Cross della Valsugana 2026: Korir and Chekwemoi win in Levico Terme
By AthRecs Editorial · 4 min read
Kenya's Felix Kiptarus Korir held off Emil Millán de la Oliva by six seconds. Uganda's Felister Chekwemoi won the women's race ahead of Sara Gandolfi and Nicole Reina at the season-opening Italian cross-country meeting.
Two international wins, an Italian double on the women's podium and a lively start to the domestic winter gave the Cross della Valsugana plenty to remember on Sunday 8 November 2026. Felix Kiptarus Korir won the men's race in 21:44 and Felister Chekwemoi took the women's title in 25:46 at Levico Terme in Trentino.
The event's fifteenth edition took place in Parco Segantini, near the shores of Lake Levico, and was classified as a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Bronze meeting. Both senior races covered 7.5km. Six seconds decided the men's first two places; eight seconds separated the women's winner and runner-up.
The results also belong to the Italian athletes who were chasing the visiting leaders. Sara Gandolfi and Nicole Svetlana Reina finished second and third among the women, and Francesco Alliegro placed fourth in the men's race. Their performances will matter to runners following the build-up to December's European Cross Country Championships as much as to those who came to watch the day's racing.
Korir wins the men's senior race by six seconds
Korir stopped the clock at 21:44, with Sweden's Emil Millán de la Oliva second in 21:50. Bahrain's Hassan Chani was third in 22:15, while Francesco Alliegro of Atletica Libertas Unicusano Livorno led the Italian finishers in fourth place with 22:32.
Germany's Artur Beimler, Portugal's Hélio Gomes and Italy's Luca Bonadiman completed the seven recorded finishers. Enrico Vecchi and Giuseppe Gerratana were listed as DNF by World Athletics. They were part of the race, but should not be assigned finish times or places.
The official results contain seven male finishers rather than a top ten; the complete finishing classification is shown below without inventing additional positions.
| Place | Athlete | Nation | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felix Kiptarus Korir | KEN | 21:44 |
| 2 | Emil Millán de la Oliva | SWE | 21:50 |
| 3 | Hassan Chani | BRN | 22:15 |
| 4 | Francesco Alliegro | ITA | 22:32 |
| 5 | Artur Beimler | GER | 24:06 |
| 6 | Hélio Gomes | POR | 24:25 |
| 7 | Luca Bonadiman | ITA | 30:29 |
Sources: World Athletics official 2026 Cross della Valsugana results · Italian Athletics Federation FIDAL: 8 November senior results
Chekwemoi wins as Gandolfi and Reina make the podium
Uganda's Felister Chekwemoi earned victory in 25:46. Sara Gandolfi crossed eight seconds later in 25:54, followed by Nicole Svetlana Reina in 26:01. The two Italians gave the home crowd plenty to celebrate without diminishing Chekwemoi's accomplished win.
Eda Jerotich of Kenya finished fourth in 27:31. Morocco's Khadija Benkassem was fifth in 28:21, with Italy's Monica Vagni sixth in 30:01 and Elektra Bonvecchio seventh in 31:10. Those were all seven athletes included in the official senior women's results.
Chekwemoi had already earned a bronze medal in the U20 race at the previous world mountain-running championships, according to FIDAL. Her victory in this senior cross-country race adds a different discipline to that story.
| Place | Athlete | Nation | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felister Chekwemoi | UGA | 25:46 |
| 2 | Sara Gandolfi | ITA | 25:54 |
| 3 | Nicole Svetlana Reina | ITA | 26:01 |
| 4 | Eda Jerotich | KEN | 27:31 |
| 5 | Khadija Benkassem | MAR | 28:21 |
| 6 | Monica Vagni | ITA | 30:01 |
| 7 | Elektra Bonvecchio | ITA | 31:10 |
Sources: World Athletics official women's 7.5km classification · FIDAL: Italian podium athletes and Chekwemoi background
Home honours in the U23 and junior races
Valeria Minati of US Quercia Dao Conad won the women's U23 race over 6km in 19:55. Lucia Arnoldo finished second in 20:10 and Carolina Fraquelli third in 20:30. FIDAL's Trentino report separately identifies Ireland's Lughaidh Mallon as the men's U23 winner in 18:10.
In the men's U20 race over 4.5km, Thomas Colombo won in 13:35, with Daniel Jeremy Allen and Riccardo Serafini completing the podium. Mimosa Miari Fulcis won the U20 women's race in 16:14. These results are distinct from the senior 7.5km classifications.
The local federation also highlighted Inas Saardi's victory among the U18 girls. The achievements are reported in their proper age groups, without creating or linking athlete profiles for junior competitors.
Sources: FIDAL Trentino: detailed category winners, 9 November · Official FIDAL competition register and results portal
The opening chapter of Italy's cross-country season
Organised by GS Valsugana Trentino, the Memorial Mauro Andreatta is named in honour of the club's former president and founder. The federation identified the meeting as the opening event of its national cross-country season, five weeks ahead of the European Championships in Belgrade on 13 December.
The Tour's Bronze designation puts this result into an international calendar without taking anything away from the national competitions happening within the same programme. Every athlete's official distance and category are essential to understanding the performance.
Sources: FIDAL organiser and event background · World Athletics Cross Country Tour meeting list
Quick answers
Who won the 2026 Cross della Valsugana?
Felix Kiptarus Korir of Kenya won the men's 7.5km race in 21:44 and Felister Chekwemoi of Uganda won the women's 7.5km race in 25:46 on 8 November 2026.
Who were the leading Italian finishers in Levico Terme?
Francesco Alliegro finished fourth in the men's race (22:32), while Sara Gandolfi (25:54) and Nicole Svetlana Reina (26:01) finished second and third among the women.
Was the 2026 Cross della Valsugana a World Athletics Tour meeting?
Yes. The 8 November 2026 edition was a Bronze-level meeting on the World Athletics Cross Country Tour.