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Legends of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships quiz

Preview | Rising Nordic talents to clash in the U20 races in La Mandria Park

Final entries published for 2022 SPAR European Cross Country Championships

European silver medallist Teferi triumphs in the Fukuoka Marathon in 2:06:43 

Flashback to San Giorgio su Legnano 2006 | Farah’s first senior triumph

Flashback to Ferrara 1998 | The reign of Radcliffe and Lebid begins

Ingebrigtsen and Grøvdal to defend titles at SPAR European Cross Country Championships

Reh downplays her individual prospects but positive about team chances in Turin 

Alina Reh booked her place on the German team for the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Piemonte-La Mandria Park on 11 December with decisive victory at the German Championships on Saturday (26).
Reh has been one of Europe's leading cross country exponents in recent seasons, winning the U23 title at the European Cross Country Championships in 2017 ahead of Konstanze Klosterhalfen before stepping up to win senior bronze in 2021 against one of the strongest fields ever assembled at the European Cross Country Championships.
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But the build-up to this year's championships has been far from perfect. In an interview with Leichtathletik.de following her victory at the German Cross Country Championships, Reh talks about the challenges she has faced since the European Athletics Championships in Munich and her expectations at this year's European Cross Country Championships.
The interview conducted by Birte Grote can be read in full in German <a href="https://www.leichtathletik.de/news/news/detail/77396-alina-reh-die-zeit-nach-der-em-war-mental-echt-hart" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.&nbsp;
Alina Reh, congratulations on the title and the strong race! At the finish you looked so incredulous. This must have been a really emotional day for you.
Alina Reh: Yes, it was because I wasn't expecting it at all. We set off on Thursday and I didn&rsquo;t actually want to come along. I felt so bad; the last few days nothing went well in training. Then I&nbsp;drove here with the T&uuml;bingen team and that seemed to be the right decision.
Were there any doubts during the race or did they disappear with the starting gun?
Alina Reh: In any case, there were still doubts in the first lap. Then I asked myself: why was the pace so slow. I thought I'd try it from the beginning and I got into the race and then felt pretty good until the end. But I've been thinking about whether I'll make it through to the end.
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The women's race was extremely packed. In addition to the already very successful runners such as Hanna Klein and Miriam Dattke, young runners like Eva Dieterich and Emma Heckel are also very strong. Did you feel that extra pressure?
Alina Reh: Yes, in any case. I stood at the starting line and thought: if I finish in the top-10 today, that's perfectly okay. I also had a really difficult time after the European Championships in Munich. It was really tough mentally. I'm now training in T&uuml;bingen with Hanna [Klein] and Eva [Dieterich] and I know how strong they are and how they run away from me in training.
So you mostly surprised yourself today?
Alina Reh: I was really surprised that I found my stride in the race. Maybe it went well because it feels better running up front rather than running at the same speed in tenth place. The fact that I didn't have any expectations of myself at all obviously did me good.
The last European Cross Country Championships was very successful with individual bronze and team silver. Do you already have expectations for this year's European Championships in Italy?
Alina Reh: No, I don't have those expectations yet. A few hours ago I wasn't even expecting to qualify. That's why I have to put that into perspective a bit. Maybe I just had a good day today. I know my current form is far from what I was able to do last year. I'm happy to go the European Cross Country Championships but I also don't want to stir up false expectations. Maybe I can help the team.
Have you been able to talk a little with the women's team about what your expectations are?&nbsp;
Alina Reh: Not yet. I'm sure that with a strong women's team we can pull something together and, like last year, we can rock it.
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What kind of course would you like: a lot of mud or not that much?
Alina Reh: Last year the course in Dublin was fine. There were only a few section that were a bit muddy. I hope it won't be as bad as it was at the German Cross Country Championships in Sonsbeck last year. That was really bad.
