World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that Jean-Pierre Durand, one of the sport&rsquo;s most prolific photographers, died on Tuesday (19) at the age of 66.
A familiar friendly figure at athletics events for the past four decades, Durand was hugely respected and admired by fellow photographers, journalists, event organisers, athletes and fans for his work and dedication.
His career began in 1981, when he joined a local weekly newspaper, and after shooting a range of sports he decided to focus on athletics. While he covered numerous Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships during his career, Durand would also enjoy capturing the action at smaller meetings as he worked as a freelance photographer, regularly supplying images to World Athletics and publications such as L'&Eacute;quipe.
Not only would he work behind the lens for World Athletics, but he was also the photo chief for a number of World Athletics Series events, including the World Athletics Championships in Doha in 2019 and the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Kampala in 2017, plus&nbsp;the World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas in 2015 and 2017 and in Yokohama in 2019.
Earlier this year he covered the Olympic Games in Tokyo and then just a few days later travelled to Kenya for the World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi.
&ldquo;I was very sad to learn of the passing of Jean-Pierre Durand. He was a real gentleman and it was a pleasure to work with him,&rdquo; said France&rsquo;s 2012 Olympic pole vault champion Renaud Lavillenie. &ldquo;He would always come to talk to me at competitions &ndash; something really nice, especially when I was younger in a big event far from home &ndash; and I'd always receive my photo from him in the evening.
&ldquo;We will miss you Jean-Pierre, my condolences to his family."
Sharing some memories for L'&Eacute;quipe, journalist Marc Ventouillac wrote: &ldquo;There is not a single photographer from L'&Eacute;quipe who, arriving at an athletics competition, did not ask if Jean-Pierre Durand was there.
&ldquo;He particularly liked going to cover meetings in Germany because he took the opportunity to go hunting in photo fairs where he made a point of discovering a rare pearl to enrich his Leica collection.
&ldquo;Jean-Pierre was above all a warm, brotherly, convivial man, who liked to tell stories around a good beer, the foam of which sometimes moistened his legendary moustache.&rdquo;
Also among those to pay tribute was former French high jump record-holder turned journalist Maryse Ewanje-Epee, who wrote: &ldquo;A key figure in the French athletics landscape. Jean-Pierre did all the big events and the small ones too. How many times have I shared a beer, a laugh, with the man with the moustache. May the Earth be light to you, comrade.&rdquo;
Given his great experience and knowledge, Durand inevitably became a mentor to photographers aspiring to follow in his footsteps.
&ldquo;Jean-Pierre was an amazing and very talented photographer who showed an incredible amount of kindness towards young photographers,&rdquo; said fellow French photographer Solene Decosta. &ldquo;He encouraged us to dare and opened many doors for so many of us. We will miss him a lot, track events won&rsquo;t be the same without JP."
While photographer and videographer Dan Vernon wrote: &ldquo;Such sad news to hear of the passing of JP, he dedicated so much of his life to athletics. I was lucky to spend a lot of time with him especially this last year. He was always ready with advice and a good telling off if you needed it. A wonderful man who will be sorely missed.&rdquo;
Sharing memories of&nbsp;Durand, photographer&nbsp;Pascal Rondeau added:&nbsp;"Jean-Pierre was a first class example of what I refer as the true sport specialist. I never actually saw&nbsp;Jean-Pierre shooting or talking about any other sports other than athletics.&nbsp;
"He had very deep knowledge on every aspect of our sport and sharp journalistic skills. The 400m loop had no secret for him and it will be a very sad and strange feeling for many of us to no longer cross his path on a field of play somewhere."
British photographer Mark Shearman, who has been capturing athletics action since 1962, said: "I was devastated to hear that my long-time friend JP had died. We had worked together at four Olympic Games&nbsp;and many world and European championships, indoors and outdoors.&nbsp;
"His dedication to the sport, his professionalism and friendship will be sorely missed by me and many others in athletics. RIP JP."
Another of Durand's colleagues and friends, Italian photographer Giancarlo Colombo, said: "Two of the things that I will remember with pleasure about Jean-Pierre are his calm temper and his inner strength.
"I met him over 30 years ago and during such a long period of time spent together on the athletics fields of the world, it happened that we had the luck to share many good memories but also some bad moments. One of these in particular made me reflect a lot.
"We were in Rio for the Olympic Games of 2016 and as usual we were the last people leaving the Olympic Stadium after the evening session. We were both quite tired after the long day and I was also quite angry because we couldn&rsquo;t find transport to get back to our hotel. While I was in this state of mind, Jean-Pierre tried to calm me down, highlighting that during our lives we had both encountered many obstacles, but the fact that we were both in Rio at that moment was a sign that we were able to overcome them all. After that moment, we continued speaking about our lives and at the end of the day, when I was in my hotel room alone, I realised what a kind heart he had. The more I think about the memories I have with him, the more I can confirm it."
World Athletics

World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that Jean-Pierre Durand, one of the sport’s most prolific photographers, died on Tuesday (19) at the age of 66.

Prolific athletics photographer Durand dies

If there’s one thing Shamier Little knows how to do, it’s how to bounce back.

