SPAR European Cross Country Championships

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Preview | Laros looks to master the mud on his U20 debut in Brussels

Preview | Strong British contingent poised to dominate the U23 races again in Brussels

Final entries published for 2023 SPAR European Cross Country Championships

Flashback to Brussels 2008 | Lebid breaks down Farah for record eighth senior crown 

Flashback to Charleroi 1996 | Jon Brown glides his way to a record winning margin

A stellar line-up awaits Duplantis at the 2024 Mondo Classic

Following on from <a href="https://www.european-athletics.com/news/1996-spar-european-cross-country-championships-brown-glides-his-way-to-record-win" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our retrospective on the 1996 SPAR European Cross Country Championships</a> in Charleroi, we take a look back at the 2008 edition of the championships which were held in Brussels.
In fact, the 2008 edition was initially supposed to take place in Ostend but the championships were moved to the Belgian capital a few months prior owing to unprecedented levels of rainfall in the region earlier in the year.
A memorable championship took place in the shadow of the city&rsquo;s famous Atomium in Laeken Park which will be the venue for the 2023 edition of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships on 10 December.
<h2 dir="ltr">Eighth title and the &ldquo;hardest victory&rdquo; for Lebid</h2>
Ukraine&rsquo;s Serhiy Lebid further enhanced his legendary status at these championships by winning his eighth title from 15 editions of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
But the 33-year-old was pushed to the brink by an emerging Mo Farah before breaking away in the last 500 metres for a successful defence of his title.&nbsp;
"I think this was maybe my hardest victory. I was only convinced I could win a few hundred metres from the line," admitted Lebid who won this title for an unprecedented ninth time in 2010.&nbsp;
In his prime years, Farah&rsquo;s finishing speed was unmatchable on the track but in a reversal of roles, it was the Brit who took the initiative and ploughed out an unyielding pace.&nbsp;
Farah opened up a 15 metre lead on the penultimate lap but the Ukrainian - who trailed in fourth-place at one point - used all of his guile and experience to counter the gap before breaking Farah&rsquo;s resolve with a fierce burst of speed.&nbsp;
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701690329/IMG_1092.jpg">
A triumphant Lebid covered the 10km distance in 30:49, opening up an eight second winning margin in the last 600 metres over a forlorn Farah. His training partner Mustafa Mohamed from Sweden took the bronze medal in 31:13.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I was very surprised. I don&rsquo;t know how he did that, I just couldn&rsquo;t respond,&rdquo; said a bemused and crestfallen Farah who also won silver the following year in Dublin in his final appearance at the European Cross Country Championships.&nbsp;
The senior women&rsquo;s race was a more clear-cut affair with Hilda Kibet winning the 8km title in 27:45, following in the footsteps of her Dutch cousin Lornah Kiplagat who strode to the gold medal three years prior in Tilburg.
Former European U20 cross country champions Jessica Augusto and Ines Monteiro won silver and bronze respectively and led Portugal to the team title for the sixth time ahead of Great Britain and France.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701690479/IMG_6764.jpg">
There was also a rare cross country appearance from Russia&rsquo;s Gulnara Samitova-Galkina who had just won the inaugural Olympic 3000m steeplechase title and became the first athlete to break the nine minute-barrier with 8:58.81 which still stands as the European record.&nbsp;
Galkina-Samitova made the early running before fading back to 12th in 28:40 in her first and only appearance at the European Cross Country Championships.&nbsp;
Other notable finishers inside the top-20 included former champions Annemari Sandell from Finland and Great Britain&rsquo;s Hayley Yelling in 16th and 19th respectively.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701700899/IMG_6713_copy.jpg">
The champion in 2004, a disappointed Yelling announced her retirement from competitive athletics soon afterwards. &ldquo;I turn 35 in January and I could go on and on but I don't want to be just making teams, I want to be going to championships and doing well,&rdquo; she said.
However, Yelling was lured back to competition less than a year later when she improbably retained her European cross country title in Dublin at the age of 35.
<h2 dir="ltr">A historic first for Great Britain&hellip;and the Ingebrigtsens&nbsp;</h2>
Clean sweeps in SPAR European Cross Country Championships history have been a rare and unusual occurrence.
