Sergiy Lebid (UKR) wins the 2002 European Cross Country title (© Athletics Images)
Medulin, CroatiaNudists come here for the sun in the summer, crabs gather here to mate in the spring, and on 8 December 2002, it was Europe's distance runners who visited Medulin, on the Istrian coastline of Croatia. The course for the 9th Spar European Cross Country Championships was simple, but the conditions were not. It was as windy as anyone could remember at a major athletics event. The gusts exceeded 70 kilometres per hour and seemed to get stronger as the afternoon progressed.
Men
This was a cagey race in which nothing of significance happened until two of the nine laps remained. It was then that the familiar figure of Ukraine's Sergey Lebid surged. Suddenly a group of 25 or so leaders was reduced to four: Lebid, Fabián Roncero (ESP), Mustapha Essaid (FRA) and Helder Ornelas (POR).
Ornelas took over the pace on the uphill stretch going away from the sea, but by the bell Roncero was in front and a chasing group of five had closed on the leading quartet. Essaïd then took his turn in front, but he and the others were blown away when Lebid kicked again just before the hill. He quickly opened up a huge gap and could afford to saunter home for the gold, just as he had in 2001.
Conversely, there was a furious sprint for the silver, which Ornelas appeared to be winning until he stumbled 40m or so before the line. This allowed Essaïd to take the silver from Roncero, who running without a shoe from about 3km led his country to the team title.
It was Lebid's fourth title from a championships which he has never missed. His complete record reads: 1994-79th, 1995-11th, 1996-58th, 1997-3rd, 1998-1st, 1999-7th, 2001-1st, 2000-2nd, 2001-1st, 2002-1st. Now he will concentrate on the long race at the World Championships in Lausanne. He plans to stick with 5000m for most of the summer, but may also go for one fast 10,000m in 2003.
Results
9830m (9 laps)
1, Sergey Lebid UKR 28:58
2, Mustapha Essaïd FRA 29:03
3, Fabián Roncero ESP 29:03
4, Eduardo Henriques POR 29:05
5, Helder Ornelas POR 29:08
6, Juan Carlos de la Ossa ESP 29:10
Teams
1, Spain 31
2, France 43
3, Portugal 57
Women
Last year's junior winner Elvan Abeylegesse was the favourite and was fresh from 48 days altitude training in Ethiopia. She lurked in the leading pack until the second lap, then she surged on the seaside path and built up a lead of 30m with two laps to go.
A powerful group of seven followed: Helena Javornik (SLO), Galina Bogomolova (RUS), Aniko Kalovics (HUN), Lidia Chojecka (POL), Hayley Tullett (GBR), Anita Weyermann (SUI) and Hafida Gadi-Richard of France.
Throughout the fourth lap, Javornik and Bogomolova surprisingly closed up on the adopted Turk. Abeylegesse was not finished and tucked in third place as Bogomolova struck in the final lap. She could not shake off the other two and with the finish in sight it was the 36 year-old Javornik who moved ahead to win and provide the biggest shock of the weekend.
"I'm a strong runner," said Javornik, "and this was a day for strong runners." Indeed she was, for only 14 days earlier she won the Florence marathon in 2:28:15, her 41st Slovenian record. Her partner and coach Borut Podgornik explained that he had urged Helena to take up karate in order to improve her aggression as a racer. "And on this course," he explained, "you had to fight the wind rather than your opponents."
Russia took the team gold, their seventh medal of the day. The country had only previously won a total of five medals in the history of these championships.
Results
6170m (5 laps)
1, Helena Javornik SLO 20:16
2, Galina Bogomolova RUS 20:18
3, Elvan Abeylegesse TUR 20:19
4, Anikó Kalovics HUN 20:21
5, Hayley Tullett GBR 20:15
6, Sonja Stolic YUG 20:27
Teams
1, Russia 48
2, Portugal 54
3, Great Britain & NI 80
Junior Men
The Russian twins, Yevgeniy and Anatoliy Rybakov, took up the pace from the start.
In the early stages, a large group were bunched at the front and Yevgeniy got shoved on the uphill section on the first lap. Past halfway the Rybakovs were still in front and the lead group had dwindled to eight.
With two of the five laps remaining, the Balkan Junior Champion Halil Akkas (TUR) made his bid for victory. He covered the penultimate (1220m) lap in 3:35, and at the bell had dropped all but the indefatigable Rybakovs. Akkas could not shake off the Russian pair, but he did pull the trio out of range of everyone else. In the straight, the 17 year-old twins in the front. It was Yevgeniy who proved the stronger and took the gold. The Rybakovs are from the Kemerova region of Siberia and will still be juniors in 2004
Russia led the team race from lap 2. Her strongest opposition came from the wind against which of course all competitors had to battle, but such was the strength of some of the gusts that after the medal ceremony, the Russian flag was blown off the winner's flagpole.
Results
6170m (5 laps)
1, Yevgeniy Rybakov RUS 18:16
2, Anatoliy Rybakov RUS 18:17
3, Halil Akkas TUR 18:23
4, Pieter Desmet BEL 18:35
5, Stefano Scaini ITA 18:36
6, Abdel Mamhoudi FRA 18:38
Teams
1, Russia 37
2, France 57
3, Italy 92
Junior Women
At the World Cross Country Junior race the previous March in Dublin, Britain's Charlotte Dale led in the opening stages before drifting back to 31st place. In Medulin, she sat back on the first lap, broke away on the second and held on grimly to cross the line in first place.
A group of 13 were in front after the first lap. The course turned downhill and right along the beach, and it was there on the second lap the Dale made her move. At the bell, the 18 year-old Britain had about 5m from a trio of Russians, Tatyana Petrova, Galina Yegorova and Marina Ivanova. Dale pushed on and Yegorova gradually closed on the climb.
Into the finishing straight, she, Petrova, Elina Lindgren of Finland and Adrienne Herzog of Hungary were poised to catch Dale. Lindgren almost drew level, only for the young Briton to respond and pull away again for the gold.
"They weren't going to take away my medal," she recalled. Dale led Britain to team gold and will be young enough to defend her title in 2003.
Results
3730m (3 laps)
1, Charlotte Dale GBR 12:26
2, Elina Lindgren FIN 12:27
3, Galina Yegorova RUS 12:28
4, Tatyana Petrova RUS 12:29
5, Adrienne Herzog NED 12:30
6, Asly Cakyr TUR 12:38
Teams
1, Great Britain & NI 27
2, Russia 35
3, Belgium 105
Mark Butler for the IAAF
(with thanks to Dave Martin - PA International - for the original news bulletin from Medulin).
The next European Cross Country Championships will be staged in Edinburgh on December 14, 2003.
