Here are parting thoughts from Tallahassee:

Agnes Ngetich Dominates, Gets Her First Gold

Agnes Ngetich entered the women’s race as the clear favorite, especially with two-time champion Beatrice Chebet and European champion Nadia Battocletti absent from the start list. Ngetich wasted little time confirming that status.

As she has shown repeatedly in early-season track races in 2025, Ngetich is most dangerous when she controls the front. She moved early, pushed the pace without hesitation. No one could cover the move.

Here’s Ngetich’s splits and her lead over the course of the race:

• 1K – 2:55 (+0:01)
• 2K – 6:03 (:00)
• 3K – 9:06 (+0:01)
• 4K – 12:12 (+0:14)
• 5K – 15:19 (+0:25)
• 6K – 18:31 (+0:31)
• 7K – 21:45 (+0:35)
• 8K – 25:02 (+0:40)
• 9K – 28:17 (+0:45)
• 10K – 31:28 (+0:42)

Ngetich’s 42-second winning margin was the second-largest in World Cross Country history, trailing only Grete Waitz’s 44-second gap over Irina Bondarchuk, which was set when the senior race covered a shorter 4.82 kilometers.

Already established as one of the sport’s best, Ngetich goes into 2026 with a resume that includes a 14:01.29 personal best for 5000 meters (No. 3 on the world all-time list) and the 28:46 road 10km world record. What she lacked was an individual global gold. Now, she leaves Florida with that box finally checked. With no traditional World Championships or Olympics on the calendar in 2026, the road circuit looms as a lucrative option this spring. If she returns to the track, she could enter the World Ultimate Championships in September as a favorite in the 5000 meters in Chebet’s absence, although the potential for a battle with Faith Kipyegon and Gudaf Tsegay means gold is no guarantee.

History By Joy Cheptoyek

Two years after finishing 17th at the 2024 championships, Joy Cheptoyek returned to World XC with something to prove. This time around, she surged to second place. Cheptoyek’s silver marked the first ever individual medal by a Ugandan woman at the World Cross Country Championships and extended Uganda’s presence on the podium to a fifth consecutive championship with a team bronze.

Ethiopia Strikes Gold Going 3-4-5-7

Inexperience ended up not being a liability for Ethiopia. Fielding a relatively young squad, Ethiopia placed 3-4-5-7 to secure its 13th team gold medal in World XC history. At the front of that effort was 20-year-old Senayet Getachew, the 2023 U20 champion, who claimed her first individual senior global medal with a bronze.

Ethiopia’s top three scorers were all either 19 or 20 years old, which suggests this performance could be the start of a true dynasty.

Depth was key— Shure Demise, Ethiopia’s fifth runner on the day and the 2025 Toronto Waterfront Marathon champion just three months ago, finished 12th, which was four places ahead of Kenya’s fourth scorer.

A Good Day For The U.S.

Before the race, I think I said the benchmark for a successful day for the U.S. women felt modest but realistic: a fourth-place team finish (or better) and two athletes inside the top 30. By that measure, Team USA exceeded expectations.

The Americans placed three women in the top 30, led by Ednah Kurgat, whose 10th-place finish marked the best showing by an American woman at World Cross Country since Shalane Flanagan in 2011. It was the second time in Kurgat’s career she has been the top U.S. finisher at this race following her 18th-place effort in 2023. Karissa Schweizer followed in 17th, with Katie Izzo rounding out the group in 24th.

The gap to the podium remains significant, however: Uganda finished 46 points ahead of the United States. It didn’t help that Team USA’s most established star, U.S. half marathon record holder Weini Kelati, opted for an aggressive race and paid the price. Kelati went out with the chase pack behind Agnes Ngetich and reached the final lap in 13th place, but the heat took its toll. She struggled over the alligator obstacles, lost her footing late, and faded to 40th. Kelati will have a chance to reset and rebound next month at the Barcelona Half Marathon.

