Organisers CAA Date 12 March 2016 Nations participating 16 | Edition 4th Host city Yaoundé, Cameroon Athletes participating 151 | |
The 2016 African Cross Country Championships was the fourth edition of the international cross country running competition for African athletes organised by the Confederation of African Athletics. It was held on 12 March at the Yaounde Golf Club in Yaoundé, Cameroon – the first time a West African nation had hosted the event since its re-launch in 2011. There were four races on the program: 10 km for senior men, 8 km for senior women, 7 km for junior men and 5.5 km for junior women.
For a fourth successive time, Kenya dominated the event, led by men's winner James Gitahi Rungaru and women's winner Alice Aprot Nawowuna. The country also provided the junior winners (Miriam Cherop and Isaac Kipsang) and topped the team podium in all four races. Only two non-Kenyans won an individual medal: Phillip Kipyeko of Uganda was the men's runner-up and Eritrea's Aron Kifle took third in the men's junior race. Kenya swept the medals on the women's side, including a perfect score of ten in the junior race.
The men's race had 46 finishers, the men's junior race 43 finishers, 29 women finished the senior race, while the women's junior race had 33 finishers, making a total of 151 competitors. The competition had reduced international participation, with only 16 nations sending athletes – eight fewer than had done so in 2014.