By Clay Shaw
Photography by Clay Shaw and Karen Mitchell
Bathurst Australia, February 18, 2023, World Cross Country Championships 2023—Four high school runners from the USA ran like seasoned vets and helped earned USA their first team medal in World XC history. With the Australian sun blasting summer temperatures in the high eighties, the USA U20 team ran a controlled, steady race with very solid performances, with all six women finishing 34th or better, and four in the top nineteen. Exhausted runners were dropping out and collapsing at the finish, and yet the USA team coming from 10,000 miles away, and winter, had a spectacular result.
Ellie Shea of Belmont, MA finished tenth in 21:48 in the 6K event. Irene Riggs of Morgantown, WV was 12th in 22:03. Karrie Baloga of Cornwall, NY was 13th in 22:12. Zariel Macchia of Shirley, NY was 19th in 23:05. Eva Klingbeil of Longmont, CO, the only NCAA runner on the team (North Carolina), was 29th in 23:29. Allie Zealand of Lynchburg, VA was 34th in 24:00.
Ethiopia’s Senayet Getachew was the overall winner in 20:53. Medina Eisa, also from Ethiopia was second in 21:00, as Ethiopia won the team title. Ethiopia had five runners in the top eight, and all six in the top eleven. Pamela Kosgei of Kenya won the individual bronze medal in 21:01. Team Kenya won the silver medal.
After the USA in third. Uganda was fourth, Japan was fifth, Great Britain was sixth, Spain was seventh, and South Africa was eighth. Heat and the course took their toll as several runners did not finish. Australia, Canada, and New Zealand did not score in the team standings.
Top Finishers
- 20:53 Senayet Getachew, Ethiopia
- 21:00 Medina Eisa, Ethiopia
- 21:01 Pamela Kosgei, Kenya
- 21:10 Faith Cherotich, Kenya
- 21:16 Lemlem Nibret, Ethiopia
- 21:17 Joyline Chepkemoi, Kenya
- 21:27 Meseret Yeshaneh, Ethiopia
- 21:32 Tinebeb Asres, Ethiopia
- 21:46 Diana Chepkemoi, Kenya
- 21:48 Ellie Shea, United States
- 21:57 Melknat Wudu, Ethiopia
- 22:03 Irene Riggs, United States
- 22:12 Karrie Baloga, United States
- 22:24 Bentalin Yeko, Uganda
- 22:36 Charity Cherop, Uganda
- 22:36 Felister Chekwemoi, Uganda
- 22:37 Kana Mizogami, Japan
- 22:46 Aya Kotajima, Japan
- 23:05 Zariel Macchia, United States
- 23:07 Miku Muraoka, Japan
- 23:11 Nariya Noda, Japan
- 23:11 Xela Martinez, Spain
- 23:11 Rebecca Flaherty, Great Britain
- 23:18 Hannah Ryding, Great Britain
- 23:20 Yuya Sawada, Japan
- 23:22 Maria Viciosa, Spain
- 23:24 Catheriine Lund, New Zealand
- 23:29 Nanaka Yonezawa, Japan
- 23:29 Eva Klingbeil, United States
- 23:46 Peace Chebet, Uganda
Categories: Race Coverage
Runner's Gazette 
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