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December 2009
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Spain confident of more medals in Dublin |
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26.11.2009 |
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Spain has pinned high hopes on Nuria Fernandez for
the SPAR European Cross Country Championships
to be held in Dublin, Ireland, on 13 December.
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Spain has been one of the leading nations to grace the SPAR European Cross Country Championships, winning 18 team medals and 14 individual medals during the event's 15-year history.
Notable names at the championships have included the 2007 senior women's winner Marta Domínguez as well as three-time senior men's silver medallist Juan Carlos de la Ossa and Spain's head distance coach Luis Miguel Landa plans another assault on the podium in Dublin on 13 December.
Q: In less than three weeks time the 16th edition of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships will be held in Dublin. Can Spain finally win the senior men's individual title?
A: Our big hope is (Alemayehu) Bezabeh. He's a complete runner and a fighter. If his mental approach is good then he can win. He's a winner.
Q: What about the rest of the men?
A: In the juniors we have Toni Abadía, David Bustos (2009 European Athletics Junior Championships gold medallists over 1500m and 3000m Steeplechase) as well as Aitor Fernández (5000m bronze medallist in Novi Sad). It's team that should get on the podium. In the Under 23 race, we have lost some of or medal chances because our top runner Mohamed Elbendir (the 2009 European Athletics Under 23 Championships 5000m champion) has been ill and is very doubtful. In the seniors, we have three first class runners: Alemayehu Bezabeh, Ayad Landassem and Carles Castillejo. It's just a question of who will be the fourth scoring runner that can help lead Spain to another European cross country title.
Q: And the women?
A: In the juniors we've got two particularly good runners: Sandra Mosquera and Estefanía Tobal. However, we lack a good third runner of the same level. It has been like that in the recent past when Marta Romo and Cristina Jordan were juniors, and were among the finest in Europe, but we lacked a third runner.
Q: The senior women?
A: Rosa Morato (third in 2007) is getting in shape as we she hasn't had many competitions and I think she'll be among the leaders. The same can be said for Nuria Fernandez (who ran a Spanish indoor 1500m record of 4:01.77 last winter) who can still improve if she believes in herself at cross country. I hope that in Dublin they'll do very well. Behind them, there is a group of six runners of a similar level, who can help us to being one of the top five countries.
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Alemayehu Bezabeh is Spain's best bet in the senior
men's race at Dublin 2009.
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Q: And if the team will have Marta Domínguez?
A: With her in the team, things change but we know she can't run every race. Marta always has very clear objectives. In the next 12 months, she is focused on Barcelona 2010, the European Athletics Championship, where she will have some tough competition especially with the Russians.
Q: Do you miss Juan Carlos de la Ossa (who is currently recovering from injury)?
A: Of course, we miss him a lot. If he was in the team, it would be hard to let the senior men's team gold medal escape us. Having de la Ossa in the team helps create a good atmosphere and the younger runners can look to him as an example to follow. He's difficult to replace.
Q: Last Saturday, the IAAF chose Punta Umbria (near Huelva in the south of Spain) as the site for the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. What sort of impact do you think this will have?
A: An event of this magnitude will spur on any runner who has dreams of competing. This will give us a bigger pool of runners to chose our teams from in the future. There will also be promotions aimed at young distance runners. I think it will have a big impact on distance running (in Spain) in general.
With thanks to the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation.
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