The 2023 World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold series continues on Saturday (4) with the&nbsp;New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-tour/news/new-balance-indoor-grand-prix-boston-holloway-mclaughlin-levrone-lyles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Multiple global champions will contest some key clashes</a>, including Grant Holloway and Trey Cunningham in the men's 60m hurdles, and Aleia Hobbs, Mikiah Brisco, Shericka Jackson, Melissa Jefferson and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in the women's 60m. The men's 60m features Noah Lyles and Trayvon Bromell, while Olympic gold medallists Katie Moon and Katerina Stefanidi go head-to-head in the women&rsquo;s pole vault.
Here&rsquo;s how you can follow the action in Boston. 
<h2>Follow and watch</h2>
<a href="https://www.nbindoorgrandprix.com/events-results/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Schedule and start lists</a> |&nbsp;<a href="https://results.nbindoorgrandprix.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a> | <a href="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/63ddbf041d5fac40087a7536.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Media information sheets and athlete biographies</a> 
A two-hour live stream of the meeting, on Saturday 4 February, will be available in a number of territories via the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/worldathletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics YouTube channel</a>. The live stream will start at 16:00 local time (21:00 GMT). 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lJ8rMrRGlcc" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 The YouTube stream will be geoblocked in the following territories: Albania, Anguilla, Antigua &amp; Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Caribbean Netherlands, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cura&ccedil;ao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montenegro, Montserrat, Netherlands, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, St Barth&eacute;lemy, St Kitts &amp; Nevis, St Lucia, St Martin, St Vincent &amp; the Grenadines, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad &amp; Tobago, Turks &amp; Caicos Islands, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela
 Coverage of the meeting will be available in the territories listed below. Be sure to check local listings - some broadcasts may be live while others will consist of highlights.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: #333333; border-style: solid;" border="1" width="80%" cellpadding="2">
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">OverSport (OverSport 4)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Albania, Kosovo</td>
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<tr style="height: 67px;">
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%; height: 67px;" valign="top">Flow Sports</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%; height: 67px;" valign="top">Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadaloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos</td>
</tr>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">DirecTV (VC 619 SD)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela</td>
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<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top"><a href="https://flosports.link/3VN9Rtv" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FloSports (FloTrack)</a> </td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Australia, Canada</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">ESPN (STAR+)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Brazil, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Arena Sport (AS1)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Arena Sport (AS8)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Croatia</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">MTV (CMore Sport 1)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Finland</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Cosmote (COSMOTE Sport 5HD)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Greece</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Charlton (Sport 2)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Israel</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Sky (Sky Sport Arena / channel 204)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Italy</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Ziggo (Ziggo Sport Docu)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Netherlands</td>
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<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Polsat (Polsat Sport News)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Poland</td>
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<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">SPORT.TV (SPORT.TV4)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Portugal</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Match TV (ARENA)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Russia</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Arena Sport (AS3)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Slovenia</td>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">TVE (Teledeporte)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Spain</td>
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<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">TV4 (Sportkanalen &amp; CMore OTT)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Sweden</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Swiss Sport TV</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Switzerland</td>
</tr>
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<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Poverkhnost (Sport 1)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">Ukraine</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">Viaplay (Viaplay UK)</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">United Kingdom</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 30%;" valign="top">NBC</td>
<td style="padding: 5px; width: 70%;" valign="top">USA</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
<h2>Social media</h2>
- World Athletics: <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/worldathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>&nbsp;| <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@worldathletics?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a> - New Balance Indoor Grand Prix: <a href="https://www.nbindoorgrandprix.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> |&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NBIndoorGP" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>&nbsp;| <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NBIndoorGP" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/NBIndoorGP" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>
&nbsp;

Catch all the action from the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.

How to follow and watch the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Boston

World record-holders Mondo Duplantis and Karsten Warholm &ndash; competing in their eponymous meetings in Uppsala and Ulsteinvik respectively, both World Athletics Indoor Tour Challenger meetings &ndash; got their 2023 campaigns off to strong starts with performances that took them straight to the top of the world lists on Thursday (2).
Duplantis, competing at the Mondo Classic in the Swedish city of Uppsala, delighted his home fans by winning the pole vault with a Swedish indoor all-comers&rsquo; record of 6.10m.
He opened his series with a first-time clearance at 5.67m and followed it with another successful jump at 5.82m. Four other men &ndash; USA&rsquo;s KC Lightfoot, Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines, Australia&rsquo;s Kurtis Marschall and Norway&rsquo;s Pal Haugen Lillefosse &ndash; cleared that height and progressed on to 5.91m.
Once again, Duplantis got over on his first try. Lightfoot needed two attempts and Obiene required three, while Marschall and Lillefosse bowed out.
The world and Olympic champion registered his first foul of the evening at 6.00m, but got over on his second try. Lightfoot and Obiena were unable to go higher than 5.91m, leaving Duplantis to move the bar up to 6.10m. After two misses, the world record-holder got over it on his third attempt, adding six centimetres to the meeting record he established last year.
He ended the night with three attempts at a would-be world record height of 6.22m, all of which were unsuccessful, but he was nevertheless satisfied with his winning height of 6.10m &ndash; not just his best ever season opener, but the highest season-opening performance of any pole vaulter in history.
Warholm, who hadn&rsquo;t raced 400m indoors for three years, was similarly dominant at the Karsten Warholm Invitational in Ulsteinvik, his first competitive appearance of 2023.
The Olympic 400m hurdles champion blasted around the two laps to win in 45.31, his second-best indoor clocking behind the continental record of 45.05 he set when winning the European indoor title in 2019. Fellow Norwegian Havard Bentdal Ingvaldsen was a distant runner-up in 46.94.
World indoor champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh notched up her third victory of the year in the high jump. The Ukrainian won with 1.99m, having cleared 2.00m in her season opener in Lviv last month.
Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah also made a rare indoor appearance. The Jamaican sprint superstar found that 7.30 was enough to win the women&rsquo;s 60m by a comfortable 0.10 margin from Helene Ronningen.
<h2>Sutej soars 4.82m in Ostrava</h2>
World indoor bronze medallist Tina Sutej set the 30th Slovenian record of her career when winning the pole vault with 4.82m at the Czech Indoor Gala &ndash; a World Indoor Tour Silver meeting &ndash; in Ostrava on Thursday (2).
The European bronze medallist went clear at 4.42m, 4.52m and 4.62m on her first attempts, and then cleared a meeting record of 4.72m, also on her first try. She brought down the bar on her first two attempts at 4.82m, but then nailed it on her final try, moving her to equal 12th on the world indoor all-time list.
It wasn&rsquo;t the only national record to fall in Ostrava. Serbia&rsquo;s Elzan Bibic won the men&rsquo;s mile in a national indoor record of 3:55.90, winning comfortably from Austria&rsquo;s Raphael Pallitsch (3:57.22).
Elsewhere, World Championships fourth-place finisher Lieke Klaver won the women&rsquo;s 400m in 51.00 from Czech Republics&rsquo; Lada Vondrova (51.57).
NACAC champion Alaysha Johnson continued her consistent form in the 60m hurdles, winning in 7.87. Nadine Visser had clocked 7.86 in the heats but was second in the final (7.96). Cuba&rsquo;s Roger Iribarne won the men&rsquo;s event in 7.54 with Czech Republic&rsquo;s 38-year-old Petr Svoboda a close runner-up in 7.58.