But surely the achievement of the British women who filled the top six spots in the U20 race is an accomplishment which will never be repeated again?
Led by world U20 1500m champion Stephanie Twell who won gold over 4km for the third successive year, the British team monopolised the top six individual spots in the individual race. And with four scorers to count, the Brits tallied the lowest possible score of 10 in the team race to win the title for the fourth successive year.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701690654/IMG_6625.jpg">
Familiar faces also prevailed in the men&rsquo;s U20 race which saw Florian Carvalho and Hassan Chahdi win gold and bronze respectively in the 6km and lead France to the team title by one point.
The Ingebrigtsen family medal haul dates back to the 2008 edition of the European Cross Country Championships.
Only 17, Henrik Ingebrigtsen was the fourth scoring counter in Norway&rsquo;s silver medal-winning team in the men&rsquo;s U20 race which was led by individual silver medallist Sondre Nordstad Moen who went on to break the European marathon record in the 2017 Fukuoka Marathon.&nbsp;
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701690805/IMG_6639.jpg">
Other future marathon stars to place included Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist Abdi Nageeye from the Netherlands and 2018 European champion Koen Naert from Belgium in 12th and 35th respectively.&nbsp;
Two years after winning the U20 title, Italy&rsquo;s Andrea Lalli triumphed in the men&rsquo;s U23 race over 8km in 24:56.&nbsp;
Lalli went on to win the senior title in sub-zero temperatures in Budapest in 2012 and he remains the only athlete - male or female - to win individual gold medals across all three categories at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
A large Dutch contingent present at Laeken Park also witnessed Susan Kuijken - who won 2018 European 10,000m silver under her married name of Krumins - win the women&rsquo;s U23 6km title in 21:02.&nbsp;
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701690869/IMG_0463.jpg">
In an eventful race which saw early leader Sultan Haydar from T&uuml;rkiye collapse on the course through exhaustion at the start of the last lap, Kuijken caught the tiring Turk just before halfway and took the title by eight seconds ahead of Sarah Tunstall who led the Brits to the team title.
The full results from Brussels 2008 can be found <a href="https://www.european-athletics.com/historical-data/calendar-results/7125820">here</a>.&nbsp;
Steven Mills for European Athletics
<a href="https://exchbrussels2023.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701185993/651e9039902491413508099c_1.jpg"></a>

This is the first of two features turning the clock back to remember the other SPAR European Cross Country Championships that have been held in Belgium. After the inaugural two editions in the northeastern England town of Alnwick, the SPAR European Cross Country Championships moved on to Belgium and the city of Charleroi around 70 kilometres south of Brussels in 1996.
As might be expected after days of rain, the going was heavy from the outset in the grounds of the 18th century Ch&acirc;teau de Monceau-sur-Sambre where the championships were staged but the swamp-like proved no barrier to Great Britain&rsquo;s eventual men&rsquo;s winner Jon Brown, who seemed to glide over the quagmire that had been churned up from three previous races.
The 25-year-old Briton looked supremely comfortable from the outset in the cold and muddy conditions, leading a large pack through much of the initial stages of the 9.65km race, often looking around to assure himself where all his main rivals were including Portugal&rsquo;s two-time defending champion Paulo Guerra.
Early in the third kilometre, Brown felt confident enough to surge and immediately splintered the 12-man leading pack which had been together from shortly after the gun.
In just a few hundred metres he opened a 20-metre gap over his nearest rivals and from that point, Brown just kept extending his lead.
By the line, his finishing time of 32:37 giving a good indication of how tough the course in the context of the distance at an event which has gone down in folklore as arguably the muddiest SPAR European Cross Country Championships ever, he came home 35 seconds clear of the silver medallist Guerra.
"It was easy," Brown reflected afterwards. "But you couldn't run through the mud, you had to stagger through it. I wasn't sure how to play it, whether to sit in there and bide my time.
&ldquo;But I seemed to be moving away without putting too much effort in at all although I expected to do well after a good month's training in November consolidated my fitness from the summer,&rdquo; he added.
