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December 2009
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10 day countdown to Brussels |
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04.12.2008 |
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Defending champion Sergey Lebid of Ukrain remains
a top title contender in Brussels.
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It
was a duel that was supposed to happen 12 months ago on Spanish soil in Toro
but an ill-timed groin injury robbed Britain's Mo Farah of the chance to defend
the SPAR European Cross Country Championships title he won in 2006.
In
Farah's absence, Ukraine's Sergey Lebid regained his place on the top of
the senior men's medal podium, notching up his seventh victory in the event.
Now
it looks like the pair will stand together on the start line in Brussels' Park
de Laeken on December 14 and, with both men fully fit and determined to add to
their gold medal collection, the race could turn out to be one of the most
memorable in SPAR European Cross Country
Championships history.
"I
want to make up for missing out last year. I was very disappointed at not being
able to be in Toro," said Farah, who spent much of November training at
high altitudes in Ethiopia.
Altitude training has also figured in Lebid's preparations but he decided to go
in the opposite direction to his usual south Russian winter training base in
the mountains at Kislovodsk.
"I'm
the only person to have run in all 14 of the previous races so obviously I want
to keep my streak going. I would have to have a broken leg not to be at the
start in Brussels," joked Lebid, who is now 33-years-old.
Lebid had some injury problems during the summer, mainly hamstring and back
strains, but he has now fully recovered and relishing the prospect of the
showing his true colours.
"The weather has got cooler and I seem to be able to forget about any
problems I might have had earlier in the year," he added.
However,
it would also be foolish to discount the prospects of Sweden's Mustafa Mohamed,
who was third two years ago and second in Toro. The steeplechaser now wants to
complete his collection of medals from the SPAR European Cross Country
Championships.
The
women's senior race has historically been more unpredictable and with Spain's 2007 champion Marta Dominguez
not expected to defend her title, that trend could continue.
The
muddy conditions that are expected in Brussels doesn't usually favour runners
from southern Europe but Spain's Rosa Morató, third last
year on home soil, and Portugal's former European Junior cross country champion
Inês Monteiro
have shown ample early season form, while beating strong fields in local
races, to be considered as serious medal prospects.
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2006 winner Britain's Mo Farah is determined to
reclaim the title he failed to defend due to injury.
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Italy's
Andrea Lalli knows what it is like to have a SPAR European Cross Country
Championships gold medal hung around his neck after winning the junior race two
years ago and he could be in line for another, this time in the men's under-23
race, if he can reproduce the form which took him to victory at the Cross della
Volpe in November.
However,
Britain's Andy Vernon followed up his silver medal as a junior in 2005 with a
bronze in the under-23 catagory last year and should also be a strong contender for the top prize.
France's
Mourad Amdouni and the Ukraine's Dmytro Lashyn, the junior men's gold and
bronze medallists 12 months ago, may also be factors despite giving away a year
or two to most of their opponents.
The
women's under-23 favourite though is clear cut, with Romania's Ancuta Bobocel
looking to defend the title she won last year when she was only 20.
The
junior men's race is perhaps the hardest of the six races to predict who will
be in contention for the medals although four of last year's top 10 are
eligible to return.
By
contrast, the junior women's race will boast of the biggest favourite of the
day, Britain's Stephanie Twell.
Twell
has been first across the line for the last two years and, in addition to being
the Waterford Crystal European Athletics female Rising Star 2008, she won the
World Junior 1,500m title in the summer.
"There's
a degree of difficulty defending title because you have expectations of
yourself which can then add pressure but if you stay true to yourself and don't
get distracted and stay focussed on what you want to achieve, then anything is
possible," she commented recently.
Twell
will recognise some of her rivals in Brussels. Poland's 2007 silver medallist Danuta Urbanik is still a
junior and so too is Twell's compatriot Charlotte Purdue, the bronze medallist
last year.
The
team races are also an integral part of the SPAR European Cross Country
Championships and while this preview is being written before full squads are
known, it would be no surprise to have the British, French and Spanish national
anthems being played at some point during the day, just as they were 12 months
ago in Toro.
In depth previews will be available next week after the final enteries are known.
For more please click:
SPAR European Cross Country Championships
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