Matthew Kipruto out to continue meteoric rise in Italy
Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 04.01.25. | 14:29
The youngster is fresh from a victory on New Year’s Eve, having won over 5km in Barcelona
Fresh from New Year's Eve success in Barcelona, teenage sensation Matthew Kipruto will be back on the road on Monday 6 January as he chases his first victory of 2025 in Italy.
The 19-year-old will face tough opposition from Ethiopian Telahun Haile Bekele, one of the fastest men in history on the track.
Kipruto has proven a cross-country performer, despite not having much track experience.
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He claimed bronze in the U20 race at last year’s World Cross Country, adding victories at the Cinque Mulini and the Festival du Cross Country in Carhaix.
A win on Monday would put him in the joint lead in the Cross Country Tour standings.
Kipruto is fresh from a victory on New Year’s Eve, having won over 5km in Barcelona in 13:28.
Meanwhile, Bekele boasts track personal bests (PB) of 7:25.48 for 3000m and 12:42.70 for 5000m placing him inside the top 10 on the all-time lists for those disciplines. He came close to the latter when placing third at the Diamond League Final in September 2024, clocking 12:45.63.
More recently, he triumphed over 10km at the BOclassic in Bolzano on Tuesday 31 December, clocking 27:59.
The 25-year-old now turns his attention to cross country, a discipline he has not contested for six years. He was victorious in his last cross-country race, though, winning at the Cross della Vallagarina in Rovereto back in 2019.
It will not be just a two-man race, though, as eight of the top-10 finishers from last year’s Campaccio are returning.
Uganda’s 2022 world 5000m bronze medalist Oscar Chelimo was second at Campaccio last year. More recently, he also finished second in Amorebieta and Atapuerca in October and then placed fifth on the roads in Bolzano behind Bekele.
Burundian duo Egide Ntakarutimana and Celestin Ndikumana finished fourth and fifth respectively in last year’s race.
They will be joined by young compatriots Emile Hafashimana and Lionel Nihimbazwe, who respectively placed fifth over 3000m and seventh over 5000m at the World U20 Championships last year and will be making their Campaccio debuts.
South African 5km record-holder Maxime Chaumeton finished fourth in Bolzano on New Year’s Eve, just ahead of Chelimo, and will be aiming to be competitive once again on Monday.
Belgian 10,000m champion Guillaume Grimard, Olympic steeplechase fourth-place finisher Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui of Tunisia, 2:06:06 marathon performer Iliass Aouani and Turin Marathon champion Pasquale Selvarolo – who placed sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth respectively last year – are all returning for Monday’s race.
By World Athletics