How are you preparing for the European Cross Country Championships?
Alina Reh: We're going to the high-altitude training centre in Herxheim with my training group for four days. This is the first time I will be there. I'm definitely very excited about that.
You have already indicated the European Championships in Munich were difficult and that you had to either stop or drop out of your races there. It looked like you were struggling with a stomach ache.
Alina Reh: Yes, it was stomach pain from all the pressure I was putting on myself. This made me sick to my stomach. That wasn't my European Championships, I wasn't myself. In the end, the head obviously counts for more than the pure form. It's not easy when you're constantly struggling with doubts and a lack of self-confidence.
Did you take a break from running afterwards?
Alina Reh: Yes, I had a complete break. I didn't feel like running at all. Everything felt heavy and the lightness was missing. We are now working on them step-by-step. I don't think there is one right key to mental problems. Everyone has to find their own way there.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen isn&rsquo;t the only athlete who is currently cresting an impressive win streak at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
Nadia Battocletti still has a little bit of catching up to do if she wants to emulate Ingebrigtsen&rsquo;s five successive titles and counting but Battocletti will be in contention to win a fourth consecutive gold medal in Piemonte-La Mandria Park on 11 December.
After winning back-to-back U20 titles in 2018 and 2019, Battocletti recovered from a mid-race stumble to win U23 gold in Fingal-Dublin last December and she will be looking to bow out of the age-group ranks in auspicious style in front of her home fans next month.
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And the early signs are Battocletti is on course to achieve this objective. In her first race since finishing seventh in the 5000m final at the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships, Battocletti finished a competitive sixth against a strong line-up at the Cross de Atapuerca on Sunday (13).&nbsp;
By contrast, Battocletti finished 12th in the same race last year en route to gold in Dublin and she also took the notable scalp of European 10,000m champion and four-time European cross country champion Yasemin Can who finished eighth yesterday.&nbsp;
And all being well, the likelihood is Battocletti will only get faster and fitter in the weeks leading up to the SPAR European Cross Country Championships. She only resumed training in early October after a track season which was punctuated by illness and injury.&nbsp;
"After the European Championships in Munich it was all uphill. When I returned from Germany, I discovered I had mononucleosis - and all that goes with it in terms of physical fatigue," revealed Battocletti as quoted by FIDAL.
"I stayed still for a month-and-a-half until the beginning of October. For about a month I have started training again and finally I am back in control of my body."
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A sixth-place finish in Atapuerca marked a strong return to form for Battocletti. Her next race is likely to be the Cross Internacional de la Constitucion in Alcobendas on 27 November before the SPAR European Cross Country Championships on the outskirts of Turin looms into view.
"We are on the right path. I leave this race [in Alcobendas] very happy and satisfied, after a period of ups-and-downs. There was a question mark about my condition due to the mononucleosis after the European Championships in Munich," said Battocletti.&nbsp;
As well as her three individual titles, Battocletti has been at the forefront of strong Italian teams through the age-group ranks at the European Cross Country Championships. Alongside her individual medals, Battocletti also anchored Italy to gold in the U20 race in 2018 and the U23 race in 2021.
For Battocletti, the team race at home in Piemonte-La Mandria Park also represents a significant goal.&nbsp;
"I have always experienced the European Cross Country Championships with peace of mind, without anxieties and pressures. I am convinced I will be ready again this time, to try to defend my title and that of the team. Basically we are the same, the block is always athletes who were born in 2000: I am thinking of [Anna] Arnaudo, [Lucia] Cavalli and [Giovanna] Selva," said Battocletti.&nbsp;
And aside from her personal ambitions next month, what else is Battocletti hoping for at next month's SPAR European Cross Country Championships?
"I would like a lot of people on the course," she said. "There are always a lot of people abroad. In Italy, I would like there to be twice as many!"

