1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

The 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on 27 and 28 March 1999. The races were held at the Barnett Demesne/Queen's University Playing Fields in Belfast, United Kingdom. Reports of the event were given in The New York Times,^[1][2] in the Herald,^[3] and for the IAAF.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9]}

1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
Organisers	IAAF
Edition	27th
Date	27–28 March
Host city	Belfast, United Kingdom
Venue	Barnett Demesne/Queen's University Playing Fields
Events	6
Distances	12 km – Senior men 4.236 km – Men's short 8.012 km – Junior men 8.012 km – Senior women 4.236 km – Women's short 6.124 km – Junior women
Participation	759 athletes from 66 nations
← 1998 Marrakech 2000 Vilamoura →

Complete results for senior men,^[10][11][12] for senior men's teams,^[10][13][14] for men's short race,^[15][16][17] for men's short race teams,^[15][18][19] for junior men,^[20][21][22] for junior men's teams,^[20][23][24] senior women,^[25][26][27] for senior women's teams,^[25][28][29] for women's short race,^[30][31][32] for women's short race teams,^[30][33][34] for junior women,^[35][36][37] for junior women's teams,^[35][38][39] medallists,^[40] and the results of British athletes who took part^[41] were published.

Medallists

Event	Gold		Silver		Bronze
Individual
Senior men (12 km)	Paul Tergat  Kenya	38:28	Patrick Ivuti  Kenya	38:32	Paulo Guerra  Portugal	38:46
Men's short (4.236 km)	Benjamin Limo  Kenya	12:28	Paul Kosgei  Kenya	12:31	Haylu Mekonnen  Ethiopia	12:35
Junior men (8.012 km)	Haylu Mekonnen  Ethiopia	25:38	Richard Limo  Kenya	25:43	Kipchumba Mitei  Kenya	25:45
Senior women (8.012 km)	Gete Wami  Ethiopia	28:00	Merima Denboba  Ethiopia	28:12	Paula Radcliffe United Kingdom	28:12
Women's short (4.236 km)	Jackline Maranga  Kenya	15:09	Yamna Belkacem  France	15:16	Annemari Sandell  Finland	15:17
Junior women (6.124 km)	Worknesh Kidane  Ethiopia	21:26	Vivian Cheruiyot  Kenya	21:37	Yoshiko Fujinaga  Japan	21:41
Team
Senior men	Kenya	12	Ethiopia	57	Portugal	76
Men's short	Kenya	14	Morocco	45	Ethiopia	55
Junior men	Kenya	16	Ethiopia	24	Tanzania	77
Senior women	Ethiopia	18	Kenya	27	Portugal	94
Women's short	France	40	Ethiopia	48	Morocco	69
Junior women	Ethiopia	20	Kenya	31	Japan	46

Race results

Senior men's race (12 km)

Main article: 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior men's race

Individual race

Rank	Athlete	Country	Time
	Paul Tergat	Kenya	38:28
	Patrick Ivuti	Kenya	38:32
	Paulo Guerra	Portugal	38:46
4	Joshua Chelanga	Kenya	39:05
5	Evans Rutto	Kenya	39:12
6	Paul Koech	Kenya	39:51
7	Mohammed Mourhit	Belgium	40:09
8	Jon Brown	United Kingdom	40:09
9	Habte Jifar	Ethiopia	40:21
10	Domingos Castro	Portugal	40:25
11	Assefa Mezegebu	Ethiopia	40:33
12	Róbert Štefko	Slovakia	40:39
Full results

Teams

Rank	Team	Points
	Kenya Paul Tergat 1 Patrick Ivuti 2 Joshua Chelanga 4 Evans Rutto 5 (Paul Koech) (6) (Tom Nyariki) (39)	12
	Ethiopia Habte Jifar 9 Assefa Mezegebu 11 Girma Tolla 17 Tesfaye Tola 20 (Ayele Mezegebu) (26) (Tegenu Abebe) (37)	57
	Portugal Paulo Guerra 3 Domingos Castro 10 Eduardo Henriques 14 Alberto Maravilha 49 (Alberto Chaíça) (68) (João Junqueira) (71)	76
4	Spain	103
5	Morocco	108
6	Italy	125
7	United States	133
8	United Kingdom	159
Full results

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

Men's short race (4.236 km)

Runners in action at the championships

Main article: 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Men's short race

Individual race

Rank	Athlete	Country	Time
	Benjamin Limo	Kenya	12:28
	Paul Kosgei	Kenya	12:31
	Haylu Mekonnen	Ethiopia	12:35
4	Million Wolde	Ethiopia	12:36
5	James Koskei	Kenya	12:38
6	Daniel Gachara	Kenya	12:41
7	Abdellah Béhar	France	12:44
8	John Kosgei	Kenya	12:45
9	El Hassan Lahssini	Morocco	12:47
10	Mohamed Amyn	Morocco	12:50
11	Adil Kaouch	Morocco	12:52
12	Adam Goucher	United States	12:53
Full results

