Adelina De Soccio (ITA) at the EAA press conference in San Giorgio su Legnano (© Bob Ramsak)
After nearly 24 hours of non-stop rain, the prevailing topic of discussion on the eve of the 13th SPAR European Cross Country Championships focused on a dirty three-letter word: mud. Thus even with a forecast calling for clear and cool skies for Sunday’s six races, competitors and spectators alike can expect conditions that will guarantee the truest test of cross country running.
For their part, many of the athletes expected to be key players in the hunt for the continental crowns don’t seem particularly worried about the conditions they’ll be facing, beginning with Sergey Lebid, who will be gunning for his sixth straight and seventh overall title.
“I’ve been training in Russia for the past month in bad weather conditions, so I’m not too concerned,” the 31-year-old Ukrainian said. “I know there will be a lot of mud, but I’m not too worried about it. We’ve had muddy courses in the past and I’ve run the same.”
Lebid, whose domination of the event over the past several years has made him the continent’s undisputed King of Cross Country, offered no predictions, but did say he’s arrived as ready as he’s ever been.
“I trained very hard again,” he said, “but this year will be particularly difficult because of many of the other athletes, especially from Spain and France. I’ll just do my best again.”
Others have arrived ready as well, including Briton Mo Farah, widely viewed as Lebid’s primary challenger.
“I know I’ve worked hard,” the 23-year-old said, whose breakthrough 2006 season was capped by a silver medal over 5000 metres at the European Championships last August.
“I’m definitely in better shape than last year. Last year I finished 21st and my aim this year is to finish in the top six. Sergey has won many times, and it’ll be very difficult. And there are others as well. There’s a lot of guys who can finish up there near the top. It all depends on the day and comes out and performs their best. It’ll not be easy at all.”
Farah too isn’t particularly preoccupied with the conditions he and others will face.
“I’ve run in the mud before, we’ll just see what happens.”
Italy’s Gabriele de Nard, who’ll be making his tenth appearance at these championships, welcomes the conditions.
“First and foremost the mud won’t be a problem,” said De Nard, whose best finish in nine races was a fourth place showing in 2001. “We’ve had very good results in muddy conditions. And on this Campaccio course we’ve had muddy conditions before, so we’re used to it.”
De Nard was referring to the annual Campaccio Classica race, which with this year’s European Championships celebrates its 50th anniversary. De Nard hopes that he can lead the Italian squad to a third podium appearance after a runner-up finish in 2004 and their team title in 1998.
Adelina De Soccio, the reigning continental junior 3000m champion, will be gunning for Italy’s first-ever women’s individual medal as she leads her squad in the new Under-23 category.
“It’s a good opportunity for younger athletes to compete and continue gaining experience,” said De Soccio. Just 20, De Soccio was a respectable fourth at the Cross Valle Del Chiese last month in her first race since early last summer. A distant 44th in last year’s junior race, the young Italian feels she can do much better tomorrow.
“I’m in good shape, so I hope the result can be much better than last year,” she said. “I had a problem with my hamstring last year so it was probably best not to race at all, but I decided to anyway because of my passion for racing. It was a good experience, so I don’t regret racing.”
The Championships schedule:
11:00 - Junior Women - 4100m
11:40 - Junior Men - 5975m
12:30 - Under 23 Women - 5975m
13:20 - Under 23 Men - 8030m
14:10 - Senior Women - 8030m
14:45 - Senior Men - 9950m
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
On the path to Mombasa 2007
Follow the entire 2006/2007 cross country season
on the IAAF Website.
News, features, results and photographs from of all the principal competitions right up to the season's climax on 24 March 2007, at the 35th IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Mombasa, Kenya.
