Rising Dutch star Niels Laros, fresh from a sixth-place finish in the Olympic 1500m, will lead an impressive field at the Cardiff Cross Challenge on Saturday, November 9.
The 19-year-old’s winter test on the Llandaff Fields course will see him compete against last year’s top finishers: Keneth Kiprop of Uganda and Vincent Mutai of Kenya.
Joining Laros is his Olympic compatriot and training partner, Stefan Nillessen, who recently finished ninth in Paris with a 1500m personal best of 3:30.75.
This year’s Cardiff Cross Challenge, a Gold Label event on the World Athletics Cross Country Tour, promises thrilling competition with the fast, firm course attracting elite talent. The Cardiff race also kicks off the British Athletics Cross Challenge series, featuring club and elite runners preparing for the European Trials in Liverpool in two weeks.
Laros, who set a European under-20 1500m record of 3:29.54 this August, will face Kiprop, a fierce front-runner who won the Cardiff Cross Challenge last year and claimed bronze in the 5000m at the World Under-20 Championships in Lima.
Mutai, familiar with the Welsh capital after a previous Cardiff Half Marathon win, seeks redemption following his second-place finish last year.
The men’s lineup includes Burundi’s Célestin Ndikumana and Emile Hafashimana, Dutch national 1500m champion Robin van Riel, Uganda’s Daniel Kibet, and Younes Kniya from Morocco.
Leading the British runners is Zak Mahamed, who recorded a personal best of 62:07 in the Valencia Half Marathon, and was the top Brit in Cardiff last year. Welsh talents Osian Perrin, Dafydd Jones, and James Heneghan add to the local excitement.
In the women’s race, Kenyan talent Sheila Jebet, who finished fourth in the under-20 race at this year’s World Cross Country Championships, leads the charge. She will face Uganda’s 5000m bronze medalist Charity Cherop, rising Ethiopian star Tsige Teshome, and European under-20 runner-up Sofia Thøgersen of Denmark.
Dutch runners Veerle Baaker, Emmy Van Den Berg, and Femke Rosbergen are also set to compete. Among the British contingent are Izzy Fry, Sara Axford, Sarah Astin, Alex Bell, Cari Hughes, and former European cross-country champion Gemma Steel.
In the under-20 women’s category, Innes FitzGerald returns as a strong favorite after a commanding 57-second win last year, aiming for another impressive victory.
This prestigious Cardiff event brings together elite and grassroots runners for a high-energy season opener, with top athletes preparing for Europe’s cross-country circuit.
