Aniko Kalovics from Hungary on her way to second victory in the Cinque Mulini (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
The spirit of Cross Country is back to Portugal, especially in a place where the Cross Country Soul is still strong. Açoteias Village will host some of the great names of cross country.
The 32nd Almond Blossom Cross Country is an IAAF Cross Country Permit Meeting.
Next Sunday, the Algarve will host the 32nd Almond Blossom Cross Country, one of the most famous events in Portugal. Well known in all Europe, this event will be held in the same place where Portugal will host the 2010 European Cross Country Championships. Also is the same place where some runners, as Paul Tergat, John Ngugi, Carlos Lopes and others made history.
This year, with the support of town hall of Albufeira, the event will welcome an incredible group of elite runners.
Women
The line-up for the women event is arguably the strongest of the programme, the organizers having announced the presence of Latvia Jelena Prokopchuka, winner in the Almond Blossom Cross Country in 2006 & 2007.
She will face Russia’s Gulnara Galkina-Samitova, the 3000m Steeplechase Olympic champion and World record holder at the event; Poland’s Malgorzata Sobanska; Hungary’s Aniko Kalovics, winner of Bolzano and Campaccio 2008 cross countries and the S.Sebastian and Cinque Mullini cross countries this year; and Kenya’s Eunice Jepkorir, the 3000m steeple Olympic silver medallist.
In the Portuguese field, the major names of Fernanda Ribeiro, former Olympic, World and European 10,000 m champion, winner of the Almond Blossom Cross Country in 2003 and the Olympic athlete Ana Dias stand out among others.
Men
In the men’s event, the stronger name is that of Kenyan Kiprono Menjo, winner of this event in 2008, 8th placed in the 10,000m at the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Osaka. In the first line of the opponents we see the Russian Sergei Ivanov, 10,000m Russian record holder; and Estonian Pavel Loskutov, 2002 marathon European championships silver medallist.
In the Portuguese field, Rui Pedro Silva, national cross country champion in 2007 and 2008, 6th place in 2008 European Cross Country Championship; Fernando Silva, national cross country champion in 2005 and 2006, both members of the Portuguese team who achieved the European cup team cross country champion; Eduardo Mbengani, 38th in the 2008 European Cross Country Championships; and Hermano Ferreira, 2009 road race national championship silver medallist.
On the occasion of this event the organization will honour some of the Portuguese athletes who have won an Olympic medal, namely Rosa Mota, Carlos Lopes, Fernanda Ribeiro, Nelson Évora, Rui Silva, António Leitão and Francis Obikwelu.
António Manuel Fernandes for the IAAF