<h2>Biggest winning margin in championship history</h2>
His winning margin remains to this day the largest in a senior race at the SPAR European Cross Championships by either gender &ndash; for the record, Denmark&rsquo;s Anne Emilie M&oslash;ller won the 2019 women&rsquo;s U23 title by 39 seconds &ndash; something that neither Guerra, who was to go on and also win in 1999 and 2000, Ukraine&rsquo;s nine-time winner Serhiy Lebid who finished down in 58th place in 1996, Norway&rsquo;s imperious two-time defending champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen or any women&rsquo;s champion have been able to improve on.
Brown&rsquo;s emphatic victory &ndash; and the first triumph by a British man in a major cross country championship since Ian Stewart won at the 1975 World Cross Country Championships &ndash; came as little surprise though to pundits who had followed his progress since finishing sixth in Alnwick 12 months earlier.
He was the leading European at the 1996 World Cross Country Championships, when finishing 12th, and he had handily defeated Kenya&rsquo;s reigning world cross country champion Paul Tergat at a race in Spain just the previous week.
The victory was to be the highpoint of Brown&rsquo;s running career although he broke the British 10,000m record with a run of 27:18.14 in Brussels in 1998 and picked up a bronze medal behind Guerra at the 1999 European cross country championships, as well as finishing fourth in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games marathons.
Behind Brown and Guerra, the latter having a solitary race for second place after determining that to chase Brown would be futile, France&rsquo;s Mustapha Essaid took the bronze after a duel with Denmark&rsquo;s Carsten Jorgensen, who was to take gold 12 months later.
Led by Guerra, Portugal&rsquo;s scoring quartet all finished in the top 11 and were clear winners of the men&rsquo;s team honours with 27 points.
The women&rsquo;s contest saw Romania&rsquo;s Iulia Negura pull away from Sweden&rsquo;s Sara Wedlund with just over a kilometre to go in the 4.55km race and she crossed the line in 16:58, six seconds in front of the 21-year-old Swede.
However, Negura failed a post-event doping test and also tested positive for a steroid in an out-of-competition test a week earlier and was stripped of her title a few months later, Wedlund to be upgraded to the gold medal.
France took the women&rsquo;s team title, coincidently also with 27 points, although there were only three to score in that era. A Belgian team led by Anja Smolders in tenth also pipped Sweden for the bronze medal, their first and only medal in the senior women's team race in championship history.
Charleroi also saw the introduction of U20 races although they were not to get official status until the following year in Oeiras, Portugal.
The men&rsquo;s race over 5km was won by the Netherlands&rsquo; Gert-Jan Liefers, who was to get the gold medal 12 months later and go on to set a Dutch 1500m record of 3:32.89 in 2001 which was only beaten by Niels Laros this summer, while the women&rsquo;s 3km &lsquo;title&rsquo; was taken by Spain&rsquo;s Alessandra Aguilar, the first of her 12 outings over 20 years at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
Phil Minshull for European Athletics
<a href="https://exchbrussels2023.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/a339624e-e43d-41b4-bc6a-4a9d65f95576?width=1600&amp;height=400" alt="651e9039902491413508099c"></a>

Femke Bol from the Netherlands and Norway&rsquo;s Jakob Ingebrigtsen were crowned European Athletes of the Year for the second successive year at the glittering annual Golden Tracks award ceremony in Vilnius, Lithuania on Saturday (21) evening.
Bol and Ingebrigtsen, who was presented with his trophy by European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov, amassed exceptional seasons both indoors and outdoors at a variety of distances.
Both athletes came away with two gold medals at the Istanbul 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships as a precursor to brilliant outdoor campaigns highlighted by gold medals at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
But for all their brilliance this season, both athletes had to overcome adversity before being rewarded with gold in Budapest.
Bol stumbled and fell when in contention for the mixed 4x400m title on the first day before rebounding with an imperious win in the 400m hurdles before closing the championships with a dramatic and emotionally-charged anchor leg for the Netherlands in the 4x400m to complete the redemption arc.
