1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

The 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 21/22, 1998. The races were held at the Menara district in Marrakech, Morocco. Reports of the event were given in The New York Times,^[1] in the Herald,^[2] and for the IAAF.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8]}

1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
Organisers	IAAF
Edition	26th
Date	March 21/22
Host city	Marrakech, Morocco
Venue	Menara district
Events	6
Distances	12 km – Senior men 4 km – Men's short 8 km – Junior men 8 km – Senior women 4 km – Women's short 6 km – Junior women
Participation	707 athletes from 66 nations
← 1997 Torino 1999 Belfast →

Complete results for senior men,^[9][10][11] for senior men's teams,^[9][12][13] for men's short race,^[14][15][16] for men's short race teams,^[14][17][18] for junior men,^[19][20][21] for junior men's teams,^[19][22][23] senior women,^[24][25][26] for senior women's teams,^[24][27][28] for women's short race,^[29][30][31] for women's short race teams,^[29][32][33] for junior women,^[34][35][36] for junior women's teams,^[34][37][38] medallists,^[39] and the results of British athletes who took part^[40] were published.

Medallists

Event	Gold		Silver		Bronze
Individual
Senior men (12 km)	Paul Tergat  Kenya	34:01	Paul Koech  Kenya	34:06	Assefa Mezegebu  Ethiopia	34:28
Men's short (4 km)	John Kibowen  Kenya	10:43	Daniel Komen  Kenya	10:46	Paul Kosgei  Kenya	10:50
Junior men (8 km)	Million Wolde  Ethiopia	22:47	Richard Limo  Kenya	22:50	Haylu Mekonnen  Ethiopia	22:51
Senior women (8 km)	Sonia O'Sullivan  Ireland	25:39	Paula Radcliffe United Kingdom	25:42	Gete Wami  Ethiopia	25:49
Women's short (4 km)	Sonia O'Sullivan  Ireland	12:20	Zahra Ouaziz  Morocco	12:34	Kutre Dulecha  Ethiopia	12:37
Junior women (6 km)	Yimenashu Taye  Ethiopia	19:32	Jeruto Kiptum  Kenya	19:34	Worknesh Kidane  Ethiopia	19:34
Team
Senior men	Kenya	12	Ethiopia	57	Morocco	60
Men's short	Kenya	10	Morocco	42	Ethiopia	60
Junior men	Ethiopia	16	Kenya	20	Morocco	66
Senior women	Kenya	30	Ethiopia	37	United Kingdom	74
Women's short	Morocco	57	Ethiopia	58	United States	68
Junior women	Ethiopia	16	Kenya	20	Japan	68

Race results

Senior men's race (12 km)

Main article: 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior men's race

Individual race

Rank	Athlete	Country	Time
	Paul Tergat	Kenya	34:01
	Paul Koech	Kenya	34:06
	Assefa Mezegebu	Ethiopia	34:28
4	Tom Nyariki	Kenya	34:37
5	Wilson Boit Kipketer	Kenya	34:38
6	Christopher Kelong	Kenya	34:41
7	Ismael Kirui	Kenya	34:41
8	Mohammed Mourhit	Belgium	34:44
9	Domingos Castro	Portugal	34:46
10	Fabián Roncero	Spain	34:50
11	Elarbi Khattabi	Morocco	34:54
12	Paulo Guerra	Portugal	34:59
Full results

Teams

Rank	Team	Points
	Kenya Paul Tergat 1 Paul Koech 2 Tom Nyariki 4 Wilson Boit Kipketer 5 (Christopher Kelong) (6) (Ismael Kirui) (7)	12
	Ethiopia Assefa Mezegebu 3 Habte Jifar 13 Tesfaye Tola 20 Ayele Mezegebu 21 (Abraham Assefa) (24) (Mamo Kejela) (91)	57
	Morocco Elarbi Khattabi 11 Lahcen Benyoussef 14 Brahim Lahlafi 17 Khaled Boulami 18 (Abdelilah El Manaia) (53) (Smail Sghir) (DNF)	60
4	Portugal	74
5	Spain	94
6	Tanzania	156
7	Algeria	193
8	United States	194
Full results

• Note: Athletes in parentheses did not score for the team result

Men's short race (4 km)

Main article: 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Men's short race

Individual race

Rank	Athlete	Country	Time
	John Kibowen	Kenya	10:43
	Daniel Komen	Kenya	10:46
	Paul Kosgei	Kenya	10:50
4	Benjamin Limo	Kenya	10:59
5	John Kosgei	Kenya	11:04
6	Brahim Boulami	Morocco	11:06
7	Marc Davis	United States	11:08
8	Kipkirui Misoi	Kenya	11:10
9	Hicham Bouaouiche	Morocco	11:11
10	Maru Daba	Ethiopia	11:11
11	Isaac Viciosa	Spain	11:13
12	Ali Ezzine	Morocco	11:14
Full results