On the comeback from illness, Battocletti targets individual and team success at the European Cross

European Athletics is very saddened to hear of the death of German discus thrower <a href="https://www.european-athletics.com/historical-data/athletes/germany/michael-mollenbeck-014193436" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael M&ouml;llenbeck</a> after a long illness at the age of 52.
M&ouml;llenbeck was a perennial member of German teams for major competitions for more than a decade and he was at the height of his powers in the early 2000s. He won bronze medals at the 2001 and 2005 World Athletics Championships as well as a bronze medal at the 2002 European Athletics Championships in Munich.
M&ouml;llenbeck also represented Germany at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games with his best result being a 10th-place finish at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
But his international career dates back to the 1987 European U20 Championships where he finished sixth in the colours of West Germany. He surpassed the 60 metre-barrier in no fewer than 18 years between 1990 and 2009 and achieved his lifetime best of 67.64m in 2002.
M&ouml;llenbeck, who also surpassed the 65 metre-line in 13 successive seasons between 1995 and 2007, retired in 2009 after just missing out on a place on the German team for the World Athletics Championships in Berlin.
"Michael M&ouml;llenbeck was not only an excellent discus thrower; he has also become a good friend to me over the years. I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to his family," said his long-time coach Miroslav Jasinski.

German discus great Möllenbeck dies at the age of 52

Reigning champion Axel Vang Christensen from Denmark leads a continental field brimming with talent and ability in the men's U20 race at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Piemonte-La Mandria Park on Sunday (11).
The calibre of the race is such the entry-list features no fewer than five athletes who have bettered European records at either U18 or U20 level in 2022 as well as all three individual medallists from last year&rsquo;s U20 race in Fingal-Dublin.
Only 17 at the time, Christensen was the most dominant winner in the Irish capital twelve months ago, striding away in the early stages of the U20 6km and amassing an unassailable winning margin of 25 seconds over Norway&rsquo;s Abdullahi Dahir Rabi and his more fancied Danish teammate Joel Ibler Lilles&oslash;, the European U20 5000m champion.
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Rabi went on to break the long-standing European U20 10,000m record this summer with 28:11.71 while Lilles&oslash; eclipsed a certain Jakob Ingebrigtsen&rsquo;s European indoor U20 record with 7:48.34 a few weeks later but neither of them could match Christensen&rsquo;s catch-me-if-you-can tactics on a rolling, muddy cross country course last year.&nbsp;
Christensen's track season was sadly abbreviated by a heavy fall in the 3000m steeplechase heats at the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships where he was stretchered off the track but the reigning champion took ownership of a European U20 record earlier in the summer with a 8:29.18 clocking over the barriers.
That fall didn't do any lasting damage to Christensen who has since relocated from Denmark to Great Britain where he trains and studies at the University of Birmingham. In his last major assignment before Turin, the 18-year-old tested himself against the seniors over 10km at the British trial race in Liverpool where he acquitted himself well with a seventh-place finish. He could have placed higher if it wasn&rsquo;t for another mid-race fall on a particularly muddy part of the course.
By virtue of a 2004 birthdate, Christensen is also eligible for the U20 race at the next edition of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Brussels.
Younger still is Niels Laros, 17, from the Netherlands who is due to make his European Cross Country Championships debut on Sunday after a breakthrough track campaign which saw him nominated for the Rising Star award at the Golden Tracks.
Laros glided to the 1500m and 3000m titles at the European Athletics U18 Championships in Jerusalem before tearing the record books asunder, revising the European U18 bests at 1500m (3:39.46) and 3000m (7:48.25). He also showed his range with a hand-timed 1:46.3 800m clocking.
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The distance of six kilometres might be - for now at least - at the upper end of Laros&rsquo; repertoire but the youngster is still an exciting addition to arguably the strongest ever men&rsquo;s U20 field at the European Cross Country Championships.&nbsp;
In terms of recent cross country form, three of the protagonists crossed paths in the U20 race at the Warandecross in Tilburg in mid-November. On that day, Rabi won over 6.2km in 18:05 ahead of Lilles&oslash; (18:07) with Laros third (18:18).
Only one point separated Great Britain and Ireland in the team race last year. Great Britain&rsquo;s leading counter on that day Will Barnicoat returns to team duties while the Irish team is headed by Dean Casey and reigning European U20 3000m champion Nick Griggs, both of whom scored for Ireland&rsquo;s silver medal-winning team in Dublin.
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With only three to score, Denmark and Norway should also be in contention for team medals. Norway&rsquo;s second counter is likely to be Andreas Fjeld Halvorsen, the silver medallist behind Laros in both the 1500m and 3000m at the European Athletics U18 Championships.&nbsp;
And the Nordic theme looks set to continue in the women&rsquo;s U20 race.
<h2>A Danish double in the U20 races in La Mandria Park?&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>
Sofia Th&oslash;gersen was only 15th in last year's race but having accumulated another year of endurance and racing experience, the 17-year-old Dane is expected to improve significantly on this showing in the U20 4km race in La Mandria Park.
Th&oslash;gersen demonstrated both her strength and ability at the European Athletics U18 Championships by winning two medals on the same day. After winning bronze in the 2000m steeplechase on a brutally hot morning in Jerusalem, Th&oslash;gersen returned to the track later in the day to win the 3000m title with a near 60 second last lap.
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And Th&oslash;gersen recently defeated one of her main rivals for the title at the Nordic Cross Country Championships in Kristiansand last month, beating Norway&rsquo;s European U20 1500m champion Ingeborg &Oslash;stgard by one second.
&Oslash;stgard, who also competed for Norway in the 1500m at the European Athletics Championships in Munich this summer, won silver in Dublin last year and will be looking to upgrade to gold in her last significant competition as a junior.&nbsp;
Finland's main hope of an individual medal at the championships will fall on the shoulders of European U20 3000m champion Ilona Mononen who finished fifth last year.&nbsp;Surprisingly, the Finns have only won one gold medal in the history of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships. That came courtesy of Annemari Sandell who won senior gold in the second edition of the championships in 1995 as a junior at the age of 18.
The junior races were only added to the programme in 1997 and the women's category has been dominated by athletes from Great Britain who have scooped an astonishing 25 of the 48 individual and team titles on offer.&nbsp;
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With last year&rsquo;s winner Megan Keith graduating into the U23 ranks where she is due to take on Italy's home favourite Nadia Battocletti, the British hopes are headed by Innes Fitzgerald. Only 16, Fitzgerald has already broken the nine minute-barrier for 3000m and won the trial race in Liverpool by 18 seconds.
Other medal candidates include Hungary&rsquo;s Greta Varga - who finished seventh in this race in 2019 aged 15 - and the highly rated Turkish middle distance runner Ayca Fidanoglu, the silver medalist in the 1500m at the European Athletics U18 Championships.&nbsp;
Steven Mills for European Athletics