Duplantis vaults 6.10m, Warholm clocks 45.31 for 400m

Duplantis and Warholm open seasons with world-leading marks

Faith Kipyegon, Stanley Waithaka Mburu and Linet Maasai are among the big names expected to be in action at the Sirikwa Cross Country Classic &ndash; a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold event &ndash; at the Lobo village in Eldoret on Saturday (4).
The event is the third big cross country competition to take place in Kenya in the past two weeks, following on from the Kenyan Championships (21 January), and the Discovery Cross Country event in Eldoret (29 Jan).
The Kenyan team heading to Australia for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 23 have had to skip this weekend&rsquo;s race, but despite that, it should still be an exciting spectacle as established stars take on up-and-coming talents from Kenya and the rest of the world.
&ldquo;The elite invitation lists have been drawn out of the top five finishers in the Athletics Kenya Cross Country series meetings, fifteen from the Discovery Cross Country event, and the top fifty from the national cross country championships,&rdquo; said Milcah Chemos, athletes representative.
Kipyegon, two-time world and Olympic 1500m champion, will be the big attraction in the senior women&rsquo;s 10km race. The 29-year-old, who is also a two-time world U20 cross-country champion, will face strong domestic opposition from 2016 world half marathon silver medallist Cynthia Limo, 2016 Kenyan 1500m champion Judith Kiyeng and 2019 African Games champion Quailyne Kiprop. Zenah Jemutai Yego, the 2021 world U20 3000m silver medallist, will be one of the emerging stars to watch out for.
Bahrain&rsquo;s 2017 world marathon champion Rose Chelimo, Slovenian steeplechaser Marusa Mismas-Zrimsek and Romania&rsquo;s Stella Rutto are among the international contenders.
World 10,000m silver medallist Stanley Waithaka Mburu leads the entries in the men&rsquo;s race, but he&rsquo;ll have his work cut out. Charles Lokir, fresh from winning the national cross country title, looks poised to improve upon his fifth-place finish in this event last year. The other two podium finishers at the recent Kenyan Cross Country Championships, Isaac Kibet and Dennis Kipngetich, will also be racing.
World U20 5000m champion Benson Kiplangat and Amos Serem, the 2021 world U20 steeplechase champion, are the other leading Kenyan entrants, while the international contenders include Eritrea&rsquo;s Merhawi Mebrahtu, Burundi&rsquo;s Oscar Niyonzima, Norway&rsquo;s Sondre Moen, Sweden&rsquo;s Emil Millan de la Oliva and Turkey&rsquo;s Hillary Yego.
The event, which last year was named in memoriam of Agnes Tirop, has changed its name this year to the Sirikwa Cross Country Classic. &lsquo;Sirikwa&rsquo; is the name of the ancient tribe who used to live in Uasin Gishu before colonial times.
The Sirikwa Classic will be seen as an event to celebrate not only athletics but the culture and heritage of the North and Central Rift region. More than 10,000 fans are expected to turn up to witness the event.
Along with the senior 10km races, there will also be a mixed relay and events for U20, U18 and kids.
Justin Lagat for World Athletics

Faith Kipyegon and Stanley Waithaka Mburu are among the big names expected to be in action at the Sirikwa Cross Country Classic in Eldoret

Kipyegon and Mburu the headliners at Sirikwa Cross Country Classic

Declan Tingay&rsquo;s birthday is still a few days away but he gave himself an early 24th birthday present by breaking a continental record which is some 14 years older in the Supernova #2 race walk &ndash; a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Silver level event &ndash; in Canberra on Thursday (2).
The second meeting in the series was contested in warm conditions at the Australian Institute of Sport track. It wasn&rsquo;t excessively hot but Tingay brought some heat of his own, breaking away from Perseus Karlstrom just 3000 metres into the men&rsquo;s 10,000m race and going on to a 30-second victory in 38:03.79, elevating Tingay to ninth on the world all-time list.
As big a factor in the performances as the warm weather was the 21-day high altitude training camp most of the contestants had participated in between the first Supernova meeting on 6 January and the second. Karlstrom missed the first meeting through an illness diagnosed as glandular fever. The altitude camp is part of an endurance study.
Tingay finished 17th over 20km at the World Championships in Oregon, following a 10th place at the World Race Walking Team Championships earlier in 2022 in Oman. He was then a close second behind Canada&rsquo;s Evan Dunfee in the Commonwealth Games 10,000m race walk.
But he clearly continues to improve. In Canberra, he and Karlstrom went straight to the front of the field as they passed through the first kilometre in about 3:50. The pace quickened further from there and 1000 metres later at 2km, the leading pair were some 20 seconds clear of Dunfee and Rhydian Cowley.
After another 1000 metres went by, Tingay had a 5-10 metre break over the Swedish race walker, a gap which had grown to 60 metres at the half-way point which Tingay reached in just under 19 minutes. Dave Smith&rsquo;s Oceanian record of 38:20.9 was clearly within reach.
Lapping every other competitor except Karlstrom, Tingay continued to churn out kilometre splits of just under 3:50 to cross the line in 38:03.78. Karlstrom maintained his form throughout the second half of the race to finish second in 38:45.43 with Dunfee getting the better of Cowley in the second half of the race to take third place in 39:44.10.
Tingay&rsquo;s time took just over 17 seconds from the long-standing ratified mark set by the prolific record-breaker Dave Smith in Sydney in 1985. Smith also clocked 38:06.6 in 1986, a performance that was not ratified as an Australian record, but Tingay&rsquo;s mark also surpassed that. It is also an Oceanian all-comers&rsquo; record.
The win completed a double for Tingay in the Supernova series. From Western Australia, he has now moved to Melbourne where he is studying and is being coached by Brent Vallance. At his rate of improvement, he could be challenging for a top-eight finish &ndash; and perhaps something higher &ndash; at the World Championships in Budapest later this year.
Jemima Montag was not thinking records in the women&rsquo;s event, but a savage surge in the eighth kilometre took her to a comfortable victory in 43:46.01 from Greece&rsquo;s double European champion Antigoni Ntrismpioti and Raquel Gonzalez of Spain. After a sedate first half of the race in about 22:45, Montag&rsquo;s increase of pace was significant.
A pack of six athletes stuck together for most of the first half of the race. Clemence Beretta of France did most of the leading with Montag always prominent in the group which included Olympic 20km silver medallist Sandra Arenas of Colombia and Magaly Bonilla of Ecuador.
A sixth kilometre of 4:19, the fastest of the race to that point, reduced the leading group to the ultimate first three finishers, but from the moment Montag surged with 3000 metres to go, the winner was not in doubt. The Australian, fourth over 20km at last year&rsquo;s World Championships, eased to the line some 40 metres clear of Ntrismpioti with Gonzalez almost a full minute further back in third place.
Len Johnson for World Athletics