Little's road to redemption leads to Eugene

For Holly Bradshaw, the most important thing is not what her body looks like, but what it can do.
That body has helped the 29-year-old to become an Olympic medallist and a national record-breaker. It has soared over a bar almost five metres high. And, most recently, it has helped her to highlight the importance of celebrating body diversity in sport.
But it has not been an easy journey. Bradshaw remembers when she first saw the comments.
&ldquo;It started in 2011 and the worst of it was in 2012, maybe 2013,&rdquo; recalls the British pole vaulter, then competing under her maiden name of Bleasdale.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not genetically programmed to be a really slim athlete, that&rsquo;s just not who I am and that&rsquo;s fine. But as a youngster, I definitely got a lot of criticism on how I looked. I was constantly judged. People would write posts on social media and include my name, saying: &lsquo;She&rsquo;s so unathletic, so unattractive, overweight.&rsquo; It was coming from so many different angles that it created such a panic in me.
&ldquo;You would type my name into Google and the predicted search results would be things like &lsquo;Holly Bleasdale Olympics&rsquo;, &lsquo;Holly Bleasdale pole vault&rsquo; and &lsquo;Holly Bleasdale fat&rsquo;. Then in 2013 I did the European Team Championships in front of a home crowd in Gateshead. I had been injured all summer and I ended up not doing so well. I remember reading some of the comments after that, and they were just so hurtful. As a 21-year-old, I was like: &lsquo;Why are these people saying this?&rsquo; As a young athlete, new to social media and the sport, it was a bit of a shock that these people could hate me when I hadn&rsquo;t done anything to them. It was just so much for a young athlete to have on their shoulders and not really have anyone to talk to about it.&rdquo;
This is what Bradshaw wants to change. Those experiences of almost a decade ago sparked body image challenges that the multiple European medallist continues to deal with today and she doesn&rsquo;t want any other athlete to go through the same. It was only after she shared her story about the kit offering for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games that Bradshaw &ndash; who chooses to compete in an all-in-one with shorts &ndash; realised she was far from alone. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/616ea685ff09785a2c124087.jpg" alt="" width="100%" /> Bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw celebrates at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (&copy; Getty Images)
 &ldquo;I was shown the outfits I could wear (for Tokyo) and I just saw a bikini onesie, a crop top and knickers or a crop top and shorts,&rdquo; explains the three-time Olympian, who sits ninth on the world all-time list with her PB of 4.90m achieved this year.
&ldquo;I remember feeling panic and I asked if there was an all-in-one with shorts that they could make available. To be fair, Team GB were great, and we got permission from World Athletics to wear an adapted rowing onesie. But it made me think &ndash; I&rsquo;ve been to three Olympics now, I&rsquo;m quite well known and my voice is heard, whereas back in 2012 when I was a 19-year-old kid, I wouldn&rsquo;t have had the courage to do that, so I would have definitely been competing in something I was uncomfortable in.
&ldquo;Now I really feel like I have a voice and it&rsquo;s an important voice to share,&rdquo; adds Bradshaw, who has a master&rsquo;s degree in sports psychology. &ldquo;I only really realised it when British Athletics <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUUaSrkIzuR/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared my story</a> and the amount of messages I have had in response, it has hit home that I have this voice and it&rsquo;s my obligation to use it. I now feel like my pole vault career is two pathways and they are equally as important &ndash; one is seeing how high I can jump and how successful I can be, and the other is being a relatable role model who is promoting positive body image of all shapes and sizes.
&ldquo;I am the only one out there that wears an all-in-one because I don&rsquo;t want to show my body off. If people want to wear a crop top and knickers, that&rsquo;s not the issue &ndash; that&rsquo;s great that they want to wear that, but what is hitting home to me is the amount of girls, especially, being put off athletics because of the kit they feel they have to wear. That to me is so sad. There are enough barriers to getting into sport as it is.&rdquo; 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/616ea61bff09785a2c124081.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />Holly Bradshaw competes at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene&nbsp;(&copy; Matthew Quine / Diamond League AG)
 Bradshaw might previously have been reluctant to call herself a role model, but she now realises the power of her position. As well as diversity within athletics, she is also keen to raise awareness about the diversity within each of the sport's disciplines.
&ldquo;One of the reasons I think I got so much backlash was because I just don&rsquo;t particularly look like anyone else out there in the pole vault,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I am quite tall and with a bigger build and I just think it is important that &ndash; particularly now I have won an Olympic medal &ndash; I have proved it is possible. I have had these doubts, thinking that I don&rsquo;t look like these other girls, so how am I ever going to be successful if I&rsquo;m the anomaly and everyone else looks the same? But it just shows you that you can, and I think that&rsquo;s a really promising message.
&ldquo;Athletics is the most diverse sport,&rdquo; she adds. &ldquo;If you are not teeny-weeny, you can do so many different athletics events. People see athletes on TV and there is this kind of stigma that you need to be ripped, that you need to have abs to do athletics, and you absolutely don&rsquo;t.
&ldquo;I just tell youngsters that it doesn&rsquo;t matter what you look like, it&rsquo;s more what your body is doing. At the end of the day, I do sport because I love it, and I want to see how good I can be.&rdquo;
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

For Holly Bradshaw, the most important thing is not what her body looks like, but what it can do.

Olympic medallist Bradshaw ready to be a role model as she celebrates body diversity

This year's finest athletics achievements will be celebrated at the World Athletics Awards 2021.
The ceremony will recognise exceptional achievement in what has been another memorable and sometimes challenging year for the sport. Once again, athletics fans from around the world will be invited to help select the female and male athletes of the year.
Commenting on the Awards, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: &ldquo;As always, the World Athletics Awards will recognise athletes who have performed at the highest level across the year, taking into account not only the Olympic Games, but the one-day meeting circuits. We do recognise that athletes in some parts of the world faced greater challenges than others in accessing international competition this year, which complicated the nomination process. However, we saw some impressive breakthroughs at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and we look forward to those athletes having more opportunities to shine next year, with five World Athletics Series events and a full schedule of one-day meetings on the calendar."
Ten awards will be presented:
Female and Male World Athlete of the Year These awards recognise the top-performing athletes across the whole year. A panel of expert statisticians has selected the 10 nominees for each award and a three-way voting process will determine the five men and five women finalists. The voting is split between the World Athletics Council, the World Athletics Family, and the worldwide community of athletics fans.
The nominees for Male World Athlete of the Year will be announced on 21 October and the nominees for Female World Athlete of the Year on 22 October. The five male and female finalists will be announced on 22-23 November.
Female and Male Rising Stars These awards shine the spotlight on the top U20 athletes of the year. Five female and male nominees will be announced on 8-9 November, from which a winner will be selected by an international panel of experts.
Coaching Achievement Award Given to a coach who has helped athletes thrive.
Inspiration Award This award will recognise an individual or group of individuals whose efforts have resulted in a particularly inspiring athletics event or experience.
Member Federations Award This honour will recognise a Member Federation that&nbsp;has distinguished itself&nbsp;in its&nbsp;accomplishments in 2021 and, as a result, has positively contributed to the growth and profile of the sport.&nbsp;Six finalists for this award will be announced on 11 November.
Woman of the Year Award Recognising a woman who has dedicated her life to the sport of athletics.
President&rsquo;s Award This award recognises and honours exceptional service to athletics.
Athletics Photograph of the Year Awarded to the best athletics photograph of 2021, as decided by an expert panel of judges. Entries will open on 25 October and the three finalists will be announced on 16 November.
The voting process for the Athlete of the Year awards will open this week. Further information about the World Athletics Awards 2021, which will be held at the start of December, will be announced in the weeks leading up to the event.
World Athletics

Once again, athletics fans from around the world will be invited to help select the female and male athletes of the year.

