A large group of NN Running Team athletes is set to compete at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest from 19-27 August. We preview what to expect in the Hungarian capital.

Women’s 10,000m final – Saturday 19 August

Letesenbet Gidey will look to further cement her status as one of the finest female distance runners on the planet as she seeks to defend the world 10,000m crown she won in Eugene last year. The Ethiopian, who is the world record-holder for the 25-lap distance, produced an outstanding display in June to run the third fastest time in history for the women’s 5000m, clocking 14:07.94 to show she is in great nick.

Stella Chesang, who set a Ugandan record of 2:20:23 when running the Hamburg Marathon in April, is also entered in the 10,000m. 

Men’s 10,000m final – Sunday 20 August

Men’s 5000m heats – Thursday 24 August

Men’s 5000m final – Sunday 27 August

Joshua Cheptegei will look to add another chapter to his storied career as he competes in both the 5000m and 10,000m in Budapest. In the latter event, he will be bidding for a hat-trick of world titles having also triumphed in Doha (2019) and Eugene (2022). Joshua, the Olympic 5000m champion, will also look to add his first world title for the 12-and-a-half lap distance. In his most recent track outing in Lausanne, he ran 12:41.61 for second to register the seventh-fastest 5000m time in history.

Women’s marathon – Saturday 26 August

On the penultimate day of action in Budapest a strong contingent of four NN Running Team athletes will hit the streets of the Hungarian capital in the women’s marathon. Leading the challengers will be Yalemzerf Yehualaw, winner of the 2022 TCS London Marathon. It will be Yehualaw’s first world championship outing and with a marathon PB of 2:17:23 she will for sure be looking to perform her best in Budapest.

Yehualaw will be joined at the starting line by among others Lonah Salpeter, who will be hoping to upgrade on the bronze medal she won at the 2022 World Championship marathon in Eugene. A 2:17:45 marathoner at her best, the consistent Israeli will be seeking a fifth successive marathon podium. Look out too for Ethiopian Tsehay Gemechu, who in only her second career marathon posted a dazzling 2:16:56 for second in Tokyo earlier this year. Gemechu placed fourth in the 5000m at the 2019 World Championships.

Also entered is Kenya’s experienced Selly Chepyego, who won the 2022 Frankfurt Marathon and set a PB of 2:20:03 for second in the Barcelona Marathon earlier this year. 

Men’s marathon – Sunday 27 August

The NN Running Team will be confident of a strong showing in the men’s marathon, which takes place on the final day of the nine-day World Athletics Championships. Olympic silver medallist and Dutch record-holder (2:04:54) Abdi Nageeye will hope to challenge and rediscover the inspirational performance which propelled him to a podium finish at the Tokyo Games.

Ethiopian Leul Gebresilase (2:04:02) is a consistent marathon performer and showed by finishing fourth in the London Marathon in April in a handy 2:05:45 he too can feature. European marathon silver medallist Maru Teferi ran an Israeli record of 2:06:43 in Fukuoka in December last year and is another with strong championship credentials.

Turkish athlete Kaan Ozbilen also has a strong pedigree as evidenced by a PB of 2:04:16 set in Valencia four years ago. Another who knows how to perform on the championship stage is Uganda’s Victor Kiplangat, who claimed the Commonwealth marathon title in Birmingham last year. His PB of 2:05:09 set in Hamburg last year marks him out as another contender.

Kiplangat’s countryman Stephen Kissa makes his fourth World Championships appearance armed with the Ugandan national record of 2:04:48 dating from the 2022 Hamburg Marathon. Also entered is Merhawi Kesete of Eritrea, who clocked a PB of 2:06:36 at the 2021 Amsterdam Marathon.