<img src="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/f203cf29-e97a-4af7-8e12-43192e117ef9?width=1080&amp;height=1350" alt="Femke ">
For the second championship in a row, Ingebrigtsen was pipped for the 1500m title by a Brit - this time Josh Kerr - but the 23-year-old unleashed a devastating sprint finish to reel in Spain&rsquo;s Mohamed Katir to defend his world 5000m title.
Both athletes have also revised the record books this year. Bol began her award-winning campaign by running a world indoor 500m best of 1:05.63 before smashing Jarmila Kratochvilova&rsquo;s world indoor 400m record of 49.59 from 1982 - a mark many people thought might never be surpassed - with 49.26 at the Dutch Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, the host city for the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships.
Outdoors, Bol became the first European to break the 52 second-barrier in the 400m hurdles with a sparkling 51.45 clocking in the London Diamond League, one of three sub-52 second clockings. In a European setting, Bol now has ownership of the eight fastest times and 12 of the 13 fastest times in history.&nbsp;
Ingebrigtsen has also left an indelible mark on the record books. Among his many accolades, the Norwegian smashed the world two mile best with 7:54.10 in Paris, eclipsed the world 2000m record with 4:43.13 and lowered his European 1500m record to 3:27.95 and 3:27.14 in Oslo and Chorzow respectively.
But it was at the Eugene Diamond League where Ingebrigtsen was arguably at his most masterful, winning the mile and 3000m on back-to-back afternoons in European records of 3:43.73 and 7:23.63 respectively to move to third on the world all-time lists in both events.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<img src="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/5c99bbcd-d59c-4fab-b3cf-05c52578b6f7?width=1080&amp;height=1350" alt="Jakob V2">
Bol was one of three finalists for the women&rsquo;s European Athlete of the Year award alongside fellow world champions Maria Perez from Spain and Yaroslava Mahuchikh from Ukraine while Ingebrigtsen was shortlisted alongside Sweden&rsquo;s Armand Duplantis and Miltiadis Tentoglou from Greece, both of whom also won gold medals at the World Athletics Championships.&nbsp;
Bol becomes the first female to be crowned European Athlete of the Year in back-to-back years since her recently retired compatriot Dafne Schippers in 2014 and 2015 while Ingebrigtsen keeps the men&rsquo;s award in Norwegian hands having also won last year, succeeding Karsten Warholm in 2019 and 2021.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Bol and Ingebrigtsen are also previous winners of the Rising Star award.&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">Rising Star trophies for Topic and Furlani</h2>
European U20 champions Angelina Topic from Serbia and Italy&rsquo;s Mattia Furlani were crowned this year&rsquo;s Rising Stars at the Golden Tracks.
Having been among the final three in their respective categories last year, both athletes came away from the ceremony with trophies in a category which originated in 2007 to award and recognise Europe&rsquo;s outstanding young athletes.
<img src="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/e041a200-7c21-452b-82a8-60c8d0e9661a?width=1080&amp;height=1350" alt="Mens Aoy V2">
After winning gold medals at the European Athletics U18 Championships last year, both Topic and Furlani continued their progression through the age-group ranks with gold medals in the high jump and long jump respectively at the European Athletics U20 Championships which also took place in Jerusalem.
Just weeks before her 18th birthday, Topic cleared an outright Serbian high jump record of 1.97m in the Paris Diamond League while Furlani - who only took up the long jump seriously last year having showed initial promise as a high jumper - flew out to a marginally wind-assisted 8.44m long jump in Savona, the longest ever mark recorded in all conditions by a junior.
Both Topic and Furlani will still be U20 athletes when they compete at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships from 7-12 June last summer.
<img src="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/356e81e6-7dd3-4919-9026-f5bb4420598d?width=1080&amp;height=1350" alt="Topic ">
Topic topped the polling for the women&rsquo;s Rising Star award ahead of double European U20 champion Agate Caune from Latvia and world 400m fourth-placer Rhasidat Adeleke from Ireland while Furlani was one of the three finalists alongside European U20 1500m and 5000m champion Niels Laros from the Netherlands and European U23 400m champion Havard Bentdal Ingvaldsen.&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">Inspirational figures on and off the track recognised in Vilnius&nbsp;</h2>
The important contribution made by those behind the scenes was also recognised at the Golden Tracks award ceremony.