Tingay's 38:03.79 clocking moves him to ninth on the world all-time list

Tingay breaks Oceanian 10,000m race walk record in Canberra

One week on from season kick-off in Karlsruhe, the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold continues in Boston on 4 February, when multiple global champions will contest some key clashes at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.
World record-holders Grant Holloway and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone open their seasons against some top opposition, while Noah Lyles and Trayvon Bromell battle in the men&rsquo;s 60m and Olympic gold medallists Katie Moon and Katerina Stefanidi go head-to-head in the women&rsquo;s pole vault.
Holloway will be among the stars looking to put on a show on home soil in his first competition in the US since retaining his world 110m hurdles title in Oregon in July. The 25-year-old has a sensational indoor record to maintain &ndash; he was last beaten in an indoor sprint hurdles race in 2014, when he was 16 years old, and he has since extended his win streak to more than 60 races, including heats and semifinals.
That remarkable run includes one world indoor title-winning performance, achieved last year in Belgrade where he matched his own world record of 7.29, first set at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Madrid in 2021.
But at the pre-meeting press conference, Holloway explained how he's focused on the future, not what he has already achieved. "Each year is a new year," he said. "It&rsquo;s a new year, there&rsquo;s going to be a newcomer coming up. It&rsquo;s our job as competitors to hone in and focus on the task."
His compatriot Trey Cunningham will be looking to break the tradition. Silver medallist behind Holloway at last year&rsquo;s World Athletics Championships, the 24-year-old was also runner-up at the last edition of the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, when he clocked 7.47 behind Holloway&rsquo;s winning 7.37. The double NCAA champion opened his season with a 7.60 win in Fayetteville last weekend.
Joining them is USA&rsquo;s NACAC champion Freddie Crittenden, who has already clocked 7.52 in Flagstaff and 7.53 in Iowa City this season, plus athletes including USA&rsquo;s Robert Dunning and Louis Rollins, Britain&rsquo;s Joshua Zeller and Jamaica&rsquo;s Damion Thomas.
"It&rsquo;s going to be a great field," Holloway added. "Trey and I have been running against each other for quite some time now, so I know he&rsquo;s going to bring his&nbsp;A game&nbsp;and he knows I&rsquo;m going to bring mine."
Sitting alongside him at the press conference, Cunningham added: "How do I beat Grant Holloway? I don&rsquo;t know, you damn near have to be perfect. I&rsquo;ve just got to have a good day."
In the women&rsquo;s 60m hurdles, world indoor silver medallist Devynne Charlton of The Bahamas lines up alongside Sharika Nelvis and 2015 world gold medallist Danielle Williams, who won at last year's New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.
<h2>Intriguing 60m match ups</h2>
The women&rsquo;s 60m also features a world record-holder, but unusually that athlete doesn&rsquo;t start as the dominant force.
McLaughlin-Levrone is the current queen of the 400m hurdles, having taken the global mark in the event down to 50.68 and claimed Olympic and world crowns over the past couple of years. But in Boston the 23-year-old contests the 60m for the first time, and she&rsquo;s not easing herself in gently. With two heats before the final, McLaughlin-Levrone is joined on the roster by world leader Aleia Hobbs, world 200m champion Shericka Jackson and world indoor silver medallist Mikiah Brisco, plus Candace Hill, Melissa Jefferson, Cambrea Sturgis and Anthonique Strachan, as well as another hurdles specialist in Kendra Harrison.
USA&rsquo;s 26-year-old Hobbs raced in the world 100m final in Oregon last year and she made another statement in Fayetteville last weekend, improving her 60m PB first to 7.05 and then to 6.98 to become the 13th woman to ever dip under seven seconds in the discipline.
Like McLaughlin-Levrone, the versatile Jackson will be looking for a strong start to her year following an impressive 2022 in which she won the world 200m title in 21.45, the second-fastest mark of all time, and improved her 60m PB to 7.04 in the final of the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61f5d7a63e1a70d20aa9c67c.jpg" alt="Aleia Hobbs wins the 60m at the Millrose Games" />
Aleia Hobbs wins the 60m at the Millrose Games (&copy; Kirby Lee)
</div>
The men&rsquo;s 60m will also be a clash of global gold medallists. Lyles joined Jackson in storming up the world 200m all-time list in Oregon, running a US record of 19.31 to retain his title. Now the 25-year-old will be looking to build on his season-opening 6.61 run in Gainesville as he hunts for a second consecutive win at this meeting after his 6.56 victory in 2022.
Challenging him will be USA&rsquo;s 2016 world indoor champion Bromell, who claimed world 100m bronze in Oregon after a series of injury struggles. Lyles&rsquo; brother Josephus also features, as do their compatriots Demek Kemp and Kendal Williams plus Ghana&rsquo;s Benjamin Azamati.
McLaughlin-Levrone isn&rsquo;t the only 400m hurdler looking to shake things up in Boston. Femke Bol has joined her US rival on the podium at the Olympic Games and World Championships, and sits third on the world all-time list in her specialist event. She further proved her range by completing a gold medal treble at last year&rsquo;s European Championships, winning titles in the 400m hurdles, 400m flat and 4x400m, and in her first race of the season she steps up to contest the 500m for the first time.
The 22-year-old has an indoor 400m PB of 50.30 and the world indoor 500m best stands at 1:06.31. Asked at the pre-event press conference whether she was aware of the race split times needed to challenge the world best, she simply replied "yes", with a smile. Also testing themselves over the less regularly raced distance will be her Dutch compatriot Lisanne De Witte and Jamaica's Janieve Russell.
Another non-championship event &ndash; the women&rsquo;s 300m &ndash; will be headlined by Olympic 200m bronze medallist Gabby Thomas, aiming for her fifth consecutive win at the meeting, where in 2021 she ran the 35.73 PB that places her fifth on the world all-time list. In a clash of 100m, 200m and 400m specialists, her competition includes her Olympic 4x100m silver medal-winning teammate Jenna Prandini, USA&rsquo;s Olympic 4x400m champion Lynna Irby and Poland&rsquo;s Olympic 4x400m silver medallist Anna Kielbasinska.