Rising Nordic talents to clash in the U20 races in La Mandria Park

In the third of four themed features ahead of this year&rsquo;s SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Piemonte-La Mandria Park on 11 December, we look back at when Italy staged the championships for the second time in San Giorgio su Legnano in 2006.
<h2>Farah caps breakthrough season with gold</h2>
Mo Farah was narrowly outkicked by Spain&rsquo;s Jesus Espana for the 5000m title in a classic race at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg but the Brit found redemption with a long run from home in the senior men&rsquo;s race in San Giorgio su Legnano.
Strengthened by a stint at high altitude in Kenya, Farah put 10 seconds between himself and some of Europe&rsquo;s leading endurance athletes with a decisive and sustained surge with one lap to go. The Brit covered the 9.95km course in 27:56, winning his first major continental title by a comfortable margin.
Initial silver medallist Fernando Silva from Portugal (28:03) was eventually disqualified for a doping violation which elevated Spain&rsquo;s Juan Carlos de la Ossa (28:06) and Sweden&rsquo;s Mustafa Mohamed (28:08) into silver and bronze respectively.&nbsp;
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"I&rsquo;m perfectly pleased with how it worked out. I definitely worked hard for it. And it&rsquo;s been a really good year for me. I&rsquo;ve been injury-free and that&rsquo;s been the main thing," said Farah, who fulfilled some of his early promise that summer by improving his 5000m lifetime best from 13:30.53 to 13:09.40.
Among the athletes who trailed in Farah&rsquo;s wake was Ukraine&rsquo;s Serhiy Lebid. The six-time champion was beset with breathing difficulties and faded back to 11th, his lowest finish at the championships he was already synonymous with in 10 years.&nbsp;
"I was very surprised," said Farah on Lebid&rsquo;s demise. "When we began the last lap, I noticed that he was about 10 metres back, and just thought: 'Whoa.' But that was when I had to make my move."
Their careers might have gone in divergent directions after 2006 but Lebid can boast a rare victory over Farah - who would win another seven European titles not to mention countless global accolades - in a major continental competition.
After regaining his title in Farah&rsquo;s absence in 2007, their paths crossed again in 2008. Lebid would outpace Farah on the uphill section in the last 600 metres in Brussels for his eighth title before winning gold for an unprecedented ninth and final time in 2010.
<h2>Holovchenko stuns everyone, including herself, for senior women&rsquo;s gold</h2>
There was a Ukrainian winner in 2006 but from a rather unexpected source.&nbsp;
In a women&rsquo;s race which was admittedly lacking in a clear favourite, Tetyana Holovchenko seized the race as she kicked to what was - and what would remain - the biggest victory of her career.
It would be wrong to say that Holovchenko lacked credentials but the Ukrainian was much more renowned for her middle distance exploits. She had scant experience at distances beyond 3000m and very little in the way of demonstrable cross country form.
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Even the winner herself did not expect to leave with a gold medal for posterity. "I never expected to win. I thought that a place in the top three was within my reach,&rdquo; said Holovchenko, who was 50th in her only prior appearance at the European Cross Country Championships.
The European 1500m finalist had no trouble adapting to a course measured at a fraction over 8km. She took up the initiative in the early stages, looked comfortable on the flat but slightly churned up terrain and kicked away from Russia&rsquo;s Mariya Konovalova for victory by one second, 25:17 to 25:18.
Serbian veteran Olivera Jevtic rallied in the late stages to win the bronze medal in 25:21 ahead of Hungary&rsquo;s Aniko Kalovics. This marked not only a return to the podium after a six year absence for Jevtic but also a fifth bronze medal at the European Cross Country Championships.&nbsp;
And the race for the team title couldn&rsquo;t have been closer. Both Great Britain and Portugal were tied on 47 points and even though the first two British counters - 2004 winner Hayley Yelling and Jo Pavey in sixth and eighth respectively - were ahead of the first Portuguese athlete - Jessica Augusto in ninth - Portugal shaded the title by virtue of their fourth counter outperforming her British counterpart.
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And that race within a race couldn&rsquo;t have been closer either. Both counters shared an identical time but Monica Rosa finished that all-important one place ahead of Kate Reed. That was enough to secure a tense and dramatic team title.&nbsp;
If there was a pre-race favourite, that honorific went to Russia&rsquo;s Inga Abitova, the recently crowned European 10,000m champion. However, an out-of-sorts Abitova was never in contention and finished more than one minute behind the winner in 31st-place.
<h2>Familiar faces contend for the U20 titles</h2>
In the women&rsquo;s U20 race, Stephanie Twell won her first of three individual and team U20 titles ahead of a 16-year-old Karoline Bjerkeli Gr&oslash;vdal from Norway with another championship stalwart Ancuta Bobocel from Romania coming away with the bronze.&nbsp;
That silver was the first of eight individual medals that Gr&oslash;vdal would accrue, a record for a female athlete at the European Cross Country Championships. Gr&oslash;vdal would win the U20 title in Dublin 2009 before finally striking a long sought-after senior title in the same city last year.
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And another record-breaking athlete won gold in the U20 men&rsquo;s race. Andrea Lalli strode to individual gold on home soil and also led Italy to a triumphant team title.&nbsp;
Lalli went on to win the U23 title two years later before winning the senior title in sub-zero temperatures in Budapest in 2012. He remains the only athlete - male or female - to win individual gold medals across all three categories at the European Cross Country Championships.
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The U23 races were introduced to the programme for the first time in 2006 - albeit as exhibition events for the first edition - with the view of facilitating the transition from the U20 to the senior ranks.&nbsp;
Turkey&rsquo;s Binnaz Uslu, who was to serve two doping bans in a chequered career, won the first instalment of the women&rsquo;s U23 race ahead of eventual two-time senior winner Fionnuala McCormack while Hungary&rsquo;s Barnabas Bene moved through the ranks, following his U20 wins in 2004 and 2005 with a victory in the U23 race.
Thanks to the efforts of Farah and Twell, Great Britain topped the medal table at the 2006 European Cross Country Championships which saw what was at the time a record 509 athletes register.
Steven Mills for European Athletics

