Letesenbet Gidey collapses with just metres to go when holding a seemingly winning lead in the senior women’s race in Bathurst allowing Beatrice Chebet to storm through for gold
In the 50-year history of the World Cross Country Championships there have rarely been more dramatic moments than the finish of the women’s race at the 2023 event in Bathurst. Despite holding a sizeable lead into the home straight, Letesenbet Gidey collapsed just metres from the line as Beatrice Chebet blasted past to take the title.
Gidey arrived in Bathurst as world record-holder at 5000m, 10,000m and half-marathon. The Ethiopian is also reigning world 10,000m champion. Certainly she is not short of stamina as her half-marathon best is a phenomenal 62:57.
So when she broke away from Chebet with about four minutes of racing left, she looked certain to add the senior crown to the under-20 titles she won in 2015 and 2017.
Gidey held a lead of six seconds as she zig-zagged through the tyres with roughly 400m to go and around five seconds around the final bend approaching the finish, but on the last downhill stretch she looked exhausted and began to stagger before suddenly collapsing on to the ground with about 30 metres to go.
Not quite believing her fortune, Chebet showed no mercy by storming past her. Stupidly, a couple of Ethiopians then broke on to the course to held Gidey up, leading to her being disqualified.
It helped Kenya secure team gold by six points from Ethiopia with Uganda third. Ethiopia’s curse in this race in recent years continues, too, as their last winner was Tirunesh Dibaba back in 2008.
Women’s start (Getty)
Chebet, who won world silver and Commonwealth gold at 5000m last year, clocked 33:48 over this gruelling 10km course as silver went to Tsigie Gebreselama of Ethiopia in 33:56 with Agnes Ngetich of Kenya third in 34:00.
Chebet is used to winning exciting finishes as well as she took under-20 world cross gold in Aarhus four years ago when three athletes crossed the line in a blanket finish. Now aged 22, she has been in good form lately as well with victory in the Cinque Mulini race in Italy earlier this year.
Nozomi Tanaka of Japan was first non-African home in 14th.
Abbie Donnelly was first Brit home in 24th in 35:53, one place ahead of Amelia Quirk.
Amelia Quirk (Getty)
Poppy Tank was 32nd and Megan Keith 52nd as the British team finished in sixth place – and top Europeans – behind the fourth-placed Australians and fifth-placed Americans.
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