"Every time I come here, I like to go for the American record, so that&rsquo;s the goal," said&nbsp;Thomas, targeting the&nbsp;35.71 achieved by Quanera Hayes in 2017. "Hopefully I&rsquo;m feeling fast and speedy tomorrow and can make it happen."
Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s world indoor champion Jereem Richards returns after his 2022 win at this meeting and leads the men&rsquo;s 400m entries along with USA&rsquo;s multiple global relay gold medallist Vernon Norwood, runner-up last year.
<h2>Kincaid and Stafford back on track after area records</h2>
Boston has already been a happy hunting ground for Woody Kincaid this season and he&rsquo;ll hope for more of the same on Saturday. The 30-year-old ran 12:51.61 for 5000m last week to take more than two seconds off Grant Fisher&rsquo;s year-old North American indoor record and move to fourth on the world all-time list. This time he races the 3000m, an event in which his compatriot Yared Nuguse also set an area record of 7:28.24 in Boston last Friday. Nuguse doesn&rsquo;t return but the fourth-placed athlete in that race &ndash; Ethiopia&rsquo;s world U20 5000m champion Addisu Yihune &ndash; does, and they will go up against athletes including Germany&rsquo;s world indoor finalist Max Thorwirth, USA&rsquo;s NCAA indoor mile champion Morgan Beadlescomb and Canada&rsquo;s Charles Philibert-Thiboutot.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63db1326e8353643a1c1e6a7.jpg" alt="USA's Woody Kincaid " />
USA's Woody Kincaid (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Laura Muir and Ciara Mageean will go head-to-head in the women&rsquo;s 3000m, looking to pick up from where they left off in 2022. Great Britain&rsquo;s Muir, the European 3000m record-holder with her PB of 8:26.41 set in Karlsruhe in 2017, claimed world, European and Commonwealth medals in 2022 and ended her year with a New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile win in New York. Ireland&rsquo;s Mageean, meanwhile, claimed silver medals behind Muir at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships, and went on to win the 1500m at the Brussels Diamond League meeting in 3:56.63 to improve Sonia O&rsquo;Sullivan&rsquo;s 27-year-old Irish record.
Adding further strength to the field are Spain&rsquo;s Marta Perez, Germany&rsquo;s Lea Meyer and Jamaica&rsquo;s Adelle Tracey.
Lucia Stafford was another athlete to set an area record in Boston last weekend, the Canadian 24-year-old clocking 2:33.75 on her season opener to launch herself to ninth on the world indoor 1000m all-time list. She won that race ahead of USA's Allie Wilson, who ran 2:36.31, and the pair meet again on Saturday, this time racing the mile against 2017 world 3000m steeplechase champion Emma Coburn, NACAC 1500m champion Heather MacLean, Olympic 800m fourth-place finisher Jemma Reekie and Esther Guerrero, who won the 1500m at what proved to be a strong edition of the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix for Spanish athletes last year.
Ireland&rsquo;s Andrew Coscoran is back to defend his title in the men&rsquo;s mile, following his 3:53.64 PB victory in 2022. He started this year with a 1000m win in 2:19.25 at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic and now competes against Britain&rsquo;s Neil Gourley and Charlie Grice, plus USA&rsquo;s Johnny Gregorek and 19-year-old Hobbs Kessler, who has set North American U20 records in the 1000m and 1500m over the past couple of years.
Mariano Garcia ran a Spanish indoor record of 1:45.12 to win the 800m ahead of USA&rsquo;s Bryce Hoppel at this meeting last year, before the pair went on to claim gold and bronze, respectively, at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade. They resume their rivalry in Boston, where they will also take on Ireland&rsquo;s Mark English, USA&rsquo;s Isaiah Jewett and Britain&rsquo;s Kyle Langford and Daniel Rowden, the latter racing indoors for the first time.
The world indoor champion also leads the entries for the women&rsquo;s 800m, USA&rsquo;s Ajee Wilson looking to maintain an indoor win streak that dates back to March 2018, when she finished second in the world indoor final in Birmingham. She started her season with a 2:35.97 1000m victory in New York and returns to her specialist distance to race against her compatriot Olivia Baker and British trio Isabelle Boffey, Ellie Baker and Lynsey Sharp, who continues her comeback following injury and the birth of her son.
<h2>Moon vs Stefanidi in clash of Olympic champions</h2>
The two most recent Olympic champions will go head-to-head in the women&rsquo;s pole vault, when USA&rsquo;s Tokyo winner Moon takes on Rio gold medallist Stefanidi of Greece. Competing under her maiden name of Nageotte, Moon also won world gold in Oregon and claimed world indoor silver in Belgrade last year. That world title win on home soil in July was Moon&rsquo;s last competition and she will be keen to pick up from where she left off, in a year that offers the chance to defend her title in Budapest in August.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6202a92daa07742de3eef8f3.jpg" alt="US pole vaulter Katie Nageotte" />
US pole vaulter Katie Moon (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
</div>
Stefanidi is also a world gold medallist, thanks to her victory in London in 2017, and she claimed world indoor bronze medals in 2016 and 2018. The pair last clashed indoors in 2019 and their indoor head-to-head record stands at 13-4 to Stefanidi, although Moon has the higher PB of 4.95m (4.94m indoors) compared to Stefanidi&rsquo;s 4.91m (4.90m indoors).
In the men&rsquo;s high jump, USA&rsquo;s JuVaughn Harrison returns to contest the event for the first time since his 2.34m clearance for the runner-up spot at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich in September. The 23-year-old, who finished fifth in the long jump and seventh in the high jump at the Tokyo Olympics, opened his season in the horizonal event and now makes his season debut in the high jump.
Also seeking a strong season start will be India&rsquo;s Commonwealth bronze medallist Tejaswin Shankar and 2007 world champion Donald Thomas of The Bahamas.
The New Balance Indoor Grand Prix moved to Staten Island in 2022 due to the pandemic but makes its debut at the TRACK at New Balance in Brighton, Massachusetts, this weekend.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

