2017 IAAF World XC ChampionshipsMar 24, 2017 by Dennis Young
A Complete Statistical Breakdown Of World Cross
A Complete Statistical Breakdown Of World Cross
A Complete Statistical Breakdown Of World Cross
Here's K. Ken Nakamura's second stat-based preview of Sunday's IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, Uganda. The first was a chronology; this one delves into the stats and breaks down the current contenders. The full thing appears below.
A few tidbits:
-A sweep of the men’s and women’s junior and senior individual titles has only happened four times: Kenya in 2010 and 1994, and Ethiopia in 2008.
-No man has won by more than the 28 seconds John Ngugi won by in 1989.
-There have been four men’s races where the top two finishers had the same time, most recently in 1990.
-There have been two men’s team ties, between Kenya and Ethiopia in 2009 and 2015. The team tiebreaker at world cross is whose last scorer finishes closer to first place—-i.e. whose No. 4 runner finishes first.
-Kenenisa Bekele was the last man to win multiple gold medals.
-The last country to sweep the senior men’s individual medals was Kenya in 1993.
-Men and women from the same country have only swept the senior races six times, though Kenya has done so at the last two. Japheth Korir and Emily Chebet won in 2014, and Geoffrey Kamworor and Agnes Tirop won in 2015. (Chebet was later suspended for doping; Kamworor is looking to defend his title this year.)
-Grete Waitz won by 30 seconds in 1978 and 44 seconds in 1908, still the two biggest margins of victory in the women’s race.
-Kenya and Ethiopia had to go to the tiebreaker in 1991 and 2007.
-Chebet is the last woman to win multiple golds; she’s banned until July 2019, but not stripped of those titles. Before her, Tirunesh Dibaba won three golds between 2005 and 2008.
-Dibaba is the last woman to to win world cross and Olympic gold. Rio gold medalists Faith Kipyegon (1500m) and Ruth Jebet (steeple) are racing on Sunday.
-No country has ever swept the top three medals in the long race, but either Kenya or Ethiopia has won two medals at every world cross since 2003. The U.S. won two medals with Deena Kastor (then Drossin) and Colleen de Reuck in 2002.
-Kenyan women have won the last five world championships.
A few tidbits:
-A sweep of the men’s and women’s junior and senior individual titles has only happened four times: Kenya in 2010 and 1994, and Ethiopia in 2008.
-No man has won by more than the 28 seconds John Ngugi won by in 1989.
-There have been four men’s races where the top two finishers had the same time, most recently in 1990.
-There have been two men’s team ties, between Kenya and Ethiopia in 2009 and 2015. The team tiebreaker at world cross is whose last scorer finishes closer to first place—-i.e. whose No. 4 runner finishes first.
-Kenenisa Bekele was the last man to win multiple gold medals.
-The last country to sweep the senior men’s individual medals was Kenya in 1993.
-Men and women from the same country have only swept the senior races six times, though Kenya has done so at the last two. Japheth Korir and Emily Chebet won in 2014, and Geoffrey Kamworor and Agnes Tirop won in 2015. (Chebet was later suspended for doping; Kamworor is looking to defend his title this year.)
-Grete Waitz won by 30 seconds in 1978 and 44 seconds in 1908, still the two biggest margins of victory in the women’s race.
-Kenya and Ethiopia had to go to the tiebreaker in 1991 and 2007.
-Chebet is the last woman to win multiple golds; she’s banned until July 2019, but not stripped of those titles. Before her, Tirunesh Dibaba won three golds between 2005 and 2008.
-Dibaba is the last woman to to win world cross and Olympic gold. Rio gold medalists Faith Kipyegon (1500m) and Ruth Jebet (steeple) are racing on Sunday.
-No country has ever swept the top three medals in the long race, but either Kenya or Ethiopia has won two medals at every world cross since 2003. The U.S. won two medals with Deena Kastor (then Drossin) and Colleen de Reuck in 2002.
-Kenyan women have won the last five world championships.
Statistical Reference File for 2017 World Cross Country Championships