The first of the yearly European Athletics Coaching and Member Federation awards were presented live on stage. Estonia's Taivo M&auml;gi and Latvia's Alona Fomenko were the recipients of the Coaching award and Lithuania's Alfonsas Buliuolis was presented with the Member Federation award.&nbsp;
Poland&rsquo;s European 400m bronze medallist Anna Kielbasinska was the first recipient of the biennial European Athletics Women&rsquo;s Leadership Award for her role as a mentor to young athletes as part of her responsibility as President of the Athletes&rsquo; Council of the Polish Athletics Association (PZLA).&nbsp;
A full list of award winners in these categories can be found <a href="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/98172f23-d8b5-40f1-805c-c4cbda46afb9/Awards list.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
Two moments of sportsmanship at the European Athletics Team Championships which transcended the athletics world were also recognised at the Golden Tracks award ceremony.
Croatia's Dino Bosnjak was presented with the Fair Play Award after assisting his friend and rival Vid Botolin from Slovenia who collapsed through exhaustion in the home straight of the 5000m in the 2nd Division.&nbsp;
Jolien Boumkwo was also presented with the Team Spirit Act of Recognition award for selflessly filling the vacant slot on the Belgian team in the 100m hurdles at the European Athletics Team Championships 1st Division in Silesia where Belgium were fighting to avoid relegation.
Primarily a shot putter, Boumkwo&rsquo;s efforts yielded two points for the Belgian team and her contribution gained worldwide attention and recognition.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<img src="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/8666e731-9c67-46ab-a63e-e375b2564d17?width=1080&amp;height=1350" alt="Jolien">
<h2 dir="ltr">Summary of award winners:</h2>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">Women&rsquo;s European Athlete of the Year - <a href="https://www.european-athletics.com/historical-data/athletes/netherlands/femke-bol-14707010" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Femke Bol (NED)</a></li>
<li dir="ltr">Men&rsquo;s European Athlete of the Year - <a href="https://www.european-athletics.com/historical-data/athletes/NOR/jakob-ingebrigtsen-AT14653717" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)</a></li>
<li dir="ltr">Women&rsquo;s Rising Star - <a href="https://www.european-athletics.com/historical-data/athletes/serbia/angelina-topic-14841858" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Angelina Topic (SRB)</a></li>
<li dir="ltr">Men&rsquo;s Rising Star - <a href="https://www.european-athletics.com/historical-data/athletes/ita/mattia-furlani-014905216" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mattia Furlani (ITA)</a></li>
<li dir="ltr">Team Spirit Act of Recognition Award - <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=jolien+boumkwo+european+athletics&amp;sca_esv=574836027&amp;sxsrf=AM9HkKnN4IJlXvHkXtB_6YQnc0TxEyAUXw%3A1697723505196&amp;ei=cTQxZeDDC8Crxc8PrsCYkAQ&amp;ved=0ahUKEwigwNDzoIKCAxXAVfEDHS4gBkIQ4dUDCBA&amp;uact=5&amp;oq=jolien+boumkwo+european+athletics&amp;gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiIWpvbGllbiBib3Vta3dvIGV1cm9wZWFuIGF0aGxldGljczIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABSLomULkBWMYlcAF4ApABAJgBzAGgAasTqgEGMS4xNy4xuAEDyAEA-AEBwgIEEAAYR8ICBBAjGCfCAgcQABiKBRhDwgIFEAAYgATCAgUQLhiABMICBxAAGIAEGArCAgcQIRigARgKwgIIECEYFhgeGB3iAwQYACBBiAYBkAYI&amp;sclient=gws-wiz-serp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jolien Boumkwo (BEL)&nbsp;</a></li>
<li dir="ltr">Fair Play Award - <a href="https://www.european-athletics.com/historical-data/athletes/croatia/dino-bosnjak-14421214" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dino Bosnjak (CRO)</a></li>
<li dir="ltr">European Athletics Women&rsquo;s Leadership Award - <a href="https://www.european-athletics.com/historical-data/athletes/POL/anna-kielbasinska-AT14293852" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anna Kielbasinska (POL)</a></li>
<li dir="ltr">European Athletics Coaching Award - Taivo M&auml;gi (EST) and Alona Fomenko (LAT)</li>
<li dir="ltr">European Athletics Member Federation Award - Alfonsas Buliuolis (LTU)</li>
</ul>
Highlights of the 2023 European Athletics Golden Tracks, as well the complete live stream of the glittering gala night, can be found on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/EuropeanAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Athletics YouTube channel</a>.