Quick Shouts:

• Back on her former home course, Australia’s Lauren Ryan (a Florida State alum) finished 13th overall and punctuated the moment with an FSU Tomahawk Chop across the line.
• Spain’s 22-year-old María Forero was the top European on the day in 14th place.
• New Zealand’s Hannah Gapes was the top NCAA finisher on the day, crossing in 19th. Gapes was also part of NC State’s title-winning team last fall in Missouri.
• In the U20 race, Marta Alemayo successfully defended her title, winning by 26 seconds in 18:52. She led an Ethiopian 1-2 with Wosane Asefa. Uganda’s Charity Cherop earned a historic bronze and powered Uganda to a first-ever U20 women’s team gold.
• Remember the name Blair Bartlett. The New Jersey junior at Lawrenceville High School finished 16th in the U20 race and led Team USA to a fourth place finish. Bartlett only just started running cross country this fall and took second at NXN.

I’m Still Thinking About Jacob Kiplimo’s Final 2K

When the men’s senior race entered its fifth and final lap, it looked like we were going to get a good heavyweight bout between one contender from each East African powerhouse. Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, Daniel Ebenyo of Kenya, and Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia were locked together with the medals still to be decided.

That only lasted for a moment… until the trio hit the roller-coaster hill and the sand.

Kiplimo cleared the section and turned separation into inevitability. By 9K, he had opened up an eight-second gap. By the finish, the margin had grown to 18 seconds, powered by a blistering 5:22 final 2K. He crossed the line in 28:18, securing his third consecutive World XC gold — in a time faster than Jimmy Gressier’s winning 28:55.77 in the 10,000 meters at the 2025 World Championships on the track.

Kiplimo has long spoken about the role cross country has played in shaping his career success and it’s a foundation he was unwilling to abandon even after committing to the marathon in 2025. The $30,000 awarded for individual gold is a fraction of what he commands simply for appearing at a World Marathon Major. But money can’t compare to the legacy he’s building.

With the win, Kiplimo joins a rarefied group of men to have claimed at least three World Cross Country titles.

Men With At Least 3 World Cross Country Titles

• 6 – Kenenisa Bekele (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007) | All of those titles were over at least 12K
• 5 – John Ngugi (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1992) | All those titles were over at least 12K
• 5 – Paul Tergat (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999) | All those titles were over at least 12K
• 3 – Jacob Kiplimo (2023, 2024, and 2026) | All titles were at 10K

The next edition of the World Cross Country Championships is currently slated for 2029. Kiplimo would be 28 years old at the time.

Aregawi Remains The Bridesmaid

As gold prices continue to climb toward record highs, Berihu Aregawi can take some consolation in the strength of silver. Once again, the Ethiopian distance star found himself one place short of the top step, collecting another silver medal on the global stage.

Since 2023, Aregawi’s championship record has been remarkably consistent:

• Silver — 2023 World Cross Country Championships (behind Jacob Kiplimo)
• Silver — 2024 World Cross Country Championships (behind Kiplimo)
• Silver — 2024 Paris Olympic Games, 10,000 meters (behind Joshua Cheptegei)
• Silver — 2025 World Indoor Championships, 3,000 meters (behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen)
• Silver — 2026 World Cross Country Championships (behind Kiplimo)

It is an extraordinary run but also probably a highly frustrating one. Few athletes have been so reliably close to gold, only to find the same names standing in the way. And they’re not going away any time soon. No one will be rooting harder for Kiplimo to complete a permanent transition to the marathon by 2029 than the 24-year-old Aregawi.

Ebenyo Restores Order for Kenya

The 2025 World Championships in Tokyo were a rare low point for Kenya’s men as they were shut out of the medals in both the 5000 and 10,000 meters. For a program accustomed to dominance in those events, it was a failure.

Daniel Ebenyo carried that memory to this race. The world’s top-ranked 10,000-meter runner in 2023, Ebenyo made the move to the marathon in 2024 and 2025, but the mission here was different: put Kenya back on the global podium. He did his part with a third-place finish, anchoring a collective effort that brought home a team silver.

