Cursa dels Nassos 2023: “The goal is to beat the women’s 5Km record. We have the best athletes in the world”

The Kenyan Beatrice Chebet, current world champion of 5Km on the road, made sure that his “goal” this Sunday at Cursa dels Nassos de Barcelona It will be “a good race”, although he admits it will be “a hard race” due to the level of the opponents and this is a “motivation” for him.

“I am very happy to compete for the first time in Barcelona and I hope to offer my best version. I know I will run well, that is my goal. It will be a difficult race, because we have been on the podium since the last World Cup, but it also gives us motivation” , the African athlete declared to EFE this Saturday.

The possibility of breaking the women’s record in a 5Km race run by women only, held by an Ethiopian Senbere Teferi from 2021 with a time of 14:29, it will be the great incentive of the last sporting event of the year in Barcelonawhich in its 25th edition will combine the women’s podium of World Athletics Championship on the road held in October on Riga.

He Councilor for Sports of the Barcelona City Council, David Escudéwelcomed a small group of athletes this Saturday morning, where he posed in front of the press before reconnoitring the circuit.

“The goal is to beat the women’s 5Km record. We have the best athletes in the world, proving that we are once again at the forefront of running in Spain and Europe as always. We also have a very strong men’s event and the famous one, which which is the reason for being, because we want the people of Barcelona to play sports,” said Escudé in statements to EFE.

The best specialists in the world

The three medalists in World Athletics Championship on the road held in October on Rigabeginning with Kenyan Beatrice Chebetgold in the Latvian capital with a time of 14:35 and the best distance mark since 2022 (14:32).

Your countryman Lilian Kasait, silver in the last World Cup event (14:39), came from setting his personal best (14:33) on December 9 in Al Khobar (Saudi Arabia).

And the Ethiopian Ejgayehu Tayebronze in Riga (14:40), holds the female world record from the 2021 Cursa dels Nassos in a race run simultaneously by men and women (14:19) and now seeks to achieve this feat in an exclusive women’s event.

Ethiopian also participated in the performance Kassie Wubrist, 18 years old, who in November set his best mark in Lille (14:41); and the Ugandan Joy Cheptoyek21 years old, whose best time is the 14:50 he achieved in October in Riga.

Dominic Lobalu, the man’s favorite

The Kenyan Kipkoech Kipruto the representative this morning of the men’s 5Km test, a discipline in which the Cursa dels Nassos still holds the world record established by the Ethiopian in 2021 Berihu Aregawi (12:49).

The refugee athlete from South Sudan living in Switzerland Dominic Lobaluwhose best record in 5,000m is 12:52 and 13:00 in 5Km on the road, will be the rival to beat and will face some of the best distance specialists, including 18 athletes who can prove less than 2:00 pm, like the Spanish Ilias FIFA and Abdesamad Oukhelfen.

These tests will be the highlight of the day and, therefore, the organization has chosen to advance the start to 4:00 pm in the men’s category and to 4:25 pm in the women’s category, so that the participants in the famous 10Km race and can enjoy the other citizens on the show.

More than 10,000 have registered in the popular test

The elite athletes will start on Icaria Avenue, between the streets Architect Sert and Rosa Sensatand they will cross the finish line on Selva de Mar street, near Plaza Ramon Calsina, which will be both the starting point (5:15 pm) and the end of the famous event, which will maintain its circular layout.

In the ten kilometer race, the presence of the winners of the last edition, Meritxell Soler and Mohamed El Ghazouany, as well as the athletes Antonio López, Adam Maijó and Cristina Silva stand out.

Also, the organization recently announced that it has exhausted its 10,000 available bibs and, due to demand for registration, is opening up 1,000 additional spots.

“We had to open the tap a little because the bibs ran out. There is a clear trend in the city of full recovery (after the pandemic) and we look forward to the future, with the preparation of the marathon and half marathon “We are very optimistic, ” Escudé analyzed.

At the race presentation held on December 20, organizers emphasized that female participation had reached 33%, the highest in the competition’s history, and that 30% of those registered were beginners.