Lebid leads the list in Rovereto on Sunday

Serhiy Lebid of Ukraine.

Ukraine's nine-time SPAR European Cross Country Championships gold medallist Serhiy Lebid will take on a strong contingent of Ethiopian and Kenyan runners at the 35th edition of the Vallagarina Cross Country race in Rovereto, Italy, on Sunday (8.69 km).

The Italian meeting is first European Athletics Cross Country Permit Race of 2012 and Lebid will have his compatriot Vasyl Matviychuk alongside him on the start line.

Like Lebid, Matviychuk has triumphed at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships and won the 2001 junior men's race.

Italy will also be well represented in the 8.69km race, with Stefano La Rosa and Gabriele De Nard the main names. The pair were 14th and 17th respectively at the 2011 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Velenje, Slovenia, last month.

Hungary's Livia Toth and Italians Federica Dal Ri and Agnes Tschurtschenthaler and among the European contenders in the women's race over 5.59km.