Africa-Press – Kenya. Rising star Maurine Chebor hopes to announce her arrival on the global stage when she makes her Team Kenya debut at Saturday’s World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida.
The 21-year-old’s appearance will cap a meteoric rise in the 2025 season, where she established herself as one of Kenya’s most exciting young distance runners.
Chebor is part of a formidable six-woman squad that includes world 10km record holder Agnes Ng’etich, 2022 African 3,000m steeplechase bronze medallist Caren Chebet, national 5,000m champion Rebecca Mwangi, Joyline Jepkemoi and Brenda Kenei.
Together, the women face a mammoth assignment to defend the senior women’s individual crown, an accolade Kenya has fiercely guarded since 2009. Kenya’s golden reign was ignited by Florence Kiplagat in Amman, Jordan, in 2009 before Emily Chebet carried the torch with victory in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in 2010.
Vivian Cheruiyot extended that dominance in Punta Umbria, Spain, in 2010, before Chebet reclaimed the title in Bydgoszcz in 2013. The dynasty rolled on in Guiyang, China, in 2015, where the late Agnes Tirop reigned supreme, followed by Irene Cheptai in Kampala, Uganda, in 2017 and Hellen Obiri in Aarhus, Denmark, in 2019.
The last two editions in Bathurst, Australia, 2023 and Belgrade, Serbia, 2024, were emphatically dominated by double world record holder Beatrice Chebet. However, with Beatrice sidelined this year on maternity leave, the door is wide open for another Kenyan star to stamp her authority.
Beyond the individual crown, the women will defend the overall team title, having dominated in Belgrade 2024 with a commanding 10 points to finish well clear of Ethiopia (41) and Uganda (44).
Chebor heads into the Florida showdown with belief as she targets the podium. “Individually, I will go to Florida to fight and come back home with a medal,” Chebor told the Star.
Still, the youngster is under no illusion about the magnitude of the task ahead, acknowledging the pressure that comes with stepping onto the world stage for the first time.
“Because it’s my first-ever championship, there will be that factor of tension, but I will have to fight for good results,” she said.
Chebor will draw confidence from the intensive preparations the team has undergone at St Mark’s Teachers College in Kigari, coupled with her consistent form throughout the 2025 campaign.
“We have prepared well and we are ready and confident to go and fight to defend our team title as well as the individual title,” she added.
“We thank the coaches for their guidance and for pushing us.
”Chebor’s 2025 season began with a strong statement at the national cross country championships on February 8, where she finished second in 34:33.
She then conquered the roads, storming to victory at the Nijmegen 5km road race in 15:01 before finishing third at the Tokyo 5km road race in a swift 14:40.
Chebor later switched gears to the track, finishing second over 5,000m at the Kip Keino Classic in 15:14.57, before clocking 15:00.09 for third at the FAST5000 in Laffitte, France.
On October 25, she was in imperious form in Eldoret, punching her ticket to Florida by winning the national cross country championships in 34:17. Team Kenya coach Isabella Ochichi said the technical bench has left nothing to chance in preparing the women’s squad.
“We have prepared the girls well and we have faith that we will emerge victorious,” said Ochichi.
With several athletes making their first appearance at a global championship, Ochichi noted that mental preparation has been a key focus alongside physical training.
“We have talked with the athletes and encouraged them so that they will not have any fear going into the competition,” she said.
The coach exuded confidence that Kenya will once again stand tall. “We will try to maintain the individual title. Judging from the preparations we have had, we believe we will stand at the top.
”Ochichi also rallied fans back home to stand with the team.
“To the fans, we hope you pray for us so that we can give our best.”