The starting point of the race

Teams

Rank	Team	Points
	Kenya Benjamin Limo 1 Paul Kosgei 2 James Koskei 5 Daniel Gachara 6 (John Kosgei) (8) (Stephen Rerimoi) (14)	14
	Morocco El Hassan Lahssini 9 Mohamed Amyn 10 Adil Kaouch 11 Ahmed Baday 15 (Hicham Bouaouiche) (22) (Abdelhak El Gorch) (73)	45
	Ethiopia Haylu Mekonnen 3 Million Wolde 4 Alene Emere 18 Berhanu Addane 30 (Debebe Lobegach) (72)	55
4	France	77
5	Algeria	100
6	United Kingdom	122
7	Italy	125
8	Spain	145
Full results

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

Junior men's race (8.012 km)

Main article: 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior men's race

Individual race

Rank	Athlete	Country	Time
	Haylu Mekonnen	Ethiopia	25:38
	Richard Limo	Kenya	25:43
	Kipchumba Mitei	Kenya	25:45
4	Abiyote Abate	Ethiopia	25:46
5	Albert Chepkurui	Kenya	26:01
6	Sammy Kipketer	Kenya	26:06
7	Duncan Lebo	Kenya	26:14
8	Faustin Baha	Tanzania	26:15
9	Kenenisa Bekele	Ethiopia	26:27
10	Yibeltal Admassu	Ethiopia	26:28
11	Hailemariam Tegafaw	Ethiopia	26:59
12	Alene Emere	Ethiopia	27:00
Full results

Teams

Rank	Team	Points
	Kenya Richard Limo 2 Kipchumba Mitei 3 Albert Chepkurui 5 Sammy Kipketer 6 (Duncan Lebo) (7) (Christopher Soget) (14)	16
	Ethiopia Haylu Mekonnen 1 Abiyote Abate 4 Kenenisa Bekele 9 Yibeltal Admassu 10 (Hailemariam Tegafaw) (11) (Alene Emere) (12)	24
	Tanzania Faustin Baha 8 Michael Hiiti 13 Martin Sulle 15 Jumanne Tuluway 41	77
4	Morocco	79
5	Algeria	116
6	United States	126
7	Spain	160
8	Japan	178
Full results

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

Senior women's race (8.012 km)

Main article: 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior women's race

Individual race

Rank	Athlete	Country	Time
	Gete Wami	Ethiopia	28:00
	Merima Denboba	Ethiopia	28:12
	Paula Radcliffe	United Kingdom	28:12
4	Ayelech Worku	Ethiopia	28:15
5	Susan Chepkemei	Kenya	28:21
6	Jane Ngotho	Kenya	28:29
7	Jane Omoro	Kenya	28:40
8	Helena Sampaio	Portugal	28:42
9	Leah Malot	Kenya	28:49
10	Deena Drossin	United States	28:53
11	Leila Aman	Ethiopia	28:55
12	Restituta Joseph	Tanzania	29:07
Full results

Teams

Rank	Team	Points
	Ethiopia Gete Wami 1 Merima Denboba 2 Ayelech Worku 4 Leila Aman 11 (Asha Gigi) (32) (Meseret Kotu) (64)	18
	Kenya Susan Chepkemei 5 Jane Ngotho 6 Jane Omoro 7 Leah Malot 9 (Agnes Kiprop) (16)	27
	Portugal Helena Sampaio 8 Ana Dias 13 Conceição Ferreira 30 Mónica Rosa 43 (Marina Bastos) (DNF) (Teresa Nunes) (DNF)	94
4	Australia	111
5	Romania	121
6	Japan	132
7	United Kingdom	134
8	United States	136
Full results

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

Women's short race (4.236 km)

Main article: 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Women's short race

Individual race

Rank	Athlete	Country	Time
	Jackline Maranga	Kenya	15:09
	Yamna Belkacem	France	15:16
	Annemari Sandell	Finland	15:17
4	Kathy Butler	Canada	15:30
5	Restituta Joseph	Tanzania	15:31
6	Alemitu Bekele	Ethiopia	15:37
7	Asmae Leghzaoui	Morocco	15:40
8	Teresa Wanjiku	Kenya	15:41
9	Fatima Yvelain	France	15:44
10	Blandine Bitzner-Ducret	France	15:47
11	Constantina Diţă	Romania	15:49
12	Kutre Dulecha	Ethiopia	15:50
Full results

