| Sport | Cross country running |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1985; 40 years ago (1985) 2011; 14 years ago (2011) |
| Continent | Africa (CAA) |
TheAfrican Cross Country Championships is a regionalcross country running competition for athletes fromAfrica.
The competition had a one off edition in 1985 inNairobi, Kenya, and the medallists were mostly from the host nation.[1] Following an announcement by theInternational Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) that theIAAF World Cross Country Championships would change to abiennial format, theConfederation of African Athletics stated that the2011 African Cross Country Championships would be held inCape Town,South Africa, marking a relaunch of the competition.[2]
While all other continental regions defined by the IAAF have had their own regional cross country championships on an annual or biennial basis, Africa did not have a regular competition in this mould for a long period. This may have been due to a number of factors including: the high status of annual cross country meetings such as theKenya National Cross Country Championships and theJan Meda International Cross Country (which doubles as theEthiopian championships),[3] the size of the region, the prominence of smaller regional championships, and the comparative lack of resources available to the Confederation of African Athletics.
The fact that the majority of the sport's top competitors come from Africa means that the top runners at the World Cross Country Championships, especially in the men's section, are largely the same ones which would form the field of an African Championships – at the2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships the top 25 finishers in the men's race, and the top 12 in the women's race, were all African-born.[4][5] Commenting on the dominance of the competition, IAAF presidentLamine Diack said that the competition had "become not only an African affair but an East African affair, and these days you don't even get athletes from West Africa competing".[6]
A number of smaller regional championships have been held in Africa: the East African Cross Country Championships and the Maghreb Cross Country Championships inNorth Africa are both well-established competitions.[7][8] West and Central African competitions have also been held in past years.[9][10]
The 6th championships were originally scheduled to be hosted byLomé,Togo in early 2020. They were initially postponed due to the2020 Togolese presidential election, and then they were delayed indefinitely in February 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[11]
| Edition | Year | Venue | City | Country | No. of athletes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 1985 | Nairobi | Kenya | ||
| 1st | 2011 | Koerboom Park | Cape Town | South Africa | |
| 2nd[12] | 2012 | Koerboom Park | Cape Town | South Africa | 160 |
| 3rd[13] | 2014 | Kololo | Kampala | Uganda | |
| 4th | 2016 | Yaoundé | Cameroon | ||
| 5th[14] | 2018 | Chlef | Algeria | ||
| 6th | 2024 | Yasmine Hammamet | Hammamet | Tunisia | 116[15] |
Source:[16]
Consist of all individual and team events in senior, U23 and U20.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kenya (KEN) | 50 | 23 | 18 | 91 |
| 2 |  Ethiopia (ETH) | 6 | 17 | 10 | 33 |
| 3 |  Uganda (UGA) | 0 | 7 | 8 | 15 |
| 4 |  Eritrea (ERI) | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| 5 |  Morocco (MAR) | 0 | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| 6 |  South Africa (RSA) | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 |  Tanzania (TAN) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Totals (7 entries) | 56 | 56 | 56 | 168 | |
| Year | Men's senior race | Women's senior race | Men's team | Women's team | Mixed relay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Paul Kipkoech (KEN) | Hellen Kimaiyo (KEN) | Kenya | Kenya | — |
| 2011 | John Nzau Mwangangi (KEN) | Mercy Cherono (KEN) | Kenya | Kenya | — |
| 2012 | Clement Langat (KEN) | Joyce Chepkirui (KEN) | Kenya | Kenya | — |
| 2014 | Leonard Barsoton (KEN) | Faith Kipyegon (KEN) | Kenya | Kenya | — |
| 2016 | James Gitahi Rungaru (KEN) | Alice Aprot Nawowuna (KEN) | Kenya | Kenya | — |
| 2018 | Alfred Barkach (KEN) | Celliphine Chespol (KEN) | Kenya | Kenya | Ethiopia |
| 2024 | Vincent Kibet Langat (KEN) | Cintia Chepngeno (KEN) | Kenya | Kenya | Kenya |
Championships of theConfederation of African Athletics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Senior |  | |
| U20 | ||
| Youth | ||
| Cross Country | ||
| Regional | ||
Internationalcross country running championships | ||
|---|---|---|
| World | | |
| Continental | ||
| Regional | ||
See also:Modern pentathlon •International Cross Country Championships (1903–1972) | ||
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