Last month, Kenyan athlete Edina Jebitok won the Cross International de Italica, the fourth World Athletics Cross Country Gold meeting of the season.
In a post-race interview, Jebitok stated that so far, she was satisfied with her European tour as she has already won twice and was a runner-up in Atapuerca. She also made it clear that her main objective for the season is to be the overall winner of this season’s cross-country tour.
As she stepped into another race in Venta de Baños in Spain, Jebitok was the clear favorite to win the competition this time, as she’d already dominated it once back in 2021. She had made an impression back then, as she finished 69 seconds ahead of her nearest rival.
Jebitok bags another win
The ninth stop on the Cross-country circuit, the Cross Internacional de Venta de Baños, saw Jebitok triumph against a field of equally strong runners, including Asayech Ayichew and Katie Izzo.
Jebitok swept the women’s 9300m race, displaying a powerful performance echoing her victory in 2021. Jebitok dominated the competition from the start, charging ahead aggressively to overtake her competitors. By the time the clock hit 50 seconds, Jebitok was already the lonesome leader of the pack.
The Kenyan runner had a five-second lead over Ayichew and Izzo as they passed the 1100-meter mark and continued to capitalize on this lead for the next kilometer. As they reached the end of the 2200-meter point, Jebitok had already extended her lead to as much as 14 seconds.
Jebitok stayed in the lead all the way to the penultimate lap in a time of 7:35, increasing her lead to 30 seconds over the ensuing tandem.
In the last lap, the Kenyan runner picked up her pace, pulling away from her competitors and opening up a 42-second lead over her closest competitor, Ayichew. Jebitok finished the race in 33:11, while Ayichew and Izzo finished in 33:53 and 34:08, respectively.
Past winner Kenya’s Edinah Jebitok headlines the Cross Internacional de Venta de Baños.
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) December 16, 2023
After bagging another win, Jebitok has now inched closer to her goal of dominating the tour.
Jebitok will compete next at the 80th Elgoibar Juan Muguerza International Cross Country on January 7.
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Cover Photo: IG