Exceptional achievement to be celebrated at World Athletics Awards 2021

Angela Tanui and Tamirat Tola produced the fastest ever times on Dutch soil with their victories at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon, clocking 2:17:57 and 2:03:39 at the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race on Sunday (17).
Tanui, who was a late addition to the field after her plans to compete in Boston fell through due to visa issues, bided her time for much of the race before breaking away in the closing stages to win by more than two minutes, covering the second half in a swift 1:07:50.
Running as part of a lead group of six, Tanui covered the first 10km in 33:00. Shortly after, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Shasho Insermu dropped back from the lead pack, leaving Tanui, fellow Kenyan Maureen Chepkemoi and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Haven Hailu, Gabiyanesh Ayele and Worknesh Alemu out in front.
They covered 15km in 49:48 before reaching the half-way point in 1:10:07, suggesting a sub-2:20 finish was possible with a slightly faster second half.
Alemu was the next to drift off the pack, and she trailed the leaders by 24 seconds at the 25km point, which was covered in 1:23:02. Tanui, Hailu, Ayele and Chepkemoi stuck together through 30km (1:39:37), but Tanui then put in a surge and covered the next five-kilometre section in 15:51, giving her an 11-second lead over her opponents at 35km.
She continued to pull away from her pursuers in the closing stages and went on to cross the finish line in 2:17:57, smashing the previous course record of 2:19:26. She also chopped more than two minutes from her previous best of 2:20:08 set earlier this year, and now moves to 10th on the world all-time list.
Chepkemoi came through to take second place in 2:20:18, overtaking Hailu shortly before the finish. Hailu finished one second adrift in third, while Ayele was further behind in fourth (2:21:22). Ruth van der Meijden was the top Dutch finisher, placing sixth in 2:29:55 to secure the national title.
Tola, like Tanui, displayed great patience and waited until the final few kilometres before making his move in the men&rsquo;s race.
The opening pace was relatively swift as a large lead pack covered the first 10km in 29:10 and 15km in 43:58. The pace settled down slightly then, with the half-way point reached in 1:02:11 and 25km in 1:13:49, putting them just outside course record schedule (2:04:06). 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/616c07bf5e459c4bc8b3184a.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 After going through 30km in 1:28:33, some of the runners in the lead pack &ndash; namely Edwin and Abraham Kiptoo and Ethiopia&rsquo;s marathon debutante Amdewerk Walelegn &ndash; started to drift off the pace. Just six men &ndash; Tola, Leul Gebresilase, Eritrea&rsquo;s Hiskel Tewelde and Afewerki Berhane and Kenya&rsquo;s Jonathan Korir and Bernard Koech &ndash; were left in the pack at the 35km point (1:42:59).
Tola then started to win up the pace and, having covered the previous 10km section in 28:53, had a nine-second gap on his opponents at the 40km point with the leading contenders now strung out.
Tola continued to extend his lead and crossed the line in a 2:03:39, winning by 30 seconds from Koech (2:04:09). Tola&rsquo;s winning time took almost half a minute off the previous course record (2:04:06) and elevates him from 23rd to 16th on the world all-time list.
Gebresilase took third in 2:04:12, 20 seconds ahead of Korir. In fifth, Tewelde set an Eritrean record of 2:04:35.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics 
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Angela Tanui (KEN) 2:17:57 2 Maureen Chepkemoi (KEN) 2:20:18 3 Haven Hailu (ETH) 2:20:19 4 Gabiyanesh Ayele (ETH) 2:21:22 5 Worknesh Alemu (ETH) 2:26:54 6 Ruth van der Meijden (NED) 2:29:55 7 Bo Ummels (NED) 2:31:51
Men 1 Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:03:39 2 Bernard Koech (KEN) 2:04:09 3 Leul Gebresilase (ETH) 2:04:12 4 Jonathan Korir (KEN) 2:04:32 5 Hiskel Tewelde (ERI) 2:04:35 6 Moses Kibet (UGA) 2:05:20 7 Afewerki Berhane (ERI) 2:05:22 8 Kenneth Keter (KEN) 2:06:05 9 Bernard Kipyego (KEN) 2:06:32 10 Merhawi Kesete (ERI) 2:06:36

Angela Tanui (2:17:57) and Tamirat Tola (2:03:39) produce the fastest ever times on Dutch soil

