News

05/11/2024 00:00, In Blog /

One of the jewels in Cardiff’s sporting crown will attract athletes from across the globe to the capital on Saturday.  

Some of the world’s finest runners, including the man dubbed “Europe’s fastest teenager” will compete in the annual Cardiff Cross Challenge at Llandaff Fields on the outskirts of the city centre. 

For the fourth year in a row, the fixture has achieved the prestigious World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold Label - the only cross country race in the UK to do so. 

More than 2,000 competitors aged from under-11 to over 65 will take part in a 10-race programme contested over a fast, twisting and technical course. 

For the 27th staging of the event, entries have flooded in from as far afield as Burundi, Ethiopia, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Denmark, Morocco and Uganda. 

Runners from across the length and breadth of the UK will also do battle in the first fixture of the annual British Athletics Cross Challenge Series. 

Meanwhile, club runners from across South Wales and the South West of England will literally rub shoulders with Olympians and national champions as the event incorporates the second fixture of the John H. Collins Gwent Cross Country League. 

Among the stand-out entries in the men’s senior race is rising teenage star Niels Laros, of the Netherlands, who was second in the Under-20 men’s race at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Brussels last December. 

The 2024 European Athletics Rising Star award recipient finished sixth in the 1500m final at the Paris Olympics, setting a new European Under-20 record of 3:29:54. Laros’ time eclipsed the previous record set by Norwegian superstar Jakob Ingebrigtsen. 

Joining the world Under-20 1000m record holder are four compatriots. They include Stefan Nillessen, who finished ninth in that Paris final and won the 2023 European Under-23 1500m title, as well as 2023 Dutch 1500 champion Robin Van Riel. 

Returning to defend his senior men’s title at the Cardiff Cross Challenge is Keneth Kiprop. The Ugandan led from the start last year and held off the challenge of Kenya’s Vincent Mutai to win with a sprint finish. 

Mutai, who is no stranger to success in Cardiff having won the city’s half marathon in 2023, returns to Llandaff in search of revenge over Kiprop. 

There will be a further African challenge from Celestin Ndikumana, of Burundi, winner of the 2023 Cross Internacional Zornotza in Spain, Emile Hafashimana of Burundi, 2023 Ugandan 5,000m Champion Daniel Kibet and Morocco’s Younes Kniya. 

Leading domestic hopefuls include English stars Zak Mahamed (Southampton), who finished fourth at last year’s event, and 2024 British Indoor 3,000m silver medalist Charles Wheeler (MK Distance Project/Wisconsin University). Spectators won’t be seeing double at the event as Wheeler’s twin George is also entered. 

Welsh hopes will rest with the likes of Osian Perrin (Menai Track and Field), who represented Great Britain at the 2021 SPAR European Cross Country Championships and won 3,000m silver at the 2023 British Indoor Championships. 

The talented triathlete will be joined by Great Britain & Northern Ireland International Dafydd Jones (Swansea Harriers) and James Heneghan (Pontypridd Roadents) who was part of the GB team which finished fifth in the mixed relay at the 2022 SPAR European Cross Country Championships. 

The senior women’s race boasts an equally impressive international and domestic line up. 

Kenya’s Sheila Jebet finished fourth in the 2024 World Under-20 Cross Country Championships race, while Charity Cherop, of Uganda, claimed bronze over 5,000m at the World Under-20 Athletics Championships. 

Tsige Teshome was the Silver Medalist at the Ethiopian U20 Championships at 1500m this summer, earning a place at the World U20 Championships in Lima. 

A two-time European Under-20 championships silver medalist on the track, Denmark’s Sofia Thøgersen, also boasts cross country form having claimed silver in the under-20 race at last year’s Europeans in Brussels. 

As in the men’s race, there will be a Dutch presence in the shape of Veerle Baaker who is a five-time national steeplechase Champion, Femke Rosbergen, a 1500m bronze medalist at her national championships this year and Emmy Van Den Berg who was ninth at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships U23 race. 

Looking to run into form ahead of the European Cross Country Championship trials in Liverpool next month, like many of the other top British runners taking part, will be Alex Bell.  

The Pudsey and Bramley AC star finished seventh in the 800m at the Tokyo Olympics and is a two-time gold medalist at the European Cross Country Championships in the mixed relay.  

Izzy Fry (Newbury) is another Brit with impeccable cross country credentials having won gold at the 2022 World Universities Cross Country Championships.   

2014 European Cross Country Champion Gemma Steel will be in action along with Sarah Astin & Kate Axford who steered their Belgrave team to the English Cross Country Relay title last weekend. 

Home favourite Cari Hughes (Cardiff Athletics), who has chalked up personal bests at 1500m, 3,000m and 5,000m on the track this season, is no stranger to the Cardiff Cross Challenge having finished third in the Under-20 race in 2018.   

The former Welsh 1500m champion went on to win gold for Great Britain in the under-20 team event at the European Cross Country Championships. 

Moli Lyons (Pontyprid Roadents) is another top Welsh prospect in action in the women’s race. 

The age group races on Saturday are equally stacked with talent, especially in the women’s races. 

The women’s under-20 start list features prodigious young British talent Innes FitzGerald.   

The Exeter Harrier won double gold at last year’s SPAR European Cross Country Championships, claiming the individual title in the Under-20 race and helping GB to the Under-20 team title. 

FitzGerald also finished as the top European at the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships as GB finished fifth in the under-20 team event.  

Meanwhile, the women’s under-17 race features Libby Hale, who has enjoyed an outstanding year on and off the track.  

The Swansea Harrier now holds every Welsh 1500m record from under-13 to under-20. On the grass this year, she won the Welsh under-15 championship and the Welsh schools under-17 title.  

There is more Welsh talent in the men’s Under-20 race, including Iwan Thomas (Carmarthen Harriers) who represented Great Britain at the European Under-18 Athletics Championships and the World Under-18 Mountain Running Championships.  

Meanwhile, a host of other talented young Welsh runners will feature in the programme of younger age group races. 

The event is sponsored by the UK’s no. 1 online retailer for run, gym and hike, Sportsshoes.com for the third year in a row.  

As part of the agreement, Sportsshoes.com will sponsor the senior men’s and senior women’s races as well as providing prize vouchers for the U13, U15 and U20’s races. 

SPAR UK will also be sponsoring the Cardiff Cross Challenge and will be providing prizes for the top three athletes in all junior races as well as offering all runners and spectators discount vouchers for their new local store in Llandaff.

The action gets under way at 11.02am on Saturday morning with the girls under-11 race, following a two-minute silence ahead of Remembrance Sunday. 

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