Innes FitzGerald, Will Barnicoat and Phoebe Anderson help produce impressive medal haul, while Battocletti makes history and Ingebrigtsen returns with victory
The 30th edition of the European Cross Country Championships in Antalya (December 8) delivered exceptional performances, with Olympic medallists clinching medals in both the senior men’s and women’s events.
Great Britain once again emerged as the dominant force of the competition, leading the medal tally with an impressive 12 medals, including six golds, finishing seven medals ahead of Italy, who finished in second place.
The busy schedule came to a close as Jakob Ingebrigtsen made his return to the competition, as the Olympic 5000m champion reclaimed the senior men’s title. Having missed last year’s event due to injury, the Norwegian made his mark on the European stage, securing the victory he had previously claimed in 2021 and 2022.
Senior men’s race (Getty)
Shortly before, Italy’s Nadia Battocletti claimed her first senior women’s title, upgrading the silver she earned in Brussels last year. The European 5000m and 10,000m champion described her victory as completing the ‘tripletta’, having won golds in the under-20, under-23 and now senior categories – making history as the first woman to do so.
Italy also had another reason to celebrate, with their mixed relay team taking gold, while Niels Laros from the Netherlands told gold in the under-20 men’s race.
However, it was Great Britain that dominated the championships. Among the individual champions were Innes FitzGerald (under-20 women), Phoebe Anderson (under-23 women) and Will Barnicoat who retained his title (under-23 men).
Jess Bailey and George Couttie earned silver medals in their under-20 races, while David Stone secured bronze in the under-23 men’s event. The British mixed relay team also contributed to the medal haul with a silver.
Team successes were also a highlight for Great Britain. The women’s under-20 and under-23 teams, as well as the men’s under-23 team, all claimed gold medals. The senior women’s team earned silver, while the senior men’s team took home bronze. The only British team to fall short of a medal was the under-20 men’s squad, who finished in a narrow fourth place.
Innes FitzGerald (Getty)
FitzGerald dominates once again as Laros finally gets his victory
Innes FitzGerald entered the under-20 women’s race as the defending champion, having claimed the title in 2023. Despite the pressure of retaining her crown, the…
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