Tanui and Tola smash Dutch all-comers’ records in Amsterdam

Elisha Rotich of Kenya produced a strong performance to clinch his first title at the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon on Sunday (17), while Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tigist Memuye won the women&rsquo;s contest at the World Athletics Elite Label road race.
The event&rsquo;s 44th edition went off under perfect conditions. The leading pack, spearheaded by pacemakers Hillary Kipkoech and Cornelius Kangogo, passed 5km in 14:37, suggesting a possible final time of about 2:03:30, way below the course record of 2:05:03 set in 2014 by multiple world and Olympic gold medallist Kenenisa Bekele.
The Kenyan pair maintained a fast and steady pace, passing 10km and 15km in 29:17 and 44:01 respectively, before reaching half way in 1:01:51.
Twenty men were still in contention for victory at 25km, reached in 1:13:19, but the leading pack started to stretch over the next kilometres, suggesting the race of attrition had started to take its toll.
Kipkoech and Kangogo finished their work at the 30km mark, reached in 1:28:20. Joel Kimurer and Edwin Kimuta chose that moment to make their first move, but they didn&rsquo;t manage to escape. Soon after the 35km checkpoint, Hillary Kipsambu and Elisha Rotich ratcheted up the pace, breaking up the group behind them.
Rotich then made a strong move five kilometres from home, and the 31-year-old Kenyan quickly opened an eight-second gap over Kipsambu, Hailemaryam Kiros and Tsegaye Getachew.
Rotich produced an impressive display of strength over the final kilometres to cross the line in 2:04:23, 40 seconds faster than Bekele&rsquo;s previous course record.
Rotich not only improved his personal best by 55 seconds but he also produced the eighth fastest time of the year.
Kiros pushed hard in the waning stages to finish runner-up in 2:04:42 as Kipsambu took third place in 2:04:45.
&ldquo;It was really great to run in Paris,&rdquo; said a smiling Rotich. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m really happy for both the win and the record.&rdquo;
In the women&rsquo;s race, pacemakers Sharon Kemboi and Beatrice Cheserek were asked to set a 2:21 marathon pace. The Kenyan pair hurtled down the &lsquo;Avenue des Champs Elys&eacute;es&rsquo; but nobody followed their pace; by the time they reached 5km in 16:50, they were 47 seconds ahead of the main pack.
The principal contenders never really utilised the pacemakers, but Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tigist Memuye and fellow Yeneshesh Tilahun Dinkesa finally forged ahead six kilometres from the finish line. Memuye upped the tempo again at 41km to break away from her compatriot before going on to win in 2:26:12.
Dinkesa finished just three seconds adrift in second place, while Fantu Jimma completed an Ethiopian sweep in 2:26:22.
Quentin Guillon for World Athletics 
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Tigist Memuye (ETH) 2:26:12 2 Yeneshesh Tilahun Dinkesa (ETH) 2:26:15 3 Fantu Jimma (ETH) 2:26:22 4 Waganesh Mekasha (ETH) 2:26:37 5 Janet Ruguru (KEN) 2:27:06
Men 1 Elisha Rotich (KEN) 2:04:23 2 Hailemaryam Kiros (ETH) 2:04:42 3 Hillary Kipsambu (KEN) 2:04:45 4 Barselius Kipyego (KEN) 2:04:49 5 Abayneh Degu (ETH) 2:04:52
&nbsp;
<h2>Debutant Teklu and Tuei reign at Barcelona Half Marathon</h2>
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Haftu Teklu and Kenya&rsquo;s Sandrafelis Chebet Tuei captured commanding titles at the eDreams Mitja Marato Barcelona, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, on Sunday (17).
On a perfect day for running (14C and very slight wind), 26-year-old Teklu triumphed in his first outing over the distance, clocking 59:39, while Tuei improved her career best by more than a minute to win in 1:07:12.
The leading pack in the men&rsquo;s race went through the opening 5km in 14:05, well on schedule to break the 59:44 course record. Paced by Matthew Chekwunui, the heading group included the Kenyan pair of Daniel Kemoi and Abel Sikowo, Israel&rsquo;s Maru Teferi, Eritrea&rsquo;s Aron Kifle, Uganda&rsquo;s last year&rsquo;s runner-up Stephen Kissa and the eventual victor Teklu.
The 10km checkpoint was reached in 28:08 with the only withdrawal of Teferi. Once the pacesetter dropped out it was Teklu who took command of the race but only Kissa managed to live with his rhythm despite slowing down a bit over the third 5km segment covered in 14:16 for a 42:24 15km split. By then Kifle was in third, 22 seconds in arrears, and Sikowo another four seconds adrift.
The leading pair went through 20km in 56:43, putting them on course for a sub-60-minute finish. The experienced Kissa seemed to be the favourite to take the win, but Teklu unleashed an impressive change of speed in the final kilometre to open a huge margin on the Ugandan.
Teklu crossed the line in a course record of 59:39 while a fading Kissa had to settle for second place again, 40 seconds behind the winner. Surprisingly the third spot on the podium went for Ethiopia&rsquo;s Chala Regasa who, coming from behind, overtook Kifle and Sikowo in the closing stages to clock 1:00:38.
The women&rsquo;s event kicked off at a steady 3:12 pace, the heading group comprising the Ethiopians Asnakech Awoke, Tsege Melese and Alemaz Samuel plus the Kenyan trio of Tuei, Brillian Kipkoech and Mercyline Chelangat. That sextet timed 16:02 for the first 5km section. Tuei and Kipkoech led the field at 10km, reached in 31:56, and they maintained that pace through 15km (48:01), although only four women &ndash; Tuei, Kipkoech, Awoke and Alemaz &ndash; remained in contention.
Tuei, the 2015 world U18 steeplechase silver medallist, made her move some 17km into the race to easily break away from the rest. At the tape, the 23-year-old clocked a lifetime best of 1:07:12, her second PB of the month following a 30:45 10km effort in Valencia a fortnight ago. Kipkoech finished runner-up 19 seconds in arrears to secure a Kenyan double and Awoke placed third in 1:07:47.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics 
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Sandrafelis Tuei (KEN) 1:07:12 2 Brillian Kipkoech (KEN) 1:07:31 3 Asnakech Awoke (ETH) 1:07:47 4 Mercyline Chelangat (KEN) 1:08:27 5 Alemaz Samuel (ETH) 1:08:53
Men 1 Haftu Teklu (ETH) 59:39 2 Stephen Kissa (UGA) 1:00:19 3 Chala Regasa (ETH) 1:00:38 4 Aron Kifle (ERI) 1:00:53 5 Abel Sikowo (KEN) 1:01:44
&nbsp;
<h2>Chepkemoi breaks Roma-Ostia course record</h2>
Kenya&rsquo;s Joyce Tele Chepkemoi won the Huawei Roma Ostia Half Marathon World Athletics Label Race in 1:06:35, beating compatriot Betty Chepkemoi Kibet by just two seconds.
Chepkemoi broke the course record that had been held by Florence Kiplagat, who clocked 1:06:38 in 2012. Runner-up Kibet also improved her PB to 1:06:37, while Gloria Kite completed an all-Kenyan podium, finishing third in 1:07:54.
And on the day his brother Tamirat won the Amsterdam Marathon, Abdera Adisa Tola triumphed in the men&rsquo;s race on his debut at the distance, clocking 59:54.
Chepkemoi, Kibet and Kite set off at a swift pace in the women&rsquo;s race, clocking 16:10 at 5km and 31:57 for 10km. With 42 minutes on the clock, Chepkemoi and Kibet broke away and ran neck and neck until the end. In a dramatic sprint finish, Chepkemoi held off Kibet and crossed the finish line in 1:06:35.
A five-man group formed by Tola, Kenya&rsquo;s Kipkoech Cheruiyot, Maxwell Mbuleli Mathanga from South Africa, Daniele Meucci and 2018 world half marathon silver medallist Abraham Cheroben from Bahrain went through 5km in 14:23, 10km in 28:30 and 15km in 42:51.
Meucci produced the first attack at 15km, but Tola caught up with the 2014 European marathon champion. Meucci and Tola ran neck and neck until 19km when Tola launched a decisive kick to cross the finish line in 59:54 with Meucci 17 seconds adrift in second. Mbuleli finished third in 1:00:17.
Diego Sampaolo for World Athletics 
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Women 1 Joyce Chepkemoi Tele (KEN) 1:06:35 2 Betty Chepkemoi (KEN) 1:06:37 3 Gloria Kite (KEN) 1:07:54 4 Moira Stewartowa (CZE) 1:10:16 5 Rebecca Lonedo (ITA) 1:11:45
Men 1 Abdera Adisa Tola (ETH) 59:54 2 Daniele Meucci (ITA) 1:00:11 3 Mathanga Mbuleli (RSA) 1:00:17 4 Abraham Cheroben (KEN) 1:00:29 5 Lawi Kosgei (KEN) 1:01:21

