Claim: Belgium's Léon Schots, a Belgian former long-distance runner who competed in track and cross country running competitions, was the fastest athlete in the senior men's race (12.3km) at the 1977 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
Evidence: Léon Schots Belgium    4 37:43 37:48.2 37:52.2 37:53 Carlos Lopes Detlef Uhlemann Franco Fava Léon Schots (born 11 June 1952) is a Belgian former long-distance runner who competed in track and cross country running competitions.