Final entries for the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Piemonte-La Mandria Park near Turin on 11 December have been published and can be viewed <a href="https://downloads.european-athletics.com/a081d82b-9714-4cfe-b4e5-56114d389bb8/EXCH 2022 - Final Entries Athletes List By Event (2).pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
All six individual champions from the 2021 European Cross Country Championships will be in action at this year's championships which will be streamed live through the European Athletics website.&nbsp;
Having won four U20 titles between 2016-19, Jakob Ingebrigtsen will be targeting his sixth successive title while Norwegian teammate Karoline Bjerkeli Gr&oslash;vdal will be looking to add to her tally of eight individual medals, a record for a female athlete at the European Cross Country Championships.
Reigning champion and home favourite Nadia Battocletti from Italy takes on last year&rsquo;s U20 gold medallist Megan Keith from Great Britain in the U23 race while Great Britain&rsquo;s Charles Hicks renews his rivalry with Ireland&rsquo;s Darragh McElhinney and Ruben Querinjean from Luxembourg, the silver and bronze medallists behind Hicks in the U23 race last year.&nbsp;
Denmark's Axel Vang Christensen was the most dominant winner last year, striding to an opposed victory in the U20 6km by 25 seconds.
Still only 18, Christensen faces a field which includes Norway&rsquo;s Abdullahi Dahir Rabi and Danish teammate Joel Ibler Lilles&oslash;, the silver and bronze medalists behind Christensen last year.
In total, four gold medallists from the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships will be competing in La Mandria Park including Jakob Ingebrigtsen who will be targeting his third European title in 2022 after defending his 1500/5000m titles in the Bavarian capital.&nbsp;
European 5000m and 10,000m champions Konstanze Klosterhalfen and Yasemin Can will be two of Gr&oslash;vdal&rsquo;s chief rivals in the senior women&rsquo;s race while European 3000m steeplechase champion Topi Raitanen competes for Finland in the mixed relay.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The oldest competitor registered for the European Cross Country Championships is Gibraltar's Maurice Turnock (48y 221d on race day) in the senior men's race and the youngest competitor is Romania&rsquo;s Alexandra Maria Hudea (16y 8d) in the U20 women's race.
In depth previews of the upcoming SPAR European Cross Country Championships will be published on the European Athletics website from Monday onwards and there will be comprehensive coverage of the championships across all of our social media channels.&nbsp;

Contesting his fourth marathon of the year, Maru Teferi from Israel won the Fukuoka International Marathon on Sunday (4) in a national record of 2:06:43.
Teferi ran near-identical halfway splits of 63:20/63:23 to eclipse his previous national record of 2:06:58 which was set in the Seville Marathon this February and secure the biggest victory of his rapidly developing career.
He also became just the third European winner of this historic race this century after Ukraine&rsquo;s Dmytro Baranovskyy (2006) and Norway&rsquo;s Sondre Nordstad Moen (2017).
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Teferi was involved in that memorable race at the European Athletics Championships in Munich where he was unexpectedly run down in the last 100 metres by a charging and inspired Richard Ringer.
And even though Teferi had to settle for silver individually, he did lead Israel to the team title in the marathon in the Bavarian capital.
In an exceptionally busy year, Teferi was also eleventh at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in 2:07:59.
<h2>Fast times and national records everywhere in Valencia</h2>
In another record-breaking edition of the Valencia Marathon on Sunday (4), Turkey&rsquo;s Kaan Kigen Ozbilen was the pick of the performers from a European standpoint.
Ozbilen moved through the field in the last 10 kilometres and eventually finished fifth in 2:04:36, the second fastest time of his career after his since-beating European record of 2:04:16 which was set on this course in 2019.
France&rsquo;s Nicolas Navarro was the second European finisher in 13th in a lifetime best of 2:07:01, just ahead of European 10,000m silver medallist Zerei Kbrom Mezngi from Norway who clocked 2:07:09 on his debut at the distance.
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Tariku Novales was the leading Spanish finisher in 16th in a lifetime best of 2:07:18, just ahead of 41-year-old Spanish record-holder Ayad Lamdassem in 17th in 2:07:39.
In the women&rsquo;s race, Croatia&rsquo;s Bojana Bjeljac was the leading European finisher in 14th in a national record of 2:23:39, one place ahead of Italy&rsquo;s Giovanna Epis who improved her lifetime best to 2:23:54.
And Marta Galimany also improved the long-standing Spanish record with 2:26:14, breaking Ana Isabel Alonso&rsquo;s previous benchmark of 2:26:51 which dates back to 1995.
<h2>Elsewhere around Europe&hellip;</h2>
Germany&rsquo;s Sara Benfares, 21, ran a fast road 5km in Hyeres, France on Sunday, setting a national record of 14:58.
Only Sifan Hassan (14:38) and Eilish McColgan (14:45) have run faster among Europeans this season. It was also the fastest ever run by a European athlete at U23 level.&nbsp;
Reigning European U18 400m hurdles champion Bastian Elnad Aurstad broke one of Karsten Warholm&rsquo;s Norwegian records in his first race of the indoor season in Steinkjer on Saturday (3).
Still only 17, Elnan Aurstad clocked 47.07 to break Warholm&rsquo;s Norwegian indoor U20 record of 47.25. His time was also a European indoor U18 best.&nbsp;