One week on from season kick-off in Karlsruhe, the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold continues with the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix

Global champions headline brilliant battles in Boston

Organisers of the TCS London Marathon have revealed their strongest ever line-up for their women&rsquo;s event at the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on 23 April.
Among those taking part in the most star-studded race in the history of marathon running are defending champion and world 10km record-holder Yalemzerf Yehualaw, marathon world record-holder Brigid Kosgei and Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir.
In addition to that stellar trio, Olympic 5000m and 10,000m Sifan Hassan will be making her marathon debut, taking on former track rivals Genzebe Dibaba and Almaz Ayana.
&ldquo;My victory at last year&rsquo;s TCS London Marathon was a day I will never forget,&rdquo; said Yehualaw. &ldquo;I am very much looking forward to returning to London and being part of this amazing field.&rdquo;
Hassan, who won the world 1500m and 10,000m titles in 2019, already has some experience on the roads. She set a European half marathon record of 1:05:15 in 2018, then ran two sub-66-minute half marathons in 2019.
&ldquo;I am considering my plans for next year&rsquo;s Paris Olympic Games with both the track and marathon options for me,&rdquo; said the Dutch runner. &ldquo;However, before I can make a final decision on which direction to go, I need to test myself over the marathon distance and I believe the best place for me to do that is in London with the best female marathon athletes around me.
&ldquo;Stepping up to the marathon distance has always been in my plans and it doesn&rsquo;t mean that I will be retiring from the track,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;I am planning a track season this summer, but before that I&rsquo;m really excited to be making my marathon debut at the TCS London Marathon. It will be a step into the unknown in many ways for me but I&rsquo;m looking forward to it.&rdquo;
Kosgei will be making her fourth appearance in London. The Kenyan won back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020; between those appearances, she broke the world record with 2:14:04 in Chicago.
Fellow Kenyan Jepchirchir will be making her first appearance in London. The two-time world half marathon champion has won her past five marathons &ndash; a streak that includes the Olympic Games in 2021, the New York Marathon later that year, and the 2022 Boston Marathon.
Ayana and Dibaba made their marathon debuts in Amsterdam last year. Ayana, the 2016 Olympic 10,000m champion, won in a course record of 2:17:20, while world 1500m record-holder Dibaba was second in 2:18:05.
The field also includes Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tigist Assefa, who won last year&rsquo;s Berlin Marathon in a course record of 2:15:37 &ndash; a time which makes her the fifth-fastest marathon runner in history.
Britain&rsquo;s Commonwealth 10,000m champion Eilish McColgan will be making her marathon debut, as will rising Ethiopian star Girmawit Gebrzihair, who ran a promising 1:04:14 on her half marathon debut last year.
Along with Kosgei, the line-up features three other national record-holders: USA&rsquo;s Emily Sisson, Australia&rsquo;s Sinead Diver and Canada&rsquo;s Natasha Wodak. Keira D&rsquo;Amato, who held the North American record before Sission broke it with 2:18:29 in Chicago last year, is also in the field.
In total, the 2023 London Marathon elite women&rsquo;s field will feature 10 women who have run inside 2:19 and five who have gone under 2:18.
<h3>Elite women&rsquo;s field</h3>
Brigid Kosgei (KEN) 2:14:04 Tigist Assefa (ETH) 2:15:37 Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) 2:17:16 Almaz Ayana (ETH) 2:17:20 Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH) 2:17:23 Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) 2:18:05 Sutume Asefa Kebede (ETH) 2:18:12 Judith Jeptum Korir (KEN) 2:18:20 Emily Sisson (USA) 2:18:29 Alemu Megertu (ETH) 2:18:32 Keira D'Amato (USA) 2:19:12 Sinead Diver (AUS) 2:21:34 Jess Piasecki (GBR) 2:22:27 Natasha Wodak (CAN) 2:23:12 Charlotte Purdue (GBR) 2:23:26 Susanna Sullivan (USA) 2:25:14 Ellie Pashley (AUS) 2:26:21 Stephanie Davis (GBR) 2:27:16 Maor Tiyouri (ISR) 2:29:04 Rosie Edwards (GBR) 2:31:56 Samantha Harrison (GBR) 2:32:22 Girmawit Gebrzihair (ETH) debut Sifan Hassan (NED) debut Eilish McColgan (GBR) debut Dominique Scott (RSA) debut

Women’s field will feature 10 women who have run inside 2:19 and five who have gone under 2:18

Debutante Hassan to face Kosgei, Yehualaw and Jepchirchir in strongest ever London Marathon field

British Athletics has selected their squad for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 23, which will take place on 18 February.
European U23 cross-country silver medallist Megan Keith and European indoor 3000m finalist Amelia Quirk feature on the senior women&rsquo;s team. Zakariya Mahamed, another European U23 cross-country silver medallist, is the sole British entrant for the senior men&rsquo;s race.
For the first time at a World Cross, Britain has entered a team for the mixed 4x2km relay. The squad includes Olympic 800m finalist Alex Bell, who anchored Britain to gold at the 2021 European Cross Country Championships. The team also includes European U23 bronze medallist Alexandra Millard.
The U20 men&rsquo;s team includes four runners who earned team gold at the 2022 European Cross: Sam Mills, Luke Birdseye, Edward Bird and Jacob Deacon. The U20 women&rsquo;s team, meanwhile, features world mountain running U20 silver medallist Rebecca Flaherty.
<h3>British team for Bathurst</h3>
Women: Abbie Donnelly, Megan Keith, Amelia Quirk, Poppy Tank
Men: Zakariya Mahamed
Mixed relay: Alex Bell, Callum Elson, Alexandra Millard, Joe Wigfield
U20 women: Rebecca Flaherty, Zoe Gilbody, Megan Harris, Hannah Ryding
U20 men: Edward Bird, Luke Birdseye, Jacob Deacon, Sam Mills

