2011 African Cross Country Championships
Encyclopedia
The 1st African Cross Country Championships
was an international cross country running
competition for African athletes which was held on 6 March 2011 in Cape Town
, South Africa
. Organised by the Confederation of African Athletics
, it marked the start of a new continental competition for Africa following the decision by the IAAF to alter the scheduling of the World Cross Country Championships from every year to a biennial format.
The event consisted of four race categories, featuring senior and junior races for men and women. The Kenya
n athletes took a complete sweep of the competition, winning all the individual medals and the four team titles. Mercy Cherono
, a former World Junior Champion, took the women's senior title while the less well-known John Mwangangi won the men's senior race. Japhet Korir and Caroline Chepkoech won the men's and women's junior gold medal
s, respectively. Sigosi Chesonane, representing the host nation, was the only non-Kenyan to reach the top five in an event, finishing fifth in the men's senior race.
Although Kenya dominated the competition, none of its runners at the African event ran at the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
two weeks later. Athletics Kenya
sent the best performers at that year's Kenya Cross Country Championships to the world event, while those ranking seventh to tenth in the national race were sent to the event in Cape Town. The continent's second foremost nation in cross country, Ethiopia
, did not send any athletes to the competition.
The Kenyan team's jubilant celebrations led to the entire squad of 30 runners and officials missing their flight for Nairobi
, scheduled later that day at Cape Town International Airport
.
African Cross Country Championships
The African Cross Country Championships is a regional cross country running competition for athletes from Africa.-History:The competition had a one off edition in 1985 in Nairobi, Kenya, and the medallists were mostly from the host nation...
was an international cross country running
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
competition for African athletes which was held on 6 March 2011 in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Organised by the Confederation of African Athletics
Confederation of African Athletics
The Confederation of African Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Africa. It is headquartered in Senegal. It organises the African Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions.-Members:...
, it marked the start of a new continental competition for Africa following the decision by the IAAF to alter the scheduling of the World Cross Country Championships from every year to a biennial format.
The event consisted of four race categories, featuring senior and junior races for men and women. The Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n athletes took a complete sweep of the competition, winning all the individual medals and the four team titles. Mercy Cherono
Mercy Cherono
Mercy Cherono is a Kenyan middle distance runner. She is a two-time world junior champion in the 3000 metres and has also won gold medals at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics and 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games...
, a former World Junior Champion, took the women's senior title while the less well-known John Mwangangi won the men's senior race. Japhet Korir and Caroline Chepkoech won the men's and women's junior gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s, respectively. Sigosi Chesonane, representing the host nation, was the only non-Kenyan to reach the top five in an event, finishing fifth in the men's senior race.
Although Kenya dominated the competition, none of its runners at the African event ran at the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in Punta Umbría, Spain on 20 March 2011.-Preparation:The United States had expressed an interest in hosting the competition, but Punta Umbria was chosen as the host at the IAAF Council Meeting in November 2009...
two weeks later. Athletics Kenya
Athletics Kenya
Athletics Kenya is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Kenya. It is a member of the IAAF and Confederation of African Athletics. AK organises athletics competitions held in Kenya. It also sends Kenyan teams to international championships. Isaiah Kiplagat is the current chairman of...
sent the best performers at that year's Kenya Cross Country Championships to the world event, while those ranking seventh to tenth in the national race were sent to the event in Cape Town. The continent's second foremost nation in cross country, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, did not send any athletes to the competition.
The Kenyan team's jubilant celebrations led to the entire squad of 30 runners and officials missing their flight for Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, scheduled later that day at Cape Town International Airport
Cape Town International Airport
Cape Town International Airport is the primary airport serving the city of Cape Town, and is the second busiest airport in South Africa and third busiest in Africa. Located approximately from the city centre, the airport was opened in 1954 to replace Cape Town's previous airport in the suburb of...
.
Individual
| Senior men's 12 km | 35:31 min | 35:34 min | 35:35 min | |||
| Senior women's 8 km | 27:13 min | 27:14 min | 27:22 min | |||
| Junior men's 8 km | 23:03 min | 23:04 min | 23:18 min | |||
| Junior women's 6 km | 19:59 min | 20:00 min | 20:05 min |