Former Hawke’s Bay runner William Little is off to his second world cross-country championships as a result of a 10km road race win in Australia six weeks ago.

Little, almost 26 and son of Wairoa Mayor Craig Little and wife Jan, and who runs for Christchurch club Whippets, first represented New Zealand at the last championships in Belgrade in March last year.

He finished 63rd of 106 in the senior men’s race over 10km.

He qualified this year with a 28min 47sec personal best 10km road race time in winning the Run Prix on the Australian Formula 1 motor racing course in Melbourne on September 21.

Despite the success, he had to wait until last week before selection was confirmed, and he will be one of six senior men in an Athletics New Zealand team of 27 for the 2026 in Tallahassee, Florida, on January 10.

His biggest triumphs in New Zealand have been two national titles last year – one on the track and one on the road.

In March 2024, he won the men’s 5000m title at the national track and field championships in Wellington and, seven months later, the national 10km road title at Levels Raceway, Timaru, in a time of 29m 33s.

Also among the six senior men in the team is Wellington runner Toby Gualter, who won this year’s national 10km road title in Cambridge in August.