By Athletics Kenya
Reigning World Cross Country champion Agnes Ng’etich will square off against rising star Maurine Chebor in what promises to be a thrilling senior women’s showdown at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country Tour at Lobo Village, Eldoret, over the weekend.
Ng’etich strides into the contest as the defending champion and will be buoyed by a flying start to her 2026 campaign.
The long-striding star produced a commanding display at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, on January 10, storming to her maiden global crown in 31:28.
She unleashed a searing finishing kick to dispatch Uganda’s Joy Cheptoyek (32:10) and Ethiopia’s Senayet Getachew (32:13).
Chebor, who was also part of Team Kenya at the global showpiece, battled to an eighth-place finish in 33:06.
How Agnes Ng’etich performed in 2025 Sirikwa Classic?
At last year’s Sirikwa Classic, Ng’etich bossed the field, stopping the clock at 32:42 to seal victory ahead of Janeth Chepng’etich (33:52) and Miriam Kibet (34:09).
She further had a strong 2025 campaign, which saw her shatter the women ’s-only 10km world record with a mark of 29:27 from the Adidas Adizero Road to records in Herzogenaurach, Germany.
Chebor, despite a shaky start to her 2026 season, carried admirable consistency throughout her 2025 campaign.
Her year burst into life at the National Cross Country Championships on February 8, where she carved out second place in 34:33.
She then took her talents to the roads, powering to victory at the Nijmegen 5km in 15:01 before slicing through the field for third at the Tokyo 5km in a rapid 14:40.
Chebor later switched gears to the track, placing second over 5,000m at the Kip Keino Classic in 15:14.57 before dipping to 15:00.09 for third at the FAST5000 in Laffitte, France.
On October 25, she was in an imperious mood in Eldoret, punching her ticket to Florida by clinching the National Cross Country title in 34:17.
Names to watch at 2026 Sirikwa Classic
While Ng’etich and Chebor will command much of the spotlight at this year’s Sirikwa Classic, 2019 African 5,000m bronze medallist Lilian Kasait will be eager to crash the party.
Kasait enters the tie off the back of a strong 2025 season, which saw her claim half-marathon victories in Prague (1:05:27) and New Delhi (1:07:20).
Also in the mix is national 5,000m champion Rebecca Mwangi, who will be keen for a stronger outing after finishing 16th at the World Cross Country Championships earlier in the year in 33:55.