Bol and Ingebrigtsen crowned 2023 European Athletes of the Year in Vilnius

Based on current form, Great Britain&rsquo;s Megan Keith would have been considered one of the favourites for the senior title at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Brussels on Sunday (10).
But Keith has opted for the U23 race and the prospect of winning her second age-group title in 2023 after her 5000m victory at the European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo where she broke away with five laps to go to dominate the final.&nbsp;
Despite opining that she had &ldquo;off seasoned too hard,&rdquo; Keith looked razor sharp on her season&rsquo;s debut at the Cardiff Cross Challenge where she defeated a strong international field by 17 seconds and the 21-year-old dispatched the seniors with ease at the British trial race. She won by a seldom-seen margin of 53 seconds in muddy and heavy underfoot conditions in Liverpool, which could be similar to those she will face in the Belgian capital.
For posterity, the record winning margin at a SPAR European Cross Country Championships is 39 seconds in 2019 when Denmark&rsquo;s Anna Emilie M&oslash;ller defended her U23 title in Lisbon.&nbsp;
The silver medallist behind Nadia Battocletti in 2022 - and the U20 winner the year before in Dublin - Keith led the Brits to the U23 team title in La Mandria Park just outside Turin twelve months ago and she will be flanked by another strong team including fellow Scotswoman Eloise Walker and last year&rsquo;s bronze medallist Alexandra Millard, both of whom should also be in contention for individual medals this year.
But the biggest challenge to Keith individually is likely to come from Spain&rsquo;s Maria Forero who moves into the U23 ranks this year after succeeding Keith and winning the U20 title in impressive fashion last year.&nbsp;
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701186436/Website/GettyImages-1448350265_ia6urr.jpg">
The Nordic countries have been a growing power in recent editions of the European Cross Country Championships and their challenge will be led by Norway&rsquo;s Ina Halle Haugen and Finns Nathalie Blomqvist and Ilona Mononen, the U20 bronze medallist last year. With only three runners to score, the Finns could be in contention for a rare team medal.
Could there also be a first ever medal for Lithuania at the European Cross Country Championships this year?&nbsp;
Greta Karinauskaite has proved herself on the track this year by winning silver in the 3000m steeplechase at the European Athletics U23 Championships before only missing the final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest by one position.&nbsp;
Karinauskaite recently finished a creditable 17th in the ultra-competitive NCAA Cross Country Championships but a lot will depend on how well she has recovered from a long journey across nine timezones from California Baptist University where she studies international business.&nbsp;
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701780490/GettyImages-1500642526.jpg">
Also watch out for Amina Maatoug from the Netherlands who follows a similar path. Fourth in the U23 race last year, the European U23 5000m bronze medallist, who studies at Duke University, placed ninth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and she arrives fresh from setting an outright 3000m lifetime best of 8:46.89 indoors in Boston last Saturday.
<h2>No Hicks but a strong GB contingent to contend for men's U23 title</h2>
Despite the absence of two-time champion Charles Hicks who would have been eligible to defend his U23 title, the British team will still have high hopes individually and collectively.
The team is headed by European U23 10,000m champion Rory Leonard and Will Barnicoat, who charged past a toiling Nick Griggs to win the European U20 cross country title last year before running a typically tactically astute race to win 5000m bronze at the European Athletics U23 Championships.&nbsp;
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701453525/GettyImages-1245540633_2.jpg">
But both Leonard and Barnicoat were beaten at the 9.8km trial race in Liverpool by 1500m specialist Matt Stonier who finished fast to finish second, pipping Leonard on the line for the second spot on the podium.