Course records for Elisha Rotich at the Paris Marathon and Joyce Tele Chepkemoi at the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon

Course records for Rotich in Paris and Chepkemoi in Rome-Ostia

Charlotte Arter and Hugo Milner took top honours at the Cardiff Cross Challenge on Saturday (16) in what was the first Gold standard meeting in the newly launched World Athletics Cross Country Tour.
Many of Britain&rsquo;s top distance runners were met with pleasant conditions at Llandaff Fields in the Welsh capital for the first big domestic cross-country fixture of the season.
Arter and training partner Jenny Nesbitt had chosen different ways to prepare for the start of the cross country season with the former choosing competitive road races and the latter training at altitude in Font Romeu.
The pair were locked in battle after the first large lap in the women&rsquo;s 6.4km race, having already pulled clear of 2014 European cross-country silver medallist Kate Avery, Jess Gibbon, Hannah Irwin and Izzy Fry.
Arter showed her class at the end and appeared on the finish straight of the flat and fast course, winning in 20:11. Nesbitt was next to finish, taking second place in 20:15 ahead of the fast-finishing Jess Gibbon (20:17).
&ldquo;It was a fantastic race,&rdquo; said Arter, who finished seventh at the 2018 and 2019 European Cross Country Championships. &ldquo;Jenny made it such a tough race right from the start and it came down to an exciting sprint finish. I was really happy to get the win to kick start the cross-country season and I&rsquo;m really excited now for the rest of the season.&rdquo;
The men&rsquo;s 9.6km race saw a leading group including UK-based Ethiopian Omar Ahmed, local athlete Jake Smith, 2019 English champion Zakariya Mahamed and Hugo Milner forging clear over the first 3.2km lap.
This was whittled down further, leaving just Ahmed and Milner as they overcame the final mound with Ahmed a touch ahead but unable to overcome Milner&rsquo;s finishing speed as he sprinted to victory in 27:18.
Ahmed was just two seconds back in 27:20 with Smith finishing third in 27:29. Mahamed and Sam Charlton finished in fourth and fifth.
&ldquo;Today was good,&rdquo; said Milner, who represented Britain at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships. &ldquo;I knew it was going to be a tough race with Jake and Omar in the race. It was surprisingly hot which I wasn&rsquo;t expecting for the first cross-country race of the year. I thought I was going to get dropped on the last lap but I just had something left in the tank in the last 200m which was a bit of a surprise because I don&rsquo;t usually win sprint finishes.&rdquo;
The Cardiff Cross Challenge is the first of 14 competitions in the 2021-2022 Cross Country Tour Gold series. The tour, which takes in many of the stops that formed part of the old Cross Country Permit series, will next head to Spain for six high-quality international meetings, before heading on to Italy, Belgium, Portugal and Kenya.
Organisers for World Athletics

