Cross Country World Championships 1999

The 27th IAAF World Cross Country Championships the IAAF took place on 27 and 28 March 1999 in Belfast ( Northern Ireland , UK ) instead.

course

The route ran through the hilly forest and meadow area of ​​the Barnett Estate (Barnett Demesne) and the adjacent sports grounds of Queen's University . Defending champion Paul Tergat described the course as the toughest he has ever seen. The conditions were made even more difficult by the rain, which set in the night before the second day of competition and turned the races into real mud fights.

The distance was 12 km for the men on the long distance, 8.012 km for the women and the juniors, 6.124 km for the women and 4.236 km for the short distance runners of both sexes.

Competitions

The junior women's race, the men's short-distance race and the women's long-distance race took place on March 27, and the other three races on the following day.

Defending champion John Kemboi Kibowen was absent from the men's short-distance race due to an injury. For Benjamin Limo , who was fourth last year, it paid off that he had prepared for the competition conditions in Europe. In the second half he moved away from the field of the other runners and defended a lead of three seconds on last year's third Paul Malakwen Kosgei to the finish. Behind them were Hailu Mekonnen and Million Wolde , who had stood on the podium at the junior race last year.

On the long haul, a Kenyan leading trio of defending champion Paul Tergat, Patrick Mutuku Ivuti and Joshua Chelanga formed at km 5 . While Chelanga fell back and was overtaken by the Portuguese Paulo Guerra at 8 km , Tergat and Ivuti extended their lead. Shortly before the home stretch, Tergat pulled away from his young team mate and won his fifth title in a row. Guerra held his third place and became the first male European to climb the podium since 1989, when Brit Tim Hutchings took silver.

Sonia O'Sullivan , who had become world champion on both distances last year, was missing from the women . On the penultimate lap, Gete Wami , 1996 World Champion and third in the two previous years, took the lead and ran a twelve-second lead to the finish, the largest since Lynn Jennings won in 1990. Paula Radcliffe , the silver medalist of the last two Events, was overtaken by Merima Denboba in the last meters and had to be satisfied with bronze.

On the short distance there was a sovereign victory for the Africa and Commonwealth Champion over 1500 m Jackline Maranga . Behind her a battle for silver broke out between the 1995 junior world champion Annemari Sandell and Yamna Oubouhou , who won the latter one second ahead. With Oubouhou as the best runner, the French team won gold, the first for a European team since the Portuguese women's victory in 1994. Co-favorite Anita Weyermann , fourth last year, slipped on a downhill slope and came in 34th place.

In the junior category, the title went to Hailu Mekonnen, who had already won bronze in the adult race the day before.

Results

Men

Long haul

Individual evaluation

space	athlete	country	Time (min)
1	Paul Tergat	KEN	38:28
2	Patrick Mutuku Ivuti	KEN	38:32
3	Paulo Guerra	POR	38:46
4th	Joshua Chelanga	KEN	39:05
5	Evans Rutto	KEN	39:12
6th	Paul Koech	KEN	39:51
7th	Mohammed Mourhit	BEL	40:09
8th	Jon Brown	GBR	40:09

Of 167 registered athletes, 166 started and 159 crossed the finish line. The Spaniard Julio Rey was disqualified.

Team evaluation

space	Country and athletes	Total points and individual placement
1	Kenya Paul Tergat Patrick Mutuku Ivuti Joshua Chelanga Evans Rutto	12 0 1 02 04 05
2	Ethiopia Habte Jifar Assefa Mezgebu Girma Tolla Tesfaye Tola	57 0 9 11 17 20
3	Portugal Paulo Guerra Domingos Castro Eduardo Henriques Alberto Maravilha	76 0 3 10 14 49

A total of 24 teams were rated.

Short haul

Individual evaluation

space	athlete	country	Time (min)
1	Benjamin soda	KEN	12:28
2	Paul Malakwen Kosgei	KEN	12:31
3	Hailu Mekonnen	ETH	12:35
4th	Million wolde	ETH	12:36
5	James Koskei	KEN	12:38
6th	Daniel Gachara	KEN	12:41
7th	Abdellah Béhar	FRA	12:44
8th	John Kosgei	KEN	12:45

Of 148 registered athletes, 144 started and 142 reached the finish.

Team evaluation

space	Country and athletes	Total points and individual placement
1	Kenya Benjamin Limo Paul Malakwen Kosgei James Koskei Daniel Gachara	14 0 1 02 05 06
2	Morocco El Hassan Lahssini Mohammed Amyn Adil Kaouch Ahmed Baday	45 0 9 10 11 15
3	Ethiopia Hailu Mekonnen Million Wolde Alene Emere Berhanu Addane	55 0 3 04 18 30

A total of 24 teams were rated.

