World cross junior champion Beatrice Chebet will be facing off with Ethiopian Dawit Seyaum at the Campaccio Cross Country today.
The former world under 20 5,000m champion will target to win her first World Cross Country Tour Gold race of the season after finishing second in Atapuerca in November last year and third at the Cross Italica in Seville.
The 21 year-old will have to pass through fire as she will clash with Seyaum who is in her best shape ever after setting the fastest time in 5k history of 14:39 in Lille last year.
Chebet will face –off once again with Eritrea’s Rahel Ghebreyohannes Daniel, who beat her by one second at Cross Internacional de Atapuerca.
Last year she beat a high-quality field to win the 3000m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Doha in 8:27.49.
Kip Keino Classic silver medallist in 5000m, Eva Cherono and Lucy Mawia Muli,the winner of Cross Internacional de Soria have also be added on the startlist as well as Ethiopia’s Belayneh Pantaye, who clocked 14:44.51 for 5000m last year.
European U23 Cross Country champion Nadia Battocletti from Italy will carry the hopes of her country after a finishing seventh at the Tokyo Games in the 5000m finals in 14:46.29 which was two seconds shy of the Italian record.
The 21 year-old finished third last week at the Boclassic 5km race behind Seyaum and Kenyan born turned Kazakhstan international, Norah Jeruto.
Slovenia’s Klara Lukan, Poland’s European U23 steeplechase silver medallist Kinga Krolik, Italy’s European U23 10,000m silver medallist Anna Arnaudo and Giovanna Selva will also be on the start line to battle for honors.
This year’s edition of the famous Italian race will honor the memory of 1973 world cross-country champion Paola Pigni, who died last June, and Agnes Tirop, who finished third in 2017 and second in 2018 in San Giorgio su Legnano
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