Teams

Rank	Team	Points
	Kenya John Kibowen 1 Daniel Komen 2 Paul Kosgei 3 Benjamin Limo 4 (John Kosgei) (5) (Kipkirui Misoi) (8)	10
	Morocco Brahim Boulami 6 Hicham Bouaouiche 9 Ali Ezzine 12 Brahim Jabbour 15 (Salah El Ghazi) (16) (El Hassan Lahssini) (18)	42
	Ethiopia Maru Daba 10 Mohamed Awol 13 Tewodros Shiferaw 17 Simretu Alemayehu 20 (Abiyote Abate) (40) (Mekonen Daba) (51)	60
4	Spain	87
5	Portugal	108
6	United States	117
7	Italy	133
8	Algeria	159
Full results

• Note: Athletes in parentheses did not score for the team result

Junior men's race (8 km)

Main article: 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior men's race

Individual race

Rank	Athlete	Country	Time
	Million Wolde	Ethiopia	22:47
	Richard Limo	Kenya	22:50
	Haylu Mekonnen	Ethiopia	22:51
4	Yibeltal Admassu	Ethiopia	22:53
5	Douglas Mumanyi	Kenya	22:54
6	Reuben Kamzee	Kenya	22:55
7	Titus Kipkemboi	Kenya	23:02
8	Alene Emere	Ethiopia	23:06
9	Yitbarek Eshetu	Ethiopia	23:14
10	Adil Kaouch	Morocco	23:17
11	Abraham Cherono	Kenya	23:25
12	Geofrey Naibei	Kenya	23:32
Full results

Teams

Rank	Team	Points
	Ethiopia Million Wolde 1 Haylu Mekonnen 3 Yibeltal Admassu 4 Alene Emere 8 (Yitbarek Eshetu) (9) (Hailemariam Tegafaw) (14)	16
	Kenya Richard Limo 2 Douglas Mumanyi 5 Reuben Kamzee 6 Titus Kipkemboi 7 (Abraham Cherono) (11) (Geofrey Naibei) (12)	20
	Morocco Adil Kaouch 10 Mustapha Mellouk 13 Driss Benismail 20 Hicham Lamalem 23 (Saïd Berrioui) (84)	66†
4	Japan	100
5	South Africa	102
6	Uganda	104
7	United States	152
8	Algeria	163
Full results

• Note: Athletes in parentheses did not score for the team result

^†: Ahmed Baday of  Morocco was the original 18th-place finisher in 24:18 min, but was disqualified for age falsification.^[41]

Senior women's race (8 km)

Main article: 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior women's race

Individual race

Rank	Athlete	Country	Time
	Sonia O'Sullivan	Ireland	25:39
	Paula Radcliffe	United Kingdom	25:42
	Gete Wami	Ethiopia	25:49
4	Merima Denboba	Ethiopia	25:56
5	Jackline Maranga	Kenya	25:56
6	Julia Vaquero	Spain	26:06
7	Jane Omoro	Kenya	26:07
8	Leah Malot	Kenya	26:16
9	Ayelech Worku	Ethiopia	26:17
10	Sally Barsosio	Kenya	26:27
11	Naomi Mugo	Kenya	26:33
12	Susan Chepkemei	Kenya	26:35
Full results

Teams

Rank	Team	Points
	Kenya Jackline Maranga 5 Jane Omoro 7 Leah Malot 8 Sally Barsosio 10 (Naomi Mugo) (11) (Susan Chepkemei) (12)	30
	Ethiopia Gete Wami 3 Merima Denboba 4 Ayelech Worku 9 Getenesh Urge 21 (Asha Gigi) (36) (Leila Aman) (39)	37
	United Kingdom Paula Radcliffe 2 Hayley Haining 13 Vikki McPherson 25 Liz Talbot 34 (Lucy Wright) (53) (Angela Joiner) (59)	74
4	Spain	93
5	United States	118
6	Japan	124
7	Australia	155
8	France	159
Full results

• Note: Athletes in parentheses did not score for the team result

Women's short race (4 km)

Main article: 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Women's short race

Individual race

Rank	Athlete	Country	Time
	Sonia O'Sullivan	Ireland	12:20
	Zahra Ouaziz	Morocco	12:34
	Kutre Dulecha	Ethiopia	12:37
4	Anita Weyermann	Switzerland	12:45
5	Restituta Joseph	Tanzania	12:46
6	Beatrice Omwanza	Kenya	12:47
7	Rodica Nagel	France	12:48
8	Elva Dryer	United States	12:51
9	Amy Rudolph	United States	12:51
10	Samukeliso Moyo	Zimbabwe	12:51
11	Genet Gebregiorgis	Ethiopia	12:52
12	Grethe Koens	Netherlands	12:56
Full results

