The noble banner blue of Fiji’s flag flew high thousands of miles away in the United States, when the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships got underway yesterday in Tallahassee, Florida.
Carrying the national flag there were long-distance athletes Yeshnil Karan and Ben Ashkettle.
Both athletes participated in the senior men’s 10km race, which consisted of five laps in a two-kilometre circuit.
Karan finished in 83rd with a time of 32:55, while Ashkettle finished 111th with a time of 37:07.
How Karan and Ashkettle performed in the raceKaran: split of 1km – in 104th place, time of 3 minutes, split 2km – 99, 6:10. split 3km – 98, 9:26, split 4km – 96, 12:45, split 5km – 95, 16.09, split 6km – 93, 19:32. split 7km – 90, 22:59, split 8km – 86, 26:24, split 10 – 83, 32:55.
Ashkettle: split of 1km – in 121st place, time of 3:24, split 2km – 122, 7:02, split 3km – 122, 10:41, split 4km – 118, 14:25, split 5km – 116, 18:16, split 6km – 117, 22:11, split 7km – 116, 26:05, split 8km – 115, 29:49, split 9km – 112, 33:35, 10km – 111, 37:07.
The race is designed as such to test endurance, strength and tactical awareness, with rolling terrain and technical sections that will compel athletes to exert their full energy in tough race conditions from start to finish.
Karan leads the contingent, while Ashkettle returned to the racetrack after a hiatus from the World Cross Country course.
Ashkettle has set personal bests in his athletics career, in the long-distance events such as the 10,000m, the half marathon, the 5000m short track, the 3000m steeplechase and the marathon.
According to World Athletics, he set a personal best of 28:52.72 on May 1, 2010 in the 10,000m race. In the half-marathon, he set a personal best of 1:04:12 on July 7, 2013, a personal best of 14:15.05 in the 5000m short track on January 26, 2013, a time of 9:01.02 on May 31, 2008 in the 3000m steeplechase and a personal best of 2:19.16 in the marathon on January 19, 2014.
Karan’s season bests last year vary in the long-distance athletics arena. He set a personal best of 9:02.08 in the 3000m steeplechase on April 12, 3:50.77 in the 1500m on September 14, 8:17.44 in the 3000m race on March 27, 30:19.92 in the 10,000m race on April 22 and in the 5000m, a personal best of 14:22.50 on March 6.
Both athletes are notable names in Fiji’s long-distance athletics scene and their representation there is set to garner widespread support from their families, friends, fellow athletes and ardent supporters of the game.
This is also a significant milestone for Karan; he will make his debut at the championship, the latest feather to his illustrious athletics stint on the international stage.
He began his athletics journey when he was still in secondary school at Tavua College in the Western Division and made a mark at the 2019 Coca-Cola Games when he beat the favourites from prominent schools to clinch gold in the senior boys 1500m final.
Ashkettle returned to the championships after time away from racing, and his participation according to Athletics Fiji on their official Facebook page was set to bring “experience, determination and resilience back into the international arena.”