Teams

Rank	Team	Points
	France Yamna Belkacem 2 Fatima Yvelain 9 Blandine Bitzner-Ducret 10 Celine Rajot 19 (Rodica Nagel) (46) (Joalsiae Llado) (69)	40
	Ethiopia Alemitu Bekele 6 Kutre Dulecha 12 Lulit Legesse 14 Genet Gebregiorgis 16 (Yimenashu Taye) (17) (Getenesh Urge) (33)	48
	Morocco Asmae Leghzaoui 7 Seloua Ouaziz 13 Zhor El Kamch 24 Saliha Khaldoun 25 (Bouchra Benthami) (38)	69
4	Kenya	72
5	Romania	93
6	United Kingdom	125
7	Ireland	159
8	Canada	165
Full results

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

Junior women's race (6.124 km)

Main article: 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior women's race

Individual race

Rank	Athlete	Country	Time
	Worknesh Kidane	Ethiopia	21:26
	Vivian Cheruiyot	Kenya	21:37
	Yoshiko Fujinaga	Japan	21:41
4	Hareg Sidelil	Ethiopia	21:44
5	Naoko Sakata	Japan	21:46
6	Merima Hashim	Ethiopia	21:50
7	Helena Volná	Czech Republic	21:53
8	Pamela Kiyara	Kenya	21:59
9	Elvan Abeye	Ethiopia	22:03
10	Flomena Cheyech	Kenya	22:07
11	Jackline Chemwok	Kenya	22:14
12	Elizabeth Rumokol	Kenya	22:15
Full results

Teams

Rank	Team	Points
	Ethiopia Worknesh Kidane 1 Hareg Sidelil 4 Merima Hashim 6 Elvan Abeye 9 (Hirut Abera) (14) (Bezunesh Bekele) (34)	20
	Kenya Vivian Cheruiyot 2 Pamela Kiyara 8 Flomena Cheyech 10 Jackline Chemwok 11 (Elizabeth Rumokol) (12) (Deborah Chepkorir) (16)	31
	Japan Yoshiko Fujinaga 3 Naoko Sakata 5 Yoshiko Watanabe 18 Rina Fujioka 20 (Kazuko Kanno) (24) (Hiromi Fujii) (27)	46
4	South Africa	92
5	Zimbabwe	143
6	United States	170†
7	Algeria	173†
8	Russia	174†
Full results

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

^†: Nadia Ejjafini of  Morocco was the original 21st-place finisher in 22:37 min, but was disqualified for age falsification.^[42]

Medal table (unofficial)

  *   Host nation (Great Britain)

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Kenya	6	6	1	13
2	Ethiopia	5	4	2	11
3	France	1	1	0	2
4	Morocco	0	1	1	2
5	Portugal	0	0	3	3
6	Japan	0	0	2	2
7	Finland	0	0	1	1
	Tanzania	0	0	1	1
Totals (8 entries)		12	12	11	35

• 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 759 athletes from 66 countries. This is in agreement with the official numbers as published.^[41] The announced athlete from  Equatorial Guinea did not show.^[16][17]

•  Algeria (24)
•  Andorra (1)
•  Argentina (5)
•  Australia (18)
•  Azerbaijan (1)
•  Belarus (24)
•  Belgium (9)
•  Bolivia (1)
•  Brazil (23)
•  Bulgaria (1)
•  Canada (33)
•  Cape Verde (1)
•  Chile (5)
•  Colombia (12)
•  DR Congo (1)
•  Croatia (4)
•  Czech Republic (1)
•  Denmark (1)
•  Ecuador (4)
•  Egypt (8)
•  Estonia (3)
•  Ethiopia (34)
•  Fiji (6)
•  Finland (11)
•  France (16)
•  Germany (2)
•  Guatemala (8)
•  Hong Kong (1)
•  India (24)
•  Ireland (36)
•  Israel (3)
•  Italy (27)
•  Japan (22)
•  Kazakhstan (3)
•  Kenya (34)
•  Kyrgyzstan (6)
•  Lesotho (5)
•  Mauritius (7)
•  Mexico (6)
•  Morocco (29)
•  Namibia (3)
•  Netherlands (10)
•  New Zealand (5)
•  Palestine (6)
•  Poland (2)
•  Portugal (19)
•  Romania (12)
•  Russia (10)
•  Seychelles (4)
•  Slovakia (2)
•  Slovenia (3)
•  South Africa (25)
•  Spain (35)
•  Sweden (2)
•   Switzerland (1)
•  Tajikistan (4)
•  Tanzania (12)
•  Tunisia (7)
•  Turkey (14)
•  Turkmenistan (13)
•  Ukraine (4)
• United Kingdom (36)
•  United States (36)
•  Uzbekistan (9)
•  Yemen (8)
•  Zimbabwe (17)

See also

• 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior men's race
• 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Men's short race
• 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior men's race
• 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior women's race
• 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Women's short race
• 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior women's race
• 1999 in athletics (track and field)