Charlotte Arter and Hugo Milner take top honours at Cardiff Cross Challenge

Arter and Milner victorious at Cardiff Cross Challenge

The TCS Amsterdam Marathon men&rsquo;s course record could be challenged on Sunday (17) when the likes of Tamirat Tola, Leul Gebresilase, Ayele Abshero and Amdework Walelegn line up for the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race.
Eight women with sub-2:25 PBs, meanwhile, are also set to clash in what looks set to be a highly competitive race in the Dutch capital.
Tola&rsquo;s PB, set in Dubai in 2018, is equal to the Amsterdam course record and Dutch all-comers&rsquo; record (2:04:06). The Ethiopian earned Olympic bronze over 10,000m in 2016 and world silver in the marathon in 2017, having won the Dubai Marathon earlier that year in 2:04:11.
&ldquo;I was preparing for the Tokyo Marathon (before it got cancelled), but I&rsquo;m happy to be here,&rdquo; said Tola. &ldquo;I love the country. It&rsquo;s my first time here, and the weather forecast is perfect for a good performance, so I&rsquo;m hoping to run a personal best on Sunday.&rdquo;
The past nine editions of the Amsterdam Marathon have been won by Kenyan men, but that streak could end on Sunday as the five fastest entrants are from Ethiopia.
Tola&rsquo;s compatriot Gebresilase has the fastest PB of the field. The 29-year-old Ethiopian clocked 2:04:02 on his debut at the distance in Dubai three years ago to finish second, four seconds ahead of Tola. He followed it later in the year with a 2:04:31 victory in Valencia, and he equalled that time earlier this year in Milan.
Abebe Negewo Degefa, Chalu Deso Gelmisa and Ayele Abshero all have sub-2:05 PBs. Degefa, now 37, set his PB of 2:04:51 in Valencia just two years ago. Gelmisa produced a similar clocking of 2:04:53 in Valencia last year, but more recently he raced in Chicago, finishing 29th, and so his legs may not have recovered in just one week. Abshero has a faster PB of 2:04:23, but it was set back in 2012.
But perhaps the strongest Ethiopian entrant is Amdework Walelegn, who&rsquo;ll be making his marathon debut. The 22-year-old took bronze at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships, having finished second in the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships just three years prior. He set a half marathon PB of 58:53 when winning in Delhi last year, and he came close to that last month with his 59:10 victory at the Copenhagen Half Marathon.
Kenya is still well represented for this year&rsquo;s race in the form of Laban and Jonathan Korir (no relation).
Laban Korir has competed at the Amsterdam Marathon four times. The 35-year-old, who is a training partner of Eliud Kipchoge, made his marathon debut in the Dutch city back in 2011, clocking 2:06:05 to place second. He improved on that when he returned to Amsterdam in 2016, finishing fourth in 2:05:54. Winner of the 2014 Toronto Marathon, Korir represented Kenya at the 2019 World Championships, where he finished 11th.
Jonathan Korir, another friend and training partner of Kipchoge&rsquo;s, will also be returning to Amsterdam. He set a PB of 2:06:51 during his last outing at this race, which he went on to improve in Berlin in 2019 (2:06:45) and then in Enschede earlier this year (2:06:40). 
<h2>Competitive clash in women&rsquo;s race</h2>
While Kenyan men have dominated recent editions of the Amsterdam Marathon, the women&rsquo;s race has typically gone in Ethiopia&rsquo;s favour over the past decade.
Ethiopian women make up seven of the nine fastest entrants for Sunday&rsquo;s race, but the outcome could be largely dictated by whether Kenya&rsquo;s Angela Tanui makes it to the startline. The 29-year-old, who clocked a PB of 2:20:08 in Ampugnano back in April and is undefeated in three races this year, had been due to compete at the Boston Marathon earlier this week, but was unable to make it to the US due to visa issues. If she succeeds in making it to Amsterdam, she&rsquo;ll start as the favourite.
But if Tanui is unable to make the start line, an Ethiopian victory would appear highly likely as the likes of Besu Sado, Shasho Insermu, Genet Yalew, Gebeyanesh Ayele and Haven Hailu are raring to go.
Sado, a former 1500m specialist who reached the Olympic final in that event in 2016, set her PB of 2:21:03 when finishing fourth in Amsterdam in 2019. She has a best this year of 2:27:06, set in Milan in May, but more recently set a half marathon PB of 1:08:15 in Herzogenaurach.
Insermu also set her PB in Amsterdam, clocking 2:23:28 when finishing second in 2018. She hasn&rsquo;t raced this year, but her last marathon was a victory in Madrid in April 2019. She has previously won marathons in Copenhagen, Cologne, Nagano and Marrakech.
Yalew has contested just three marathons to date and has a best of 2:24:34 so far, but her pedigree suggests that time could be due some revision. She finished fifth at the 2016 World Half Marathon Championships just a couple of months after clocking a PB of 1:06:26.
Ayele set a PB of 2:23:23 this year. She has yet to win a marathon, but has made it on to the podium in four of her nine races to date.
Hailu, meanwhile, is keen to make amends for her DNF two years ago. &ldquo;I love racing in the Netherlands,&rdquo; said the 23-year-old, who set a PB of 2;23:52 earlier this year. &ldquo;Two years ago, I raced the Zwolle Half Marathon and I placed second in a personal best time of 1:09:57. I was also here two years ago for the Amsterdam Marathon, but it didn&rsquo;t quite turn out the way I wanted. I learned from my mistakes and I&rsquo;ve prepared accordingly for Sunday. I&rsquo;m hoping to run a very fast time.&rdquo;
Kenya&rsquo;s Maureen Chepkemoi could also be in contention for a podium finish. She has a 2:24:16 PB from the 2019 Istanbul Marathon and she came close to that with her 2:24:19 victory in Geneva earlier this year.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
<h3> Elite field</h3>
Women Angela Tanui (KEN) 2:20:08 Besu Sado (ETH) 2:21:03 Gebeyanesh Ayele (ETH) 2:23:23 Shasho Insermu (ETH) 2:23:28 Haven Hailu (ETH) 2:23:52 Maureen Chepkemoi (KEN) 2:24:16 Genet Yalew (ETH) 2:24:34 Worknesh Alemu (ETH) 2:24:42 Meseret Gola (ETH) 2:28:30 Ruth van der Meijden (NED) 2:29:30 Nina Lauwaert (BEL) 2:30:24 Eva Wutti (AUT) 2:30:43 Bo Ummels (NED) 2:32:34 Melody Julien (FRA) debut
Men Leul Gebresilase (ETH) 2:04:02 Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:04:06 Ayele Abshero (ETH) 2:04:23 Abebe Negewo Degefa (ETH) 2:04:51 Chalu Deso Gelmisa (ETH) 2:04:53 Laban Korir (KEN) 2:05:54 Aychew Bantie (ETH) 2:06:23 Jonathan Korir (KEN) 2:06:40 Aweke Ayelew (BRN) 2:07:12 Kenneth Keter (KEN) 2:07:34 Abrar Osman (ERI) 2:07:46 Hiskel Tewelde (ERI) 2:08:49 Shumet Akalnew (ETH) 2:08:50 Merhawi Kesete (ERI) 2:09:06 Mohamed Ziani (MAR) 2:09:29 Jo Fukuda (JPN) 2:09:52 Khalid Choukoud (NED) 2:09:55 Michel Butter (NED) 2:09:58 Aziz Lahbabi (MAR) 2:10:51 Bjorn Koreman (NED) 2:11:07 Bukayaw Malede (ISR) 2:11:22 Amdework Walelegn (ETH) debut Afewerki Berhane (ERI) debut Tesfahun Akalnew (ETH) debut Mustefa Kedir Tebo (ETH) debut Simon Cheprot (KEN) debut

Five sub-2:05 men and eight sub-2:25 women ready to roll in the Dutch capital

Tola, Walelegn, Tanui and Sado set for exciting clashes in Amsterdam

Eighteen months since the last edition of the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon, the World Athletics Elite Label race returns to the French capital on Sunday (17).
The 2020 race was initially postponed before being cancelled, then the 2021 edition was moved to October instead of its usual April slot on the calendar. Having received the green light to go ahead, this year&rsquo;s race will have a mass field of about 35,000 runners, including a high-quality elite line-up.
The men&rsquo;s field features five runners with sub-2:06 PBs. Kenya&rsquo;s Nicholas Kirwa is the fastest in the men&rsquo;s field, courtesy of his 2:05:01 PB set in Milan in May. Compatriot Joel Kemboi Kimurer, who is also racing in Paris this weekend, finished 18 seconds adrift of Kirwa in Milan, recording a 2:05:19 personal best.
Elisha Rotich&rsquo;s career best is one second faster than Kemboi Kimurer&rsquo;s. The 31 year-old Kenyan, who clocked that time when finishing third in Amsterdam two years ago, also competed in Milan this year, finishing 10th in 2:06:44.
Stephen Chebogut also has strong credentials. The Kenyan won the 2015 Eindhoven Marathon in a PB of 2:05:52 and then finished second in Paris in 2017 in 2:06:57. The 36-year-old&rsquo;s only race this year was a 2:22:08 run in the altitude of Eldoret, but his most recent race at sea level was the 2019 Shanghai Marathon, where he ran 2:10:35.
Abdi Fufa carries strong recent form into this weekend&rsquo;s race. The Ethiopian set a PB of 2:05:57 when finishing second in a quality field in Ampugnano in April.
Ashenafi Moges and Moris Munene Gachaga are also ones to watch. Moges set his PB of 2:06:12 two years ago, while the latter recorded his best of 2:06:24 in 2020.
Hassan Chahdi&rsquo;s record of 2:09:11 makes him the fastest Frenchman in the field. Following his 45th place finish in the marathon at the Olympic Games, he clocked 31:12 for 10km three weeks ago, which makes his current shape difficult to gauge. That&rsquo;s not the case for Florian Carvahlo, however, who ran 1:01:05 at the Paris Half Marathon last month. He&rsquo;s now hopeful of improving on his 2:10:22 PB set in Valencia two years ago. 
<h2>Jeptoo returns to Paris</h2>
The women&rsquo;s race also looks set to be a tough contest.
Ten years after her victory on the streets of the French capital, Priscah Jeptoo returns to the Paris Marathon. The Kenyan went on to take the silver medal at the World Championships later in 2011 and then earned a medal of the same colour at the 2012 Olympic Games. She also won the London and New York marathons in 2013, but hasn&rsquo;t made it on to a marathon podium since then.
Her 2:20:14 PB, set back in 2012, makes 37-year-old Jeptoo the fastest woman in the field, but her 2:24:16 clocking from the 2019 Valencia Marathon probably gives a more accurate indication of her current form.
While Jeptoo is the biggest name in the women&rsquo;s field, Ethiopian duo Waganesh Mekasha and Sifan Melaku could start as the slight favourites, based on recent form.
Mekasha, a former track specialist, has a marathon best of 2:22:45 set in Dubai in 2019. She went on to achieve second-place finishes in Dongying and Shanghai later that year, but hasn&rsquo;t raced since. Melaku, meanwhile, last raced in February 2020 when she finished third in Seville in a PB of 2:23:49.
Tigist Memuye also shouldn&rsquo;t be discounted. The 31-year-old Ethiopian clocked a PB of 2:24:23 in Geneva just five months ago; a repeat, or even an improvement, of that performance should put her in contention for a podium finish.
Quentin Guillon for World Athletics