The latest in an occasional series profiling European Athletics Young Leaders features a Question-and-Answer session with Latvia&rsquo;s Rebeka Ozolniece
Ozolniece, 22, is one of the youngest head of communications working in a European Athletics Member Federation.
She was the Latvian representative at the European Athletics Young Leaders Forum held in Munich during the European Athletics Championships in August.
What&rsquo;s your current involvement in athletics?
It&rsquo;s been a little bit more than a year since I started to work with the Latvian athletics federation as their head of communications. Before that, I spent almost 13 years as an athlete myself [she was a Latvian U20 combined events international], so this relatively new environment was not completely alien to me.
I just started to understand and explore the same people, groups, structures, rules and problems but from a different perspective. I want to believe that my involvement in athletics will be long-lasting, at least I&rsquo;m doing my best to provide new ideas, solutions, and knowledge.
This past year I&rsquo;ve been meeting people from other member federations, and people who are working for World or European Athletics because I believe learning and then later teaching is the key to making our sport better.
How did you become a European Athletics Young Leader?
My rollercoaster ride as a Young Leader started two years ago. At that time I was studying at university and in the student union, also in the role of head of communications.
During my last year in university, I started my current job in athletics, and from there I started my journey as a Young Leader in the context of sports.
What was the best experience you had at the Young Leaders Forum in Munich?
The opportunity to meet many people who are working in sports, not only in athletics, gives me hope that more and more people are starting to look at change as having a positive impact on the future.
I have experienced that people fear to change no matter their age but the Young Leaders Forum brought together people who believe in a better future, better solutions, in a better environment in sports so this is the best experience from this Forum.
Have you experience as a volunteer in the past?
I&rsquo;m not very experienced as a volunteer in sports myself. I&rsquo;ve done some small things while I was a young athlete like volunteering at competitions. Right now, volunteering is one of the things that I want to implement in my federation in order to give young people the opportunity be involved in sports events and understand that this is one of the choices they can make for their future. I believe that all it takes is a little push from people who care and more young people will choose to being involved and stay in this area of our sport.
What did you take back to Latvia from the Forum?
Lots of ideas and the energy to continue my journey in sports.
<img src="https://assets.european-athletics.com/34a18b9f-bd29-493c-9c51-0e0a88d6f5ea?width=1700&amp;height=1133" alt="1 728" />
Do you think that this kind of project is important?
it is because it&rsquo;s not comparable with anything else. It is crucial to create a project like this so that young people can raise their voices, find their place and be like sponges, who are absorbing everything that comes their way.
If there were no such projects, then there will be far fewer people with a true passion for sport. It is very easy to lose people that are worthy, talented, and capable of big things but have not been in the right place with the right people.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Right now, I can&rsquo;t give a clear answer, but I would not hide the fact that usually most people work for their national federation see that the next logical steps would be working for European Athletics or World Athletics. Even though I have only been working for my national federation for little more than a year, my commitment to make athletics stronger and better has risen. 
I want to believe that in the next few years, I&rsquo;ll have made some impact and can move forward with my next challenge. In other words, I believe that in 10 years I&rsquo;ll be able to call myself an expert in my area and will be proud of the impact that I would have left on my country
You are one of the youngest people in a management role in a European Athletics Member Federation, how do you feel about it?&nbsp;
This is my favourite question. I won&rsquo;t say that seems unusual or wrong to me because I don&rsquo;t believe in judging people by their age if I&rsquo;m speaking about roles, the only thing that matters is a person's commitment.
Of course, it is a little different path if you start your career this young, especially in a position where people usually expect to see someone a bit older, but then again is it a problem? Not for me, I feel confident about the things I have done and things I am doing, and if I ever have doubts about something because of lack of experience then I ask and I learn.