Teams

Rank	Team	Points
	Morocco Zahra Ouaziz 2 Zhor El Kamch 13 Saliha Khaldoun 18 Seloua Ouaziz 24 (Samra Raif) (29) (Hasna Benhassi) (73)	57
	Ethiopia Kutre Dulecha 3 Genet Gebregiorgis 11 Alemitu Bekele 17 Yihunelesh Bekele 27 (Etaferahu Yimer) (32) (Elsabet Truneh) (50)	58
	United States Elva Dryer 8 Amy Rudolph 9 Molly Watcke 25 Kathy Franey 26 (Karen Candaele) (33) (Fran ten Bensel) (66)	68
4	Kenya	98
5	Romania	104
6	Spain	113
7	Italy	192
8	Zimbabwe	200
Full results

• Note: Athletes in parentheses did not score for the team result

Junior women's race (6 km)

Main article: 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior women's race

Individual race

Rank	Athlete	Country	Time
	Yimenashu Taye	Ethiopia	19:32
	Jeruto Kiptum	Kenya	19:34
	Worknesh Kidane	Ethiopia	19:34
4	Alemgena Bezabeh	Ethiopia	19:46
5	Vivian Cheruiyot	Kenya	19:47
6	Margaret Chepkemboi	Kenya	19:48
7	Agnes Kiprop	Kenya	19:57
8	Merima Hashim	Ethiopia	19:59
9	Emiko Kojima	Japan	20:02
10	Émilie Mondor	Canada	20:16
11	Prisca Ngetich	Kenya	20:16
12	René Kalmer	South Africa	20:17
Full results

Teams

Rank	Team	Points
	Ethiopia Yimenashu Taye 1 Worknesh Kidane 3 Alemgena Bezabeh 4 Merima Hashim 8 (Hareg Sidelil) (16) (Tereza Yohanes) (17)	16
	Kenya Jeruto Kiptum 2 Vivian Cheruiyot 5 Margaret Chepkemboi 6 Agnes Kiprop 7 (Prisca Ngetich) (11) (Salome Boiyo) (18)	20
	Japan Emiko Kojima 9 Yoshiko Fujinaga 14 Risa Tanaka 19 Miho Nakashima 24 (Chioko Sakaue) (29) (Kazuko Kanno) (48)	66
4	South Africa	98†
5	Morocco	114†
6	Finland	165
7	United States	191
8	Algeria	200
Full results

• Note: Athletes in parentheses did not score for the team result

^†: Nadia Ejjafini of  Morocco was the original 18th-place finisher in 20:43 min, but was disqualified for age falsification affecting the team scores.^[41]

Medal table (unofficial)

  *   Host nation (Morocco)

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Kenya	5	6	1	12
2	Ethiopia	4	3	6	13
3	Ireland	2	0	0	2
4	Morocco*	1	2	2	5
5	Great Britain	0	1	1	2
6	Japan	0	0	1	1
	United States	0	0	1	1
Totals (7 entries)		12	12	12	36

• Note: Totals include both individual and team medals, with medals in the team competition counting as one medal.

Participation

An unofficial count yields the participation of 707 athletes from 66 countries. This is in agreement with the official numbers as published.^[40]

•  Algeria (30)
•  Andorra (1)
•  Argentina (7)
•  Armenia (1)
•  Australia (15)
• Bahrain (1)
•  Belarus (2)
•  Belgium (4)
•  Botswana (6)
•  Brazil (22)
•  Burundi (1)
•  Canada (28)
•  Central African Republic (1)
•  Colombia (12)
•  Costa Rica (2)
• Côte d'Ivoire (4)
•  Croatia (4)
•  Ecuador (4)
•  Egypt (6)
•  Estonia (7)
•  Ethiopia (36)
•  Finland (12)
•  France (31)
•  Gabon (6)
•  Germany (7)
•  Greece (2)
•  Hong Kong (1)
•  Hungary (7)
•  Ireland (12)
•  Italy (29)
•  Japan (21)
•  Kazakhstan (5)
•  Kenya (36)
•  Lebanon (8)
•  Libya (4)
•  Mauritius (3)
•  Mexico (9)
•  Morocco (36)
•  Namibia (6)
•  Netherlands (8)
•  New Zealand (5)
•  Palestine (2)
•  Papua New Guinea (7)
•  Poland (3)
•  Portugal (21)
•  Romania (12)
•  Russia (6)
•  Rwanda (12)
•  Seychelles (4)
•  Slovakia (1)
•  South Africa (22)
•  Spain (36)
•  Sweden (1)
•   Switzerland (3)
•  Tajikistan (3)
•  Tanzania (7)
•  Tunisia (4)
•  Turkey (9)
•  Turkmenistan (8)
•  Uganda (5)
•  Ukraine (4)
•  United Arab Emirates (2)
• United Kingdom (35)
•  United States (35)
•  Yugoslavia (4)
•  Zimbabwe (19)

See also

• 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior men's race
• 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Men's short race
• 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior men's race
• 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior women's race
• 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Women's short race
• 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior women's race
• 1998 in athletics (track and field)