The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
KAMPALA, UGANDA | Xinhua | Uganda’s national team, led by star runner Jacob Kiplimo, departed Monday night for the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships, which begins in Tallahassee, the United States on January 10.
Ahead of the team’s departure, Kiplimo, the defending world cross country men’s senior champion, told Xinhua that the team is well prepared and ready to challenge for top honors.
“We have trained really well in the past two months, and we are prepared to perform well and win the title. I know it will also be tough for me to go out and defend my title in the men’s race, but I am ready,” he said.
The Olympic medalist first won the World Athletics Cross Country senior men’s title in 2023 in Australia and successfully defended it last year in Serbia. He is the most experienced athlete on Uganda’s 26-member squad.
Dominic Otuchet, president of Uganda Athletics, also expressed confidence in the team’s preparations and medal prospects.
“We know that other teams like Kenya and Ethiopia will be tough because they also have good teams, but we are confident,” Otuchet said.
At last year’s championships, Uganda finished second in the men’s team event behind Kenya, with Ethiopia and Spain placing third and fourth respectively.
The 46th World Athletics Cross Country Championships will return to the United States for the first time in more than 30 years. ■
