillian Carolina Robleswhich is ending an exceptional year crowned with its presence in its second Olympic Games. In cross country, the current Spanish champion is imperial. She was third in Amorebieta and San Sebastián, and fourth in Atapuerca. Together with her they will enlist Maria ForeroEuropean under 20 champion in 2022; Martha Garciawhich in 2024 has set national records over 3,000 and 5,000 meters; or Águeda Marqués, finalist in the 1,500 meters at the Paris Games. Kaoutar Boulaid, Idaira Prieto, Lucía Rodríguez, Clara Viñarás, Cristina Ruiz, Carla Gallardo and Esther Navarrete also join a very extensive list of national athletes.

Where to watch the Cross de Itálica on television

The competition will be broadcast live on the LaLiga+ streaming platform, as well as on Andalusia TV (12:20 p.m.), on the RTVE Play website and the two absolute races delayed by Teledeporte. In this edition of the Cross Internacional de Itálica there will be two tributes prior to the absolute races. The first, before the start of the absolute women’s race, dedicated to all the people affected by DANA; and the second, as a prologue to the absolute men’s race, paying tribute to Mariano Haro after his death last July.