Women

Long haul

Individual evaluation

space	Athlete	country	Time (min)
1	Gete Wami	ETH	28:00
2	Merima Denboba	ETH	28:12
3	Paula Radcliffe	GBR	28:12
4th	Ayelech Worku	ETH	28:15
5	Susan Chepkemei	KEN	28:21
6th	Jane Ngotho	KEN	28:29
7th	Jane Omoro	KEN	28:40
8th	Helena Sampaio	POR	28:42

Out of 103 registered and started athletes, 100 reached the finish.

Team evaluation

space	Country and athletes	Total points and individual placement
1	Ethiopia Gete Wami Merima Denboba Ayelech Worku Leila Aman	18 0 1 02 04 11
2	Kenya Susan Chepkemei Jane Ngotho Jane Omoro Leah Malot	27 0 5 06 07 09
3	Portugal Helena Sampaio Ana Dias Conceição Ferreira Mónica Rosa	94 0 8 13 30 43

A total of 17 teams were rated.

Short haul

Individual evaluation

space	Athlete	country	Time (min)
1	Jackline Maranga	KEN	15:09
2	Yamna Oubouhou	FRA	15:16
3	Annemari Sandell	FIN	15:17
4th	Kathy Butler	CAN	3:30 p.m.
5	Restituta Joseph	TAN	15:31
6th	Alemitu Bekele	ETH	15:37
7th	Asmae Leghzaoui	MAR	15:40
8th	Teresa Wanjiku	KEN	15:41

Of 116 registered athletes, 109 started and 107 reached the finish.

Participants from German-speaking countries:

• 27: Michaela Möller ( GER ), 16:09
• 34: Anita Weyermann ( SUI ), 16:23

Team evaluation

space	Country and athletes	Total points and individual placement
1	France Yamna Oubouhou Fatima Yvelain Blandine Bitzner-Ducret Celine Rajot	40 0 2 09 10 19
2	Ethiopia Alemitu Bekele Kutre Dulecha Lulit Legesse Genet Gebregiorgis	48 0 6 12 14 16
3	Morocco Asmae Leghzaoui Seloua Ouaziz Zhor El Kamch Saliha Khaldoun	69 0 7 13 24 25

A total of 18 teams were rated.

Juniors

Individual evaluation

space	athlete	country	Time (min)
1	Hailu Mekonnen	ETH	25:38
2	Richard Limo	KEN	25:43
3	Gideon Kipchumba Mitei	KEN	25:45

Of 154 registered and started athletes, 149 were included in the ranking. Four failed to finish, one was disqualified.

Team evaluation

space	Country and athletes	Total points and individual placement
1	Kenya Richard Limo Gideon Kipchumba Mitei Albert Chepkurui Sammy Kipketer	16 0 2 03 05 06
2	Ethiopia Hailu Mekonnen Abiyote Abate Kenenisa Bekele Yibeltal Admassu	24 0 1 04 09 10
3	Tanzania Phaustin Baha Sulle Michael Hiiti Martin Hhaway Sulle Jumanne Tluway	77 0 8 13 15 41

A total of 24 teams were rated.

Juniors

Individual evaluation

space	Athlete	country	Time (min)
1	Werknesh Kidane	ETH	21:26
2	Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot	KEN	21:37
3	Yoshiko Fujinaga	JPN	21:41

Of 124 registered and started athletes, 121 reached the finish.

As the only participant from a German-speaking country, the German Sabrina Mockenhaupt came in 31st place (22:53).

Team evaluation

space	Country and athletes	Total points and individual placement
1	Ethiopia Werknesh Kidane Hareg Sidelil Merima Hashim Elvan Abeylegesse	20 0 1 04 06 09
2	Kenya Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot Pamela Kiyara Flomena Cheyech Daniel Jackline Chemwok Rionoropo	31 0 2 08 10 11
3	Japan Yoshiko Fujinaga Naoko Sakata Yoshiko Watanabe Rina Fujioka	46 0 3 05 18 20

A total of 19 teams were rated.

Web links

• IAAF World Cross Country Championships Belfast 1999 ( memento 7 October 1999 in the Internet Archive ) on the IAAF website
• Senior Men's race (Long course) ( Memento from October 16, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), Senior Men's race (Short course) ( Memento from October 16, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), Senior Women's race (Long course) ( Memento from 15. November 2007 in the Internet Archive ), Senior Women's race (Short course) ( Memento from October 16, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), Junior Men's race ( Memento from October 16, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), Junior Women's race ( Memento from October 16 2007 on the Internet Archive ) - results on the Athchamps website

Coordinates: 54 ° 33 ′ 0 ″  N , 5 ° 58 ′ 0 ″  W.