Eighteen months since the last edition of the Schneider Electric Paris Marathon, the World Athletics Elite Label race returns to the French capital 

Close battles expected at Paris Marathon

Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge is to take on Paris 2024 mass race hopefuls later this month in a running challenge being held to mark 1000 days until the Olympics in the French capital.
In an Olympic Games first, a mass participation marathon is planned for the same day, and following the same route, as the Olympic marathon in 2024 and on 31 October a pursuit-style 5km race will be held on the Champs-Elysee in Paris, with some of those mass participation marathon places up for grabs.
The challenge is to outrun Kipchoge, Kenya&rsquo;s world marathon record-holder who also claimed the world 5000m title in 2003 in a winning time of 12:52.79. While there are not many athletes who can beat the marathon great, the 2000 runners in action on the Champs-Elysee will at least get a head start. 
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CVA8R81IKdu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">
<div style="padding: 16px;">
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CVA8R81IKdu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Eliud Kipchoge - EGH🇰🇪 (@kipchogeeliud)</a>
</div>
</blockquote>
 With the field split into different groups based on ability, Kipchoge will cover a longer distance and look to catch up with the rest of the runners. Those who manage to hold him off will secure their entry for the Paris 2024 mass participation marathon.
&ldquo;I am delighted to be heading to Paris 1000 days before the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games for a truly exceptional challenge,&rdquo; said Kipchoge.
&ldquo;Open to all, whatever their level, this unique race is a wonderful image of what running is about: it is accessible and open to everyone.
&ldquo;On one of the most beautiful avenues in the world, I challenge you to not let me catch you! I look forward to sharing this moment with you and inspiring you to run, give it your all and push your limits, before we see each other again in 2024.&rdquo;
Further information can be found on the <a href="https://www.paris2024.org/en/mass-participation-marathon-kipchoge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paris 2024 website</a>.

Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge is to take on Paris 2024 mass race hopefuls later this month in a running challenge being held to mark 1000 days until the Olympics in the French capital.

Runners to race Kipchoge for Paris 2024 mass marathon places

Some of the UK&rsquo;s leading endurance runners will be in action when the Cardiff Cross Challenge hosts the first Gold standard meeting of the new World Athletics Cross Country Tour on Saturday (16).
The 2018 European 10,000m Cup bronze medallist Charlotte Arter, 2014 European cross country silver medallist Kate Avery, this year&rsquo;s Vitality Big Half winner Jake Smith and multiple Welsh champion Dewi Griffiths are among the athletes set for the event at Llandaff Fields in the Welsh capital, which will again host the first fixture in the British Athletics Cross Challenge Series.
Arter was the winner of the women&rsquo;s race when the Cardiff Cross Challenge was last held in 2019. The Cardiff athlete will return to race over 6400m along with the runner up that year, her training partner Jenny Nesbitt, who won European 10,000m Cup bronze in 2016 and is a European cross country team gold medallist.
Arter has prepared for her season opener with a Welsh record of 15:25 for 5km in Vienna, while 2019 UK Inter-Counties cross country champion Nesbitt has been fine-tuning her winter preparations at altitude in Font Romeu.
Like Nesbitt, Avery competed at the 2019 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Aarhus and is no stranger to Cardiff, having finished second to Denmark&rsquo;s multiple European U23 champion Anna Moller in 2018.
Izzy Fry is another athlete choosing to start her winter campaign in Cardiff and has previously finished runner up at the English National Cross Country Championships.
They will be joined by Jess Gibbon, who was fourth in Cardiff last time, plus former UK Inter-Counties champion Cari Hughes and Mhairi Maclennan, Philippa Bowden, Hannah Irwin and Imogen Wood.
In the men&rsquo;s race, Smith &ndash; fresh from running as a pacemaker in the London Marathon &ndash; will look to turn his road running pedigree as the UK&rsquo;s third fastest half marathon runner to cross country form over 9600m.
The 23-year-old, who ran his half marathon PB of 1:00:31 at last year&rsquo;s World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, also finished fourth at the Great North Run in September.
Lining up alongside Smith and Griffiths, who has seven Welsh cross country titles to his name, is Kadar Omar Abdullahi, who competed for the Athlete Refugee Team at the 2017 World Championships in London, plus Tokyo Olympian Zak Seddon and Omar Ahmed.
Zakariya Mahamed won the Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza in 2019 and the English National Championships last March as an U20 but will debut in the senior men&rsquo;s event in Cardiff.
Hugo Milner, Jack Gray, Jordan Rowe, Luke Prior and James Hunt will also be among those hoping to feature.
The action in Cardiff starts at 11:30am local time and culminates with the senior men&rsquo;s race at 2:50pm. A live highlights show of the event will be <a href="https://www.vincosport.com/live/145174/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broadcast by Vinco Sport</a>, with fans in the US and Canada able to watch via <a href="https://cardiff-cross-challenge.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=13970&amp;do=videos&amp;video_id=311205" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Runnerspace</a>.
Alex Donald (Welsh Athletics) for World Athletics

The Cardiff Cross Challenge hosts the first Gold standard meeting of the new World Athletics Cross Country Tour.

