Adriaan Wildschutt makes history at World Cross Country Championships

The American-based runner, who was born in Ceres in the Western Cape, crossed the line in 29:32 to claim 13th place, surpassing the previous benchmark of 15th set by the legendary Shadrack Hoff at the 1996 championships in Stellenbosch and later matched by Stephen Mokoka in Punta Umbria in 2011.

Wildschutt, the reigning national 10 000m champion, was the leading South African in the race and spearheaded Team South Africa to a ninth-place finish in the men’s team competition.

Fresh from a commendable 10th-place finish at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, he once again underlined his status as the country’s standard-bearer on the global stage.

Although he narrowly missed his personal target of a top-10 finish, Wildschutt said he was satisfied with his effort given the level of competition.

“I would have loved to achieve a top-10 finish, but as we all know, it’s really tough out here,” he told SABC Sport shortly after the race.

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His performance in Florida has added further momentum to an already impressive career that has seen him break the South African records over 3000m, 5000m and 10 000m.

Wildschutt is now turning his attention to the remainder of the season and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, scheduled for 23 July to 2 August.

“I’m really excited for the new year. I’ll probably take about a week to recover and travel back to South Africa. I have a couple of races coming up, but for now it’s about recovery and then looking forward to the rest of the season,” said Wildschutt, who plans to spend time with his family before resuming his international campaign.

In the women’s senior 10km race, Glenrose Xaba, who had been tipped as a leading contender in the six-member women’s squad, finished 34th in 34:51. 

The women’s team also placed ninth overall in the team standings, matching the men’s result.

Xaba, who was coached on the day by her club mentor Violet Semenya—appointed as the national coach for the championships—said she was pleased with her effort despite the demanding conditions.

“I did my best, but the course was very tough. I’m just excited that we did well as a team and that I was able to finish the course with my teammates,” she said.