10,000m Sydney Olympic Games silver medalist Paul Kibii Tergat has been appointed as the ambassador for the upcoming 2023 World Cross Country Championships slated for Saturday, February 18.
Tergat, who is regarded as the greatest cross-country runner of all time, won five gold medals at the World Championships before hanging his boots.
“Paul Tergat has been announced as the ambassador of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 23, with one month to go until the 44th edition of the global showpiece in Australia.
Also Read: Paul Tergat to Be Inducted Into Hall of Fame in Belgium
“Kenya’s multiple world cross country gold medallist will be in Bathurst for the competition on 18 February, when some of the world’s current best athletes will descend on Mount Panorama looking to emulate him as a world cross country champion,” part of the press release from World Athletics read.
Reacting after his appointment, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) President stated that he owes everything to the discipline.
“Cross country will always be a special event in my athletics career. It evokes very nostalgic and fond memories because this is really where my long athletics career was birthed, developed, and blossomed.
"With the crowning of five straight World Cross Country Championships titles between 1995 and 1999.
“In cross country running, I picked up lifelong lessons after conquering diverse conditions, twists and turns, terrains, wetlands, and barriers that define the athletics event,” explained Tergat.
He singled out the 1999 Belfast edition as the toughest World Cross Country Championships he took part in.
It was in Belfast that the Kapkawa Boys High School alumni won his fifth title.
According to Tergat, who was born in Baringo County, he picked vital lessons from cross-country running that he continues to apply in life.
Kenya has already named its team for the eagerly awaited event. Some of the male stars who are expected to represent the country in Bathurst include Geoffrey Kamworor, Sebastian Kimaru, and Emmanuel Wanyonyi.
The female team has the likes of newbie Grace Loibach, Edinah Jebitok, Irene Cheptai, and the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Beatrice Chebet.
Also Read: International Awards Won by Kenyan Sports Personalities