World Athletics Cross Country Championships

European U23 cross-country silver medallists Zakariya Mahamed and Megan Keith both selected

Britain names team of 17 for WXC Bathurst 23

World Athletics is looking for a highly motivated, experienced Competitions and Events Director to lead a busy and talented team responsible for the delivery of world-class athletics events, develop the rules of the sport, event presentation and the international competition structure.
The role is based at World Athletics&rsquo; headquarters in Monaco, reporting to the CEO with a position on World Athletics&rsquo; Leadership Group.
If you are a strategic thinker, experienced in delivering sports events, stimulated by international, multicultural environments and global challenges, and if you love athletics, come and join World Athletics' leadership team and contribute to shaping the future of the most participated sport on the planet and the No.1 Olympic sport.
Job description and details of how to apply: <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=49f8c628-b529-441d-9c62-abd67f5ff0b0.pdf&amp;urlSlug=competitions-and-events-director-en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">English</a> | <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=04cec3da-3bb8-40c8-adde-8be02231a3a6.pdf&amp;urlSlug=competitions-and-events-director-fr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">French</a> Deadline for applications: 28 February
World Athletics

World Athletics is looking for a highly motivated, experienced Competitions and Events Director to lead a busy and talented team

Job vacancy: Competitions and Events Director

World Athletics is looking for a highly motivated, experienced Communications Director to lead a busy and talented team responsible for promoting all aspects of the sport &ndash; its vision, mission, athletes, events and corporate activities.
The role is based at World Athletics&rsquo; headquarters in Monaco, reporting to the CEO with a position on World Athletics&rsquo; Leadership Group.
If you are a creative and experienced communicator, a strategic thinker stimulated by international, multicultural environments and global challenges, and if you love sport, come and join World Athletics' leadership team and contribute to shaping the future of the most participated sport on the planet and the No.1 Olympic sport.
Job description and details of how to apply: <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=b03ba172-1bf0-4aa2-a289-d1ade0d81ac2.pdf&amp;urlSlug=communications-director-en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">English</a> | <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=efe87202-80c7-4ce0-851b-d0dd2cf418f9.pdf&amp;urlSlug=communications-director-fr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">French</a> Deadline for applications: 28 February
World Athletics

World Athletics is looking for a highly motivated, experienced Communications Director to lead a busy and
talented team

Job vacancy: Communications Director

The 2023 TCS London Marathon elite men&rsquo;s field will be a landmark occasion when, for the first time in history, two men who have run inside 2:02 will be together on the same start line at the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on 23 April.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Kenenisa Bekele, the second-fastest man ever with a PB of 2:01:41, and Kenya&rsquo;s Kelvin Kiptum, the winner of the 2022 Valencia Marathon and the fastest marathon debutant in history (2:01:53) have both been confirmed for the race.
With Ethiopian duo Birhanu Legese (2:02:48) and Mosinet Geremew (2:02:55) also in the field, it means this year&rsquo;s London Marathon will have four of the five fastest men in marathon history on the start line.
In addition, the defending champion Amos Kipruto of Kenya and world champion Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia will also return to London, along with multiple world and Olympic champion Mo Farah and two-time New York Marathon winner Geoffrey Kamworor.
Kipruto&rsquo;s win at last year&rsquo;s London Marathon was the biggest victory of his career and his first Abbott World Marathon Major triumph. &ldquo;Winning last year&rsquo;s TCS London Marathon was an incredible experience for me,&rdquo; said the 30-year-old, who was second at last year&rsquo;s Tokyo Marathon behind world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge and third in the 2019 World Championships. &ldquo;I am now preparing hard for this year&rsquo;s race and I can&rsquo;t wait to return to London as the champion.
&ldquo;London always has a really strong field and this year is the same so I know I will face a battle to defend my title, but I&rsquo;m confident and looking forward to it.&rdquo;
Tola, who won the world title in Oregon last year, will be one of several men aiming to prevent Kipruto from winning back-to-back titles. Tola, 31, is in a fine run of form over the 26.2-mile distance, winning the 2021 Amsterdam Marathon and finishing third at the 2022 Tokyo Marathon (behind Kipchoge and Kipruto) before winning his world title last summer.
Also in the field is last year&rsquo;s runner-up Leul Gebresilase of Ethiopia, and the second-placed finisher in London in both 2020 and 2021 Vincent Kipchumba.
The new holder of the Oceanian marathon record Brett Robinson, who ran 2:07:31 in Fukuoka last year, returns to London after finishing eighth in 2022. Japan&rsquo;s 2018 Boston Marathon champion Yuki Kawauchi is making his London Marathon debut in what will be his 114th marathon. By finishing in London, Kawauchi will be eligible for his Abbott World Marathon Majors six star medal for finishing all six major marathons: London, Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York.
The elite women&rsquo;s field will be announced tomorrow.
<h3>Elite men&rsquo;s field</h3>
Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 2:01:41 Kelvin Kiptum (KEN) 2:01:53 Birhanu Legese (ETH) 2:02:48 Mosinet Geremew (ETH) 2:02:55 Amos Kipruto (KEN) 2:03:13 Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:03:39 Kinde Atanaw (ETH) 2:03:51 Leul Gebresilase (ETH) 2:04:02 Vincent Kipchumba (KEN) 2:04:28 Seifu Tura (ETH) 2:04:29 Mo Farah (GBR) 2:05:11 Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN) 2:05:23 Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) 2:07:27 Brett Robinson (AUS) 2:07:31 Dewi Griffiths (GBR) 2:09:49 Rory Linkletter (CAN) 2:10:24 Chris Thompson (GBR) 2:10:52 Tom Gr&ouml;schel (GER) 2:11:03 Ben Connor (GBR) 2:11:20 Joshua Griffiths (GBR) 2:11:28 Frank Lara (USA) 2:11:32 Luke Caldwell (GBR) 2:11:33 Weynay Ghebresilasie (GBR) 2:11:57 Emile Cairess (GBR) debut

First marathon in history to have two sub-2:02 runners and four sub-2:03 performers

Defending champion Kipruto to take on Bekele, Kamworor, Farah, Tola and Kiptum at London Marathon

