European XC - Age-group titles
Noureddine Smail
From what looked like a great course, perfect weather conditions and a sizable Dublin crowd, the 2009 SPAR European Cross Country Championships went with a bang today in Santry Park…
With relatively short races the age-group races were always bound to be close. And so it proved with three of the four junior and u-23 titles all going down to the wire. Closest of all was probably the men’s juniors, where Belgian Jeroen D’Hoedt never really looked in trouble, but you have to wonder what would have happened if GB athlete Nick Goolab had gone a little earlier.
JUNIOR WOMEN’S FINAL: Grøvdal gets Norway’s first ever gold
Norway’s Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal got her country’s first ever gold medal in the history of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships when she romped to victory in the Irish capital, covering the 4039m course in 14:10.
Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal
JUNIOR MEN’S FINAL: Belgium’s D’Hoedt turns back the clock
It has been a decade since Belgium won a gold medal at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships but Jeroen D’Hoedt ran a tactically perfect race to add his name to the country’s long and historic roll of honour at the discipline.
UNDER 23 WOMEN’S FINAL: Turkey’s Haydar gets it right this time
Last year Turkey’s Sultan Haydar made an audacious bid from the gun to win at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships but it all dramatically fell apart halfway into the race.
Britain's Steph Twell - flopped
UNDER 23 MEN’S FINAL: France’s Smail proves he can run Cross Country
There is no doubting the talent on the track of France’s Noureddine Smail, who won the 2007 European Athletics U23 Championships 5,000m gold medal and also got a silver this summer at the same event.
