Beatrice Chebet set for fierce battle in World Cross Country t*tle defence
World Cross Country title defender Beatrice Chebet will have to beat a strong line-up if she has to retain her crown in Belgrade, Serbia, on March 30, 2024.
The Kenyan won the title last year during the Bathurst competition and will now face a star-studded line-up later this month.
Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who is a double Olympic champion and 10km road race world record-holder Agnes Ngetich, are going to challenge Chebet.
The 23-year-old has had a glittering career that includes successes at the 2019 World Cross Country Championships, where she won gold, a silver at the 2022 World Championships in the 5000m, and more crowns at the Commonwealth Games, African Championships, and Diamond League final.
In a recent interview, Chebet revealed her expectations for the Belgrade run.
"My hope is to make it safely through the Kenyan trials for the World Cross Country Championships.
"Once I make it to Belgrade, I will do my best to improve on the bronze medal I won in Bathurst last year," she told World Athletics. 
2024 hopes
Looking forward to the 2024 competitions, Chebet said it will be a busy year, and she expects to perform well in all the competitions she will take part in.
"I’m taking things one step at a time.
"My first hope is to qualify for the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade this March and to run well there. We have a long season ahead of us because it’s an Olympic year," she continued.
In Bathurst, Chebet took individual bronze in the senior women’s race, helping Kenya secure the team gold medal.
She went on to set track personal bests of 8:32.62 for 3000m, 14:36.70 for 5000m, and 31:34.83 for 10,000m, the latter when finishing sixth at the World Championships in Budapest during the Athletics Championship.