<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-cross-country-championships/bathurst23/news/series/50-years-world-cross-country-championships-1973" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1973-1982</a> | 1983-1992</h2>
Kenya&rsquo;s arrival as a dominant cross country force &ndash; in time, the most dominant in the 50-year history of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships &ndash; came in 1986 in Neuchatel, the capital of Switzerland&rsquo;s watch industry.
It was their sixth appearance in the championships and in the senior men&rsquo;s race they had yet to strike individual or collective gold. The Kenyans had gained team bronze on two occasions, on their debut in Madrid in 1981, and at Gateshead in 1983. And, on the individual front, Some Muge had finished third in 1983 and Paul Kipkoech second in 1985.
In the showpiece senior men&rsquo;s race, however, the nation that changed the face of distance running on the track in the 1960s arrived in Neuchatel in 1986 still in search of a Midas touch &ndash; unlike their East African neighbours.
Ethiopia had stolen a march on them on the global cross country stage.
The Ethiopians also made their first appearance in the Spanish capital in 1981, sweeping to an emphatic team victory despite their six counters all miscounting the laps and sprinting for the line with one circuit still remaining. They arrived in Switzerland on a roll of five successive team successes.
The Ethiopians had also claimed the coveted individual senior men&rsquo;s team crown twice: courtesy of Mohammed Kedir in Rome in 1982 and the 20-year-old Bekele Debele in a blanket finish with Portugal&rsquo;s Carlos Lopes and Muge in Gateshead in 1983, all three medallists clocking the same time.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63d924fdee335e6fcc4e003f.jpg" alt="Bekele Debele at the 1983 World Cross" />
Bekele Debele at the 1983 World Cross (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
In Neuchatel, at the Swiss cross country skiing centre, the power of global cross country running was to lock into the axis of an enduring East African rivalry, tilting suddenly and dramatically in Kenya&rsquo;s favour.
The senior men&rsquo;s 12km race attracted 337 participants from 49 countries, making it, to date, the largest ever single event in the 50 years of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships.
Kenyans finished first and third, John Ngugi securing the first of his five individual titles ahead of Ethiopian marathon specialist Abebe Mekonnen, with fellow Kenyan Joseph Kiptum in third.
In all, Kenya had five men in the top eight, with Kipkoech, the future world 10,000m champion, fifth, Kipsubai Koskei seventh and Muge eighth. The red-vested tide overwhelmed the defending team championships.
With Andrew Masai the sixth counter in 21st place, the Kenyan tally of 45 points secured the title with a record low score. Ethiopia had just two men in the top 10: Mekonnen (second) and Debele (fourth). They finished distant runners up with 119 points.
And so the great East African rivalry for world cross country supremacy was joined in earnest.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63d924b9ee335e6fcc4e003c.jpg" alt="Kenya's Some Muge leads the senior men's race at the 1986 World Cross Country Championships" />
Kenya's Some Muge leads the senior men's race at the 1986 World Cross Country Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
In individual terms, it was the first time that all three medals in the senior men&rsquo;s race had been won by Kenyans and Ethiopians. That has happened a further 12 times since in the senior men&rsquo;s long race, including three Kenyan medal sweeps (in 1988, 1996 and 1997) and one for Ethiopia (in 2004).
In 12 of the 14 senior men&rsquo;s long course races between 1986 and 1999, the individual title was won by a Kenyan. Eleven of the 14 silver medals went to Kenyans too.
On a broader scope, the big breakthrough in Neuchatel set in motion the longest winning team streak in the history of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships.
Kenya took the team prize in the senior men&rsquo;s long course race for 18 successive years, a stranglehold that stretched all the way from 1986 to 2003. 
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wNVRuw3WRF8" width="100%" height="475" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
 Their most dominant performance in the race also came in the 1980s, at the 1988 championships in Auckland. For the first time, African runners filled the top 10. Only Mekonnen in fifth place prevented a Kenyan sweep of the first nine positions at Ellerslie Racecourse.
The Kenyan near-monopoly read: 1 Ngugi, 2 Kipkoech, 3 Koskei, 4 Boniface Merande; 6 Moses Tanui, 7 Kiptum, 8 Kip Rono, 9 Muge.
The team title was retained with a record low 23 points, Ethiopia finishing second with 103.
Across all three races in Auckland, Kenya won a record seven medals. In the 50 years of the World Cross Country Championships, they stand top of the medal chart with 324, followed by Ethiopia with 275 and the USA with 63.
They have also won the most team golds (85) and stand a close second to Ethiopia in terms of team medals of any colour (134-136).
Since their winning run in the team section of the senior men&rsquo;s race was ended by Ethiopia in 2004, Kenya has gained six more golds (successively from 2006 to 2011) and Ethiopia five.
Of course, at the most recent championships, in Aarhus in 2019, the Kenyan-Ethiopian stranglehold stretching back to 1981 was broken by the emergence of a new East African force in Uganda. Kenya took silver and Ethiopia bronze.
So, intriguingly, the World Cross Country Championships enters its second half century with the tide in the senior men&rsquo;s long race potentially turning once again. The rise of Uganda, however, is a story for another day&rsquo;s feature in this series.
<h2>Tulu leads the way</h2>
The Kenyan-Ethiopian domination of the senior women&rsquo;s long course race began towards the end of the second decade of the championships: in Antwerp in 1991.
The year before, in Aix-les-Bains, Ethiopia made the senior women&rsquo;s rostrum for the first time, finishing second to the Soviet Union in the team race. In Antwerp, they slugged out a fierce battle with Kenya that was decided by the cross country equivalent of countback.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63d92571ee335e6fcc4e0045.jpg" alt="Derartu Tulu, Lynn Jennings and Liz McColgan on the podium at the 1991 World Cross" />
Derartu Tulu, Lynn Jennings and Liz McColgan on the podium at the 1991 World Cross (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Ethiopia had their first individual senior women&rsquo;s medallist in Deratu Tulu, the future Olympic 10,000m champion finishing runner-up to Lynn Jennings of the USA. They also had Luchia Yisak in fourth, but both countries had all four of their counters inside the top 18 and both scored 36 points.
Kenya took gold, courtesy of the higher-placed fourth counter &ndash; Pauline Konga in 15th, against Merima Denboba in 18th. It was the start of a rivalry that remains ongoing.
Since 1991, with the exception of Portugal&rsquo;s success in 1994, all of the senior women&rsquo;s long course team titles have been won by Kenya or Ethiopia. Heading into the 2023 championships at Bathurst, the score stands poised at Kenya 12-Ethiopia 12.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63d92521ee335e6fcc4e0042.jpg" alt="Susan Sirma leads the senior women's race at the 1991 World Cross with Derartu Tulu tucked behind" />
Susan Sirma leads the senior women's race at the 1991 World Cross with Derartu Tulu tucked behind (&copy; Getty Images)
</div>
Individually, there have been eight wins by Kenyans and nine by Ethiopians. Helen Chepengeno was the first Kenyan winner, in 1994, and Tulu the first Ethiopian a year later.
In the last eight editions of the championships, the two nations have won every individual medal bar one of the senior women&rsquo;s long course race. Shalane Flanagan of the US took bronze behind the Kenyan duo Vivian Cheruiyot and Linet Masai in 2011.
Since Australian Benita Johnson&rsquo;s 2004 triumph in Brussels, there has been just one individual champion wearing neither a Kenyan nor Ethiopian vest.
And, of course, Lornah Kiplagat, who prevailed in the orange of the Netherlands in 2007, was born and raised in Kenya. 
<div style="padding: 0px 20px 5px 20px; border: 2px solid #adf375;">
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Second decade of World Cross action</h2>
<h3>1983 Gateshead, UK</h3>
Eight days past his 20th birthday, the unheralded Ethiopian Bekele Debele became the youngest senior men&rsquo;s winner, edging out Portugal&rsquo;s Carlos Lopes and Kenya&rsquo;s Some Muge in a blanket sprint finish, all three medallists clocking the same time. Norwegian marathon queen Grete Waitz claimed a record fifth victory in the women&rsquo;s race.
<h3>1984 Meadowlands, New Jersey, USA</h3>
Eight years after his first win, 37-year-old Carlos Lopes claimed his second senior men&rsquo;s title, ahead of England&rsquo;s Tim Hutchings and Wales&rsquo; Steve Jones. Waitz had to settle for third in the women&rsquo;s race, behind 1982 champion Maricica Puica of Romania and Galina Zakharova of the Soviet Union.
<h3>1985 Lisbon, Portugal</h3>
At 38 years 34 days, Lopes became the oldest senior men&rsquo;s winner, finishing four seconds clear of Kenya&rsquo;s Paul Kipkoech to complete a hat-trick of titles in his home city. At 18 years 302 days, England&rsquo;s South African-born Zola Budd became the youngest senior women&rsquo;s winner.
<h3>1986 Neuchatel, Switzerland</h3>
The barefoot Budd retained the women&rsquo;s crown, finishing 100 metres clear of US runner Lynn Jennings. Kenya captured the men&rsquo;s team prize from Ethiopia for the first time, John Ngugi securing the first of five individual wins.
<h3>1987 Warsaw, Poland</h3>
France&rsquo;s Annette Sergent overhauled Scot Liz Lynch and the multiple-world-record-holding Norwegian Ingrid Kristansen to win the women&rsquo;s race. Ngugi and Kipkoech finished one and two for Kenya in the senior men&rsquo;s event.
<h3>1988 Auckland, New Zealand</h3>
At the ninth attempt, Kristiansen took the senior women&rsquo;s crown, 41 seconds clear of Wales&rsquo; Angela Tooby, aunt of future world 1500m champion Jake Wightman. Ngugi led a Kenyan 1-2-3-4 in the senior men&rsquo;s race.
<h3>1989 Stavanger, Norway</h3>
Swede Malin Ewerlof won the inaugural junior women&rsquo;s race, Kenya lifting the team prize. Sergent gained her second senior women&rsquo;s title, while Ngugi beat Hutchings to win his fourth senior men&rsquo;s crown.
<h3>1990 Aix-les-Bains, France</h3>
Morocco&rsquo;s Khalid Skah won the senior men&rsquo;s title ahead of Kenya&rsquo;s Moses Tanui. Jennings opened her winning run in the senior women&rsquo;s race.
<h3>1991 Antwerp, Belgium</h3>
As you were, Skah and Tanui again finishing one and two in the senior men&rsquo;s race and Jennings retaining the senior women&rsquo;s title ahead of Ethiopia&rsquo;s Deratu Tulu.
<h3>1992 Boston, USA</h3>
Jennings completed her hat-trick on snow-covered home ground, pipping Ireland&rsquo;s Caterina McKiernan by two seconds. Ngugi secured his fifth title, while in the junior races Britain&rsquo;s Paula Radcliffe struck gold and Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia took silver behind Kenya&rsquo;s Ismael Kirui.
</div>
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage

