Burundi-born runner marks his first cross-country win as a Spaniard by outsprinting two young Kenyans, while Likina Amebaw takes the women’s race.

Rodrigue Kwizera marked his first cross-country win as a Spaniard by edging a sprint finish at the Cross Internacional de Itálica on Sunday (Nov 8), matching Kenenisa Bekele’s tally of three victories in the race.

Kwizera clocked 27:36 over the 9.55km course around the Roman ruins in Santiponce, near Seville, at a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting. Charles Kiboino, a 19-year-old Kenyan, responded to Kwizera’s attack on the final pass through the woods, hit the front on the last bend and pressed him all the way to the line. The Spaniard held on to win by one second. Frankline Kibet, the world under-20 cross-country champion, was third, a further second back.

Kwizera had won in 2021 and 2025 while representing Burundi. He and Bekele, who triumphed in 2003, 2004 and 2007, are the only athletes to have won three times in the race’s 44 editions.

The 27-year-old, who lives in Castellón and has won the World Athletics Cross Country Tour title three times, became a Spanish citizen this year. He is still waiting for World Athletics to clear him to represent his new country at the European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade on December 13. His 58:03 win at the Valencia Half Marathon on October 25 was a Spanish half-marathon record and inside the European record of 58:06. It cannot be ratified as a European mark until his transfer of allegiance is formalised.

Kenya’s Denis Kemboi was fourth in Seville, while Thierry Ndikumwenayo, the European cross-country champion and a two-time Itálica winner, led the Spanish challenge in fifth. Miguel Ángel Martínez closed on his compatriot late on and finished one second behind in sixth, with both men within 23 seconds of the winner. Berihu Aregawi, the three-time world cross-country silver medallist from Ethiopia, was ninth, less than a minute behind. Six more Spaniards made the top 20, led by Juan Antonio ‘Chiki’ Pérez in 14th, with Zakaria Boufaljat, Brahim El Ourzadi, Jaime Migallón, Ciro Martín and Víctor Ruiz taking 16th to 20th place in that order.

In the women’s race, Amebaw made her decisive move at the start of the last lap with 2.5km to go and opened a gap on the climb to win in 30:41. The Ethiopian has been based in Peguerinos, in Spain’s Ávila province, for several years. Charity Cherop of Uganda, the world under-20 5000m champion, was second, eight seconds back, and Kenya’s 18-year-old Cynthia Chepkirui was third, 16 seconds behind.

The win continued a superb run of form for Amebaw. She took the World Athletics Ultimate Championship 5000m title in Budapest and the world 5km road title in Copenhagen in September, then won in Amorebieta on October 18. She also improved on her third place in Itálica 12 months ago.

Carolina Robles from Seville passed María Forero of Huelva, who had run in the lead group, to finish eighth, 2:10 behind Amebaw. She was the best Spaniard and the second European behind the Netherlands’ Amina Maatoug. Forero was ninth, 15 seconds back, while Marta Serrano took 11th, almost three minutes down. Ángela Viciosa, Carla Gallardo, María Barbero and Laura Priego also made the top 20 in 14th, 15th, 17th and 19th respectively.

The meeting, organised by the Diputación de Sevilla, attracted a record 5057 runners across all categories, with entries sold out in four races. It is staged at the Itálica archaeological site, Spain’s candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status, and the course takes in landmarks such as the amphitheatre and the Roman road.