Latvia's Young Leader Rebeka Ozolniece communicates her values and skills

European Athletics Partner Mondo have provided the track surface for another three stadiums close to the French capital where teams will prepare ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Notable among the new facilities is the Stade Municipal Georges-Lef&egrave;vre, housed in an almost- idyllic woodland area near the town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the western suburbs of Paris.
The new track &ndash; which is home to local club Club Athletique De L&rsquo;Ouest&nbsp;78 &ndash; was opened in early October by the Mayor of Saint-Germain-en-Laye Arnaud P&eacute;ricard and the French Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games Am&eacute;lie Oud&eacute;a-Cast&eacute;ra with 2021 European Athletics U20 Championships hammer silver medallist Rose Loga and 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships 60m hurdles bronze medallist Aurel Manga, who both hail from the area, also in attendance.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
C&rsquo;est un moment symbolique pour <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaintGermainenLaye?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SaintGermainenLaye</a> : ➡️​ nous avons d&eacute;sormais un stade complet d&rsquo;athl&eacute;tisme ; ➡️ Roger Gicquel a &eacute;t&eacute; porteur de la flamme olympique en 1967 et fondateur des Foul&eacute;es de Saint-Germain. Il est une v&eacute;ritable m&eacute;moire du sport saint-germanois.
&mdash; Arnaud P&eacute;ricard (@Arnaud_Pericard) <a href="https://twitter.com/Arnaud_Pericard/status/1576168629388779520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
Great Britain&rsquo;s athletics team is expected to use the Stade Municipal Georges-Lef&egrave;vre Stadium and the accompanying sports complex as part of their preparations for Paris 2024.
At last year&rsquo;s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Great Britain sent 77 competitors for the athletics events and won two silver and three bronze medals.
The town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye has also been awarded a Terre de Jeux 2024 label, which is given to local areas that promote developed and inclusive participation in sport, at town and regional levels, ahead of Paris 2024.
The Stade Robert-Bobin in Bondoufle, about 28 kilometres north of the centre of Paris, has also been undergoing renovation, whcih includes the installation of a new track, with work having started on 7 June as it has also been designated as a preparation centre ahead of Paris 2024.
<img src="https://assets.european-athletics.com/20fbac49-3f1d-44ad-9f8f-12dfa6584ae7?width=1024&amp;height=768" alt="1024px Stade Robert Bobin" />
Like Stade Municipal Georges-Lef&egrave;vre, the Stade Robert-Bobin &ndash; named after the French international triple jumper and record holder in his specialist event who later became the President of the French athletics federation &ndash; the new track will also be a Mondo product.
The Stade L&eacute;o Lagrange in the town of Epinay-sur-Seine just north of Paris itself will also be a training centre for the many athletes competing in the Olympic Games in less than two years town and it also has a Mondo track, which is also used by the local Club Sportif Multisections d'Epinay-Sur-Seine on almost daily basis.
Several indoor arenas in France with Mondo tracks have also been announced as Olympic preparation centres.
Among them is the Stade Couvert&nbsp;St&eacute;phane Diagana in Eaubonne &ndash; just five kilometres from Epinay-sur-Seine or roughly 13 minutes at race pace for 2022 European Athlete of the Year Jakob Ingebrigtsen &ndash; which has a reputation for being one of the busiest indoor athletics facility in France, and Europe.
As well as being a World Athletics Certified Indoor Facility &ndash; one of five in France but the only one in the central &Icirc;le-de-France region, which encompasses Paris and more than 12 million inhabitants &ndash; the Stade Couvert St&eacute;phane Diagana is not only open almost daily for training but also expected to stage more than 20 indoor meetings of all different levels and standards between the start of November this year and the end of February 2023

More Mondo facilities to be used in Paris 2024 preparation

European Athletics has pleasure in announcing that it signed a four-year Partnership Agreement with the renowned track manufacturer Conica until the end of 2026.
Conica will have the status of being a Preferred Supplier of European Athletics in the &lsquo;tracks and sport flooring&rsquo; category and will be designated as an Official Supplier at events where their tracks are used.
The European Athletics events covered by the agreement are:
<ul>
<li>2024 and 2026 European Athletics Championships</li>
<li>2023 and 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships</li>
<li>2023 and 2025 European Athletics Team Championships 1st Division</li>
<li>2023 and 2025 European Athletics U23 Championships</li>
<li>2023 and 2025 European Athletics U20 Championships</li>
<li>2024 and 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships</li>
</ul>
As a Preferred Supplier/Official Supplier of European Athletics, Conica will benefit from core marketing rights that include advertising board visibility at the above events, exposure on Eurovision&rsquo;s pan-European free-to-air broadcast coverage and European Athletics live streaming, digital rights, digital exposure via European Athletics communications channels, ticketing, and VIP hospitality. &ldquo;I am very happy to welcome Conica into the European Athletics family. A number of Europe's leading athletics meetings have been held on Conica tracks in recent years so we have known for a long time, and at firsthand, how good their products are. I am sure this will be a very productive partnership for our sport as both Conica and European Athletics have the same core values including a dedication and devotion to developing our wonderful sport with both of us also committed to making athletics more sustainable,&rdquo; said European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov.
&ldquo;The cooperation with European Athletics is fully aligned with our corporate strategy, especially as we have started to focus even more strongly on international expansion in the sports and leisure sectors this year," commented Conica Chief Commercial Officer Lara Guillod. "We can offer system solutions in sports facility construction that can be tailored to climatic conditions and the specific requirements of a sport. This is especially relevant to athletics in Europe and it is motivated by Conica&rsquo;s ambitions of always providing the best track an athlete can get, wherever they may be," she added.&nbsp;
&ldquo;This is the latest in a series of Partnership Agreements that European Athletics have signed during 2022 and once again shows the strength of our brand and the commercial value it holds, especially in the wake of our hugely successful European Athletics Championships in Munich this summer that we can proudly say was the best ever,&rdquo; said European Athletics CEO Christian Milz.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; *****
About Conica Conica has been developing and manufacturing innovative seamless flooring solutions for sports, games and leisure for over 40 years. Conica is one of the world's market leaders and innovation drivers in this field.&nbsp;
The user-oriented requirements for technical and sports functional performance as well as usability while guaranteeing the health aspects of the material itself, and for the user, are the focus of Conica's product development.&nbsp;
Conica is part of the Serafin group of companies based in Munich, Germany.

