Russia's Inga Abitova will try to add a gold medal at the 2006 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in the Italian town of San Giorgio su Legnano on December 10 to the one she won over 10,000m at the European Athletics Championships this summer.

Abitova has only raced twice internationally since her victory in Gothenburg, setting a new personal best over 3,000m in Birmingham a week after she won her first major title on the track and then helping Russia to second place in the Chiba International Ekiden just over a week ago.

The 24 year-old from Samara was a key member of the Russian women's team that won the team title in Tilburg 12 months ago, leading them home in seventh place.

Accompanying Abitova in the five-woman Russian team will be Marina Konovalova, who finished just two places behind her compatriot at the 2005 SPAR European Cross Country Championships.

Konovalova is the reigning Russian champion and also won the European Champion Clubs Cup race earlier this year in February.

Alvetina Ivanova is an interesting selection for the Russian senior women's team as she has yet to run a cross country race in 2006 but her credentials include finishing an impressive 10th in the World Cross Country Championships short race in 2005.

The return of the Rybakovs

The Russians will also be among favourites for both individual and team honours in the inaugural under 23 men's race as their team contains both the redoubtable Rybakov twin brothers Yevgeniy and Anatoliy, who were the junior men's gold and silver medallists respectively in both 2002 and 2003.

Russia has never won the junior women's individual title but Viktoriya Ivanova could present a challenge to the Romanian favourite Ancuta Bobocel.

Ivanova finished 11th as a 17 year-old last year and during the summer she was the leading European in the World Junior Championships 3,000m when she finished fifth.

Even if she doesn't manage to beat Bobocel, with another year left in the age group, Ivanova is still expected to present her candidacy as the women to watch in the 2007 junior race when the SPAR European Cross Country Championships will be held in the Spanish town of Toro.