A look back at the second decade of World Cross Country action

50 years of the World Cross: the rise of Africa

Femke Bol and Woody Kincaid are to make their New Balance Indoor Grand Prix debuts when they compete at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Boston on 4 February.
Olympic and world 400m hurdles medallist Bol will headline the field in the women&rsquo;s 500m as she races the distance for the first time.
The 22-year-old is coming off a sensational 2022 season that saw her win European titles for the Netherlands in the 400m hurdles, 400m flat and in the 4x400m relay. She also won 400m hurdles silver and bronze medals at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon and Olympic Games in Tokyo, respectively, claimed 400m and 4x400m silver medals at last year&rsquo;s World Athletics Indoor Championships, and is the third-fastest woman in history in the 400m hurdles.
Ready to challenge her at the TRACK at new balance are her Dutch compatriot&nbsp;Lisanne De Witte, USA's&nbsp;Kendall Ellis and Jamaica's&nbsp;Janieve Russell.
Joining them in Boston is newly-minted North American indoor 5000m record-holder Kincaid, who will contest the men&rsquo;s 3000m. The US 30-year-old ran 12:51.61 last weekend at the John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University to break Grant Fisher&rsquo;s area record, set last year. The time also makes Kincaid the fourth-fastest man in history in the indoor 5000m.
These top athletes join the previously announced Noah Lyles, Gabby Thomas, Grant Holloway, Trey Cunningham, Laura Muir, Ciara Mageean, Katie Moon, Katerina Stefanidi, Mariano Garcia, Bryce Hoppel, Marvin Bracy-Williams, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Shericka Jackson, Mikiah Brisco and Aleia Hobbs.
For further information on the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, visit the <a href="https://www.nbindoorgrandprix.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">event website</a>.
Organisers for World Athletics

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