Conica signs four-year Partnership Agreement with European Athletics from 2023

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SPAR has been the principal sponsor of European Athletics since 1996, becoming synonymous with the sport during this period. Athletics is a sport where personal endeavour is combined with team participation to achieve success, and SPAR identifies with this principle through its national partners by ensuring that consumers enjoy shopping at SPAR. SPAR retailers continue to develop the brand through sponsorship awareness and through the critical link with individual athletes who are also customers of independent retailers. SPAR is proud to be involved with European Athletics, an organisation which strives to bring passion and enthusiasm for their sport to viewers, spectators and participants.

SPAR

Eurohold Bulgaria AD is a leading energy and financial group operating mainly in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE). It is listed on the Bulgarian and Warsaw Stock Exchange. Eurohold owns Euroins Insurance Group AD (EIG), one of the largest insurance groups in the region. EIG provides a full range of insurance products, serves over 4 million customers in 13 countries and has over 3000 employees.

Eurohold

Le Gruyère AOP Switzerland began its partnership with European Athletics in 2008 as a top-tier sponsor of all Major Events and the European Athletics U23 and U20  Championships. Le Gruyère is a very high quality natural cheese that has been produced for many centuries in an artisanal method without any additives. VIP guests, athletes and fans have the opportunity to taste this magnificent cheese at European Athletics events sponsored by Le Gruyère AOP Switzerland.

Le Gruyère

Toyo Tires is one of the world's largest tire manufacturers. Toyo Tire Corporation was founded in 1945 in Osaka, Japan. In 1975, the manufacturer opened its European headquarters in Germany. The product range includes winter, summer and all-season tyres for motor vehicles as well as van tyres and special off-road products. The philosophy of Toyo Tires is to combine driving pleasure with top performance. This is reflected in each of the products, as well as in its close partnership with European Athletics.

Toyo Tires

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has been the Official Broadcast Partner of European Athletics since 1981. During this 40-year partnership, the outstanding collaboration between both organisations has always been focused on developing European Athletics into a more attractive product for television, spectators and athletes. Through its operational department Eurovision Services, the EBU is continuously working to promote athletics by offering the most comprehensive coverage of European Athletics events all over Europe.

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 110,000 employees and an annual revenue of approximately €12 billion. It is the European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high performance computing, and the group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 73 countries. A pioneer in decarbonisation services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonised digital environment for its clients. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea), and listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index.

Atos is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic and  Paralympic Games. It is also the Timing-Scoring, Results and Operations provider of European Athletics events since 2017, and European Athletics Official Digital Partner for their new digital platform (web and mobile).


Atos

Mondo has designed and produced prefabricated athletics tracks since 1948 and has been a European Athletics partner since 1988. They have combined their skills in the pursuit of a shared goal: to support the growth of athletics with passion and innovation. Mondo’s athletics surfaces offer uniform dynamic response and complete control over stride, rhythm, and balance for every athlete. The advantages of Mondo’s prefabricated track surfaces include optimal performance for athletes regardless of climate and environmental conditions. Mondo operates a careful selection of its raw materials for its track surfaces and constant production as we care about athletes’ health. Mondo products have passed UL Environment Tests for more than 10,000 volatile chemical agents and have attained GREENGUARD Gold certification.

Mondo

Opened in 1909 and magnificently restored, the Hotel Royal Savoy Lausanne combines Art Nouveau and modernity with genuine panache. Featuring tailor-made service and unbeatable comfort, this legendary venue is located a short walk from the shores of Lac Leman and offers every guest the absolute luxury of feeling truly at home. The Hotel Royal Savoy is proud to be the Preferred Hotel Partner of European Athletics in Lausanne since 2016, offering valuable support and accommodation services to European Athletics business activities throughout the year.

Hotel Royal Savoy Lausanne

Getty Images is the world's leading creator and distributor of visual content – with award winning editorial photographers and videographers covering hundreds of Sports, Entertainment, and News events daily. Digital asset management and distribution services optimize efficiency and content syndication for hundreds of media partners and rights holders.

Getty images

The first companies of Würth MODYF Group were founded in Künzelsau, Germany and Neumarkt, Italy in 1997 as an independent subsidiary of the Würth Group and can thus look back on more than 25 years of experience in the field of workwear and safety footwear.

Würth MODYF Group currently operates companies in seven countries and has more than 400 employees in Germany, France, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. Smaller sales units support Würth MODYF’s customers in Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium. Würth MODYF Group is continuing to expand internationally, opening new branches all over Europe.

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