Kenya placed three men inside the top 10, with 2025 NCAA 10,000m champion Ishmael Kipkurui finishing fifth and Denis Kipkemoi ninth.

Ethiopian Men On The Rise

Ethiopia, meanwhile, is in the midst of a true resurgence. The team claimed its first men’s World Cross Country gold since 2017, the nation’s 10th total, with all scoring athletes finishing inside the top 20.

Berihu Aregawi led the way with his second-place finish. Behind him, Tadese Worku (silver medalist at the 2019 U20 World XC race) placed fourth, while Biniam Mehary finished sixth in his senior World XC debut. The trio ran as a unit for much of the race.

A Tough Day For USA’s Men

The day started to unravel before the starting gun. Rocky Hansen, the U.S. XC runner-up, was scratched due to injury and no alternate could be flown in to replace him. (Liam Murphy, seventh at the U.S. champs and ninth at the 2024 NCAA XC Championships, would have been next in line.) Team USA would start with just five men.

From there, the margin for error was thin. It would take near-perfect execution across the board and cracks in either Kenya’s or Uganda’s depth to contend for a medal. On paper, the Americans’ track personal bests compared favorably with every team but Ethiopia. On the grass, however, those numbers mean nothing.

• Parker Wolfe led the U.S. once again, finishing 12th in 29:28, the best performance by an American man at World XC since Sam Chelanga’s 11th-place finish in 2017. It wouldn’t shock me if he’s a dual threat in the 5000m AND 10,000m for the 2027 World Championship team on the track.
• Wesley Kiptoo, who surged to the front early, held on for 14th in his first appearance representing the United States at a global championship. As he moves up in distance, he could make the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials picture a bit more interesting.
• Graham Blanks followed in 19th, which feels like an improvement on his USAs performance. He’ll keep the fitness going into the indoor track season.
• Behind them, Nico Young, the U.S. record holder at 5,000 meters, never found his rhythm and finished 36th. Ahmed Muhumed, inside the top 30 after the opening lap, faded to 46th.

42 points back of bronze is a substantial margin, but the race left its share of questions. What if Grant Fisher and Conner Mantz had committed to this race? What if the conditions had been cooler? What if an alternate had been on the ground, just in case? Americans had high hopes coming into this one, but perhaps next time, the alignment will be better.

Quick Shouts:

• European champion Thierry Ndikumwenayo was the top European at Worlds with his eighth place finish.
• 10,000m World champion Jimmy Gressier finished 15th.
• In the U20 race: After multiple near-misses, Frankline Kibet earned redemption by kicking to a 23:18 victory. He led a Kenyan 1-2-3-4 sweep ahead of Emmanuel Kiprono and Andrew Alamisi, securing team gold and Kenya’s sixth-ever U20 men’s medal sweep. The U.S. boys claimed a bronze behind Uganda’s silver.

Australia’s Stars Deliver In The Mixed Relay

The 4 x 2K mixed relay continues to feel like one of World XC’s most promising additions since it’s fast, chaotic and primed for momentum swings. Australia leaned fully into that potential by loading its lineup with proven stars and treating the event with the seriousness of any global final. Because a World gold is still gold, regardless of surface.

Olli Hoare, Linden Hall, Jack Anstey, and Jessica Hull were intent on upgrading from bronze in 2023 to gold in 2026. The women were the difference-makers. Hall, who’s known as a 1500m runner but also clocked 14:43.61 for 5000m last year as well as a demanding World Championships double, ran the fastest second leg of the race. Hull took the final handoff in second place and went hunting, closing down France’s Agathe Guillemot with the fastest women’s split of the day – a 5:50 that sealed the win.

It was the closest mixed relay in the event’s brief history since its introduction at the World Championships in 2017 and one that rewarded nations willing to commit fully.