Africa:Cross-country runners ready for Ethiopia

South Africa's preparation for the World Cross-Country Championships enters a crucial stage when some of the country's leading athletes compete at the 34th Janmeda International Cross-Country Championships in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sunday.

The annual event is coupled with the Ethiopia National Cross-Country Championships, and serves as Ethiopia's trials to select their team for the IAAF World Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland, on March 30.

"This is the kind of competition I need to prove that I can hold my own against the best in the world. As I focus my training for the world championships, this race is a brilliant test run," said Boy Soke, who hails from the Free State.

The two-time South African senior men's champion will also be defending his title at the regional championships in Lusaka, Zambia, on February 23.

Other athletes scheduled to compete in the senior men's 12km in Addis Ababa are Stephen Mokoka (Athletics Vaal Triangle), Tshamano Setone (Central Gauteng Athletics) and Siyabonga Nkonde (KwaZulu-Natal Athletics).

Marlise Nicolette Retief (Gauteng North), Ledile Violet Raseboya and Nicoleen van Rooyen, both from Central Gauteng, will be vying for success in the women's 8km.

Those set for the junior men's 8km race are Senzo Mandla Nkosi (KwaZulu-Natal), Sityhilo Diko (Transkei), Enoch Manyandi (Central Gauteng) and Khuthatso Voight Mokone (Free State), while Nandipha Patience Dywili and Pono Selina Mofokeng will sweat it out in the junior women's 6km. They are from Transkei and Vaal Triangle respectively. -- Sapa