The event is due to take place in Bathurst on February 18 after two postponements and will be the first edition of the Championships since Aarhus in Denmark in 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kenya's multiple world cross country gold medallist will be in the town 120 miles west-northwest of Sydney when some of the world’s current best athletes will descend on Mount Panorama looking to emulate him as a champion.

Tergat is one of the greats of long-distance running and it was in cross country that his success story really began.

The first of his five individual world cross country crowns were claimed in Durham in 1995 and he would go on to gain gold at the next four editions - in Stellenbosch in 1996, Turin in 1997, Marrakech in 1998 and Belfast in 1999.

Cross country running paved the way for his achievements on the road and track, which included multiple world records, two world half marathon titles, two Olympic 10,000 metres silver medals, and three 10,000m medals - two silvers and a bronze - at the World Championships.

"Cross country will always be a special event in my athletics career," said Tergat, now a member of the International Olympic Committee.

"It evokes very nostalgic and fond memories because this is really where my long athletics career was birthed, developed and blossomed, with the crowning of five straight World Cross Country Championships titles between 1995 and 1999.

"In cross country running, I picked up lifelong lessons after conquering diverse conditions, twists and turns, terrains, wetlands and barriers that define the athletics event."

It was in Australia that Tergat took part in one of the greatest races in history, finishing second in the Olympic 10,000m behind great Ethiopian rival Haile Gebrselassie in a race that was closer than the 100m.

World-class and mass runners prepare to take on the challenging Bathurst course in a town often referred to as the "Gold Country" as it was the site of the first gold discovery and where the first gold rush occurred in Australia.

Tergat, who also won individual and team titles for Kenya at each of those five editions of the World Cross Country Championships, reflected on the event in 1999 as his own competitive standout.

"Belfast remains an iconic race for its challenging, muddy course, but, most importantly, as the race in which I attained my historic fifth consecutive senior men's title and a 14th successive team title for my country," he said.

"This is the reason I have declared that race as 'the toughest yet, but the best'.

"For these and many other reasons, I never hesitate to make any contribution towards raising the profile of cross country as a central event for every athlete, from track to road running."