Cross Country Tour Gold kicks off in Cardiff

Star Trek may seem like an unlikely starting point for environmental sustainability, but for former Canadian international sprinter Oluseyi Smith, the iconic sci-fi film and television series was the launchpad that led to him embarking on an enterprise of his own to address climate change.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I often tell the story about my own obsession with Star Trek in the 90s with Jean-Luc Picard played by Patrick Stewart. I would watch that show every day when I came back home (from school). It always created this world where humans were living in harmony with the world around them, where energy problems are a thing of the past. It was a great show and a great idea,&rdquo; recalls the now-retired 100m and 200m sprinter.
&ldquo;I understood that we didn&rsquo;t live in that kind of world, but I wanted to be part of it. I think that was part of the reason that I became an engineer, I wanted to do something that would allow us to achieve that. That was always in my mind from about 10 years of age.&rdquo; 
<h2>Off-the-field ambitions of a two-sport Olympian</h2>
Known as &lsquo;Seyi&rsquo;, the sprinter carried his interest in sustainability through a successful athletics career coupled with studying technical engineering and renewable technology in the UK at Loughborough University. As a sprinter, he represented Canada at the 2003 World Youth Championships, 2006 World Junior Championships, 2009 World Championships, 2009 Universiade, 2010 Commonwealth Games and 2012 Olympic Games, before switching to bobsleigh and representing Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
His biggest success was at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, where he was part of Canada&rsquo;s 4x100m team that placed fifth. Three years later, he missed out on Olympic bronze, when Canada were disqualified for a lane violation after initially finishing third. All the while Smith still nurtured environmental ambitions, but it took some pointed words from Barack Obama to spur him into action.
Living in Calgary, he attended a speech by the former US President that resonated with him.
&ldquo;Towards the end, he was telling people: &lsquo;Apathy is going to be the end of all of us.&rsquo; Because it&rsquo;s very easy to sit back and say: &lsquo;The world is going to hell, politicians are corrupt and everyone&rsquo;s an idiot,&rsquo; then you do nothing, sit back and judge. The question is: &lsquo;What will you &ndash; as individuals &ndash; do to try and address the problem, either in your house, your city or your country?&rsquo;
&ldquo;I kind of took that to heart and said: &lsquo;Yes, I don&rsquo;t do anything. I&rsquo;m an athlete. I do my sport. I do my job and I watch Netflix. I&rsquo;m not really giving back.
&ldquo;So, when the opportunity presented itself at the IOC with the Young Leaders Programme to support athletes who want to take up projects as long as they fit in with the UN&rsquo;s SDGs (United Nations&rsquo; Sustainable Development Goals), I said: &lsquo;This is it, I can take that Star Trek and Obama inspiration and that technical background. I can stay in athletics, stay in sport, have a renewables focus, and use my day job all in one.&rsquo;&rdquo; 
<h2>Creating Racing to Zero &ndash; &lsquo;We shouldn&rsquo;t underestimate the impact of grassroots events&rsquo;</h2>
Teaming up with fellow Canadian Olympians Oliver Scholfield (field hockey), Martha McCabe (swimming) and Donna Vakalis (modern pentathlon), Smith founded Racing to Zero with support from the IOC. The innovative programme focuses on grassroots athletics and encouraging sustainable practices, behaviour and education at local level meetings. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61682046ff471158cc702cf4.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 &ldquo;We shouldn&rsquo;t underestimate the impact that grassroot events can have,&rdquo; Smith says. &ldquo;The international side is always the more appealing and glamourous. But the entry level stuff, where the base is, is the biggest bang for the buck. The (Olympic) Games only come around once every four years, yet there are more than 4000 small events every season in Canada alone. We mustn&rsquo;t forget entry level stuff.
&ldquo;I am on the IOC Sustainability Commission and I was a board member of the COC (Canadian Olympic Committee), so I was very aware of what international and national Olympic committees do in this space. But I was also a volunteer starting official at the lowest level events and I could just see this massive gap, so I figured here is where I can provide some value and apply those international best practices to the &lsquo;mom and pop&rsquo; meets at a level that makes sense.&rdquo;
This year, Racing to Zero undertook a three-point plan. Firstly, in educating the fans, athletes, volunteers and coaches around sustainability through online quizzes. Secondly, by working closely with meeting directors to provide objective guidance and advice on how to improve their sustainable practices and finally, providing water fountain facilities on site at meetings to reduce the reliance upon single use plastic water bottles. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61682079ff471158cc702cf7.jpg" alt="" width="100%" /> 
<h2>Recognising sport&rsquo;s power to influence change</h2>
Smith recognises that athletics and sport in general has the power to influence wider change. But, he argues that it also has the infrastructure to make an immediate and tangible difference.
&ldquo;We have a platform, but so do artists and politicians. It&rsquo;s more than tweets and likes and speeches. It&rsquo;s results and we are really well suited for that compared to other sectors that are impacting the global issue. We have the umbrella structure internally of IOC (International Olympic Committee), IFs (International Federations), NOCs (National Olympic Committees) and National Sport Federations. We have the structures in place that make it possible to make a measurable impact.&rdquo;
Of course, the size and scale of the sustainability issue is vast, but Smith feels his experience of being an elite athlete holds him in good stead to meet the challenge.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Resilience is required, that&rsquo;s for sure,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;You can send a zillion emails and be ghosted. Athletes are very comfortable being uncomfortable, whether it&rsquo;s a training session and you have to do more reps &ndash; even though you are tired, you do it anyway. I think what probably helps me the most as an athlete is that I trust the process.
&ldquo;Every athlete has been in the situation where you get to a start line and you question: &lsquo;Am I fit? Am I fast enough? Am I going to do a good job here?&rsquo; But, the confidence you have comes from an entire season of having done the right thing with a tried and tested process.
&ldquo;Even though this is a tiny project in the large scheme of things, it could easily be swatted aside by people not paying any attention to me. I trust the process that me and the other three Olympians have done with emails, with contacts, with conversations with other researchers that have given us their data.
&ldquo;What I am doing is not too much different to what other people are doing in their own countries. Even though it may be difficult, I trust that this process works. I&rsquo;m a big fan of process. It worked for me as an athlete. It&rsquo;s why I didn&rsquo;t freak out on the Olympic stage.&rdquo;
That single-minded mentality is why this particular Star Trek fan is prepared to boldly go where no athlete has gone before in nurturing change at the grass roots.
Chris Broadbent for World Athletics

Racing to Zero is Smith's grassroots sustainability project.

World 200m bronze medallist Quinonez dies

Gidey and Yehualaw target world half marathon record in Valencia

Nominees announced for Female World Athlete of the Year 2021

World Cross Country Tour heads to Amorebieta

Nominees announced for Male World Athlete of the Year 2021