Several top athletes have endured a really long 2025 season on track and field. The prime factor for a stretched competition period was the World Athletics Championships being staged in Tokyo, Japan in mid-September.
So from nine months of activity, even World Athletics found it befitting to call off the 2025 World Athletics Road Running Championships in San Diego, California – USA.
They weren’t meant to be on the west coast a week after Tokyo but World Athletics in April stated ‘lack of essential planning and preparation time required to cater for both elite and mass participation race elements.’
The 2025 National Cross-country Championships staged in Tororo in February and won by Keneth Kiprop and Sarah Chelangat could have offered room for selection for the team to San Diego.
Road events however haven’t stopped. Already, the attention is on the 46th World Athletics Cross-country Championships due January 10, 2026 in Tallahassee, Florida – USA.
Preparations for Uganda will hit competition peak on Saturday when Uganda Athletics (UAt) stages the 2025-2026 season National Cross-country Championships at Mbale Golf Course.
Hundreds of participants are expected to feature in the junior men and women’s events over 8km and 6km respectively and the 10km class for the senior men and women.
Whereas Jacob Kiplimo has not confirmed participation, Joshua Cheptegei will not take part. ‘Joshua has only just resumed training after his recent marathon and will also not participate in Mbale,’ his coach Addy Ruiter stated.
At the last World Cross-country in Belgrade, Serbia in 2024, Cheptegei finished sixth but Kiplimo retained his world title in style.
The two runners have since become marathoners and last month, Kiplimo won the Chicago Marathon in Illinois, USA while Cheptegei a week later, finished fifth at the Amsterdam Marathon in the Netherlands.
However, Chelangat will miss the action today but Kiprop is intent on defending his national title with sight of a ticket to Florida.
‘Peruth Chemutai and Sarah Chelangat have been injured for a long time and will not be competing,’ said Ruiter, in part explained by a really long track season. ‘Dan Kibet and Keneth Kiprop are both in good shape and available to compete,’ he said of his camp.
Both Kibet, 21, and Kiprop, 20, are Cheptegei’s understudies and they debuted at the Worlds in Tokyo, which was only a path for growth as the main focus is on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
‘Expect Kibet and Kiprop to do well in the senior race,’ said Dennis Okudach, another coach from the Global Sports Communication camp.
In February, Kiprop beat Abel Kibet to the yellow tape by a second at the world stage in Belgrade two years ago, Kiprop finished sixth.
Different clubs will also line-up teams to feature in the mixed relay, which was won by Prisons in February.
However, some seasoned competitors like Charity Cherop, Leonard Chemutai, Knight Aciru and Halimah Nakaayi will miss the action as they are set to compete at the World Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
2025 NATIONAL X-COUNTRY – TORORO
RESULTS
SENIOR MEN – 10KM
1 Kenneth Kiprop (Police) 29:28
2 Abel Kibet (Police) 29:29
3 Herbert Kiplangat (UPDF) 29:30
SENIOR WOMEN – 10KM
1Sarah Chelangat (UWA) 33:50
2 Joy Cheptoyek (Prisons) 34:08
3 Martha Chemutai (Police) 34:18
JUNIOR MEN – 8KM
1 Jabeth Chesuro (Police) 23:48
2 Victor Cherotich (Prisons) 23:54
3 Abraham Cherotich (Arua) 23:58
JUNIOR WOMEN – 6KM
1 Charity Chebet (Police) 20:21
2 Risper Cherop (Police) 20:29
3 Nowel Cheruto (Prisons) 20:31
MIXED RELAYS
1 Prisons 24:04
2 Police 25:02
3 UWA 25:25