USA's Chris Derrick in the senior men's race (© Getty Images)
Having dominated their races at the National Cross Country Championships last month, Chris Derrick and Laura Thweatt are among the USA’s best hopes at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Guiyang 2015 on 28 March.
Derrick finished 10th at the last World Cross Country Championships, playing a valuable part in the USA’s silver medal in the team contest. Ryan Vail, his team-mate on that occasion, will also be in Guiyang.
Bobby Curtis finished second, albeit 30 seconds behind Derrick, at the US Cross Country Championships. This will be his third appearance at the championships, having competed in 2009 and 2010.
Maksim Korolev, winner of the recent Pan-American Cross Country Cup, is also on the team.
At 31 seconds, Thweatt’s margin of victory at the US Cross Country Championships was one second more than Derrick’s. Coming off a successful 2014 campaign in which she set PBs in every event she contested, from 800m to the half marathon, this will be the first time Thweatt has represented her country at a major championships.
Mattie Suver, who placed 26th at the last World Cross, finished second to Thweat at the US Cross Country Championships to book her spot on the team.
At 40 years of age, Jen Rhines is the oldest member of the team. The three-time Olympian has competed at the World Cross on four previous occasions, the most recent of those being in 2002 when she finished 12th.
IAAF
US team for Guiyang 2015
Senior men: Andrew Colley, Bobby Curtis, Chris Derrick, Maksim Korolev, Patrick Smyth, Ryan Vail
Senior women: Elaina Balouris, Brie Felnagle, Sara Hall, Jennifer Rhines, Mattie Suver, Laura Thweatt
Junior men: John Dressel, Cerake Geberkidane, Eric Hamer, Conner Mantz, Paul Miller, Paul Roberts
Junior women: Kaitlyn Benner, Valerie Constien, Lauren Gregory, Katie Rainsberger, Kelsey Schrader, Shaelyn Sorensen