For an athlete who can boast a world class 1500m lifetime best of 3:31.20, a British U23 record set in July, the U23 race in Brussels will be held over a distance of 7km and should be even more to Stonier&rsquo;s liking.&nbsp; Stonier also goes to Brussels with a point to prove on the continental stage after finishing out of the medals in fourth in the 1500m final at the European Athletics U23 Championships when most pundits had him as the favourite for gold.&nbsp;
One of the biggest challenges to the strong British contingent should come from Denmark&rsquo;s Joel Ibler Lilles&oslash; who moves into the U23 ranks after a lauded career as a junior which saw him win the European U20 5000m title in 2021 and break a certain Jakob Ingebrigtsen&rsquo;s European indoor U20 3000m record in 2022.&nbsp;
Lilles&oslash;, who is now coached by Tomasz Lewandowski, will be keen to finish his season on a high note after injuries forced him to miss the majority of the track season.&nbsp;
With Hicks choosing not to defend his title and last year&rsquo;s silver medallist Zakariya Mahamed graduating into the senior ranks, the only returning individual medallist from last year is bronze medalist Valentin Bresc from France, a nation which won three successive U23 team titles from 2017-19.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701720362/GettyImages-1245548690.jpg">
Ireland have been perennial team medallists in the age-group races in recent years - including champions at home in Dublin in 2021 - and last year&rsquo;s U20 bronze medallist Dean Casey leads the Irish hopes this year in Brussels.
Other medal contenders include European U23 3000m steeplechase champion Alejandro Quijada who leads a strong Spanish team, Portugal&rsquo;s European U23 3000m steeplechase silver medallist Etson Barros and Derebe Ayala and Adisu Guadia from Israel.
Steven Mills for European Athletics 
A complete entry list for the Brussels 2023 SPAR European Cross Country Championships is available&nbsp;<a href="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/3d8389a6-7a59-44b5-b68f-c4594d0c6b49/EXCH%202023%20-%20Final%20Entries%20Athletes%20List%20By%20Event%20V2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.&nbsp;The championships will be streamed in their entirety on the&nbsp;<a href="https://allathletics.tv/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">All-Athletics platform</a> from 12:05 local time (CET) and will be accompanied by expert English-language commentary.
There will also be extensive race day coverage of the championships on the European Athletics website and across European Athletics&rsquo; social media channels.
<a href="https://exchbrussels2023.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701185993/651e9039902491413508099c_1.jpg"></a>

Niels Laros will be attempting to close 2023 with his third continental gold of the year when he takes part in the men&rsquo;s U20 race at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Laeken Park in Brussels on Sunday (10).
The U20 races at the European Cross Country Championships have a proven history of giving a tantalising early glimpse of some of the world&rsquo;s great endurance runners.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Jakob Ingebrigtsen&rsquo;s first major title was at the 2016 event when he stormed to gold in the U20 race. It was a feat he repeated at the 2017, 2018, 2019 editions before seamlessly stepping up - skipping the U23 category -&nbsp;to triumph in the senior races in 2021 and 2022.&nbsp;
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701453212/GettyImages-629134990.jpg">
Mo Farah cut his teeth at the 1999 edition in Velenje, Slovenia as a 16-year-old,&nbsp; finishing fifth to lead a&nbsp; victorious British team to gold. He went on to win individual U20 silver in 2001 and, eventually, the senior men&rsquo;s gold in 2006.&nbsp;
Current European 10,000m champion Yemaneberhan Crippa also won the U20 races in 2014 and 2015, landing the Italian his first major titles.&nbsp;
And this year&rsquo;s U20 race has all the hallmarks of another vintage crop of distance running stars ready to blossom with Laros very much at the forefront.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">Track stars Laros takes to the mud</h2>
The 18-year-old was one of the breakthrough athletes of the summer track season.
First, he landed a brilliant 1500/5000m double at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Jerusalem before reaching the 1500m final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest where he finished tenth in a national record of 3:31.25.&nbsp;&nbsp;
It will be Laros&rsquo; debut at this event, and he will be seeking to emulate compatriot Gert-Jan Liefers who won the men&rsquo;s U20 gold in 1997, the first time the age group races were staged as an official event. It was also Liefers&rsquo; 23-year-old 1500m record that Laros claimed this summer.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701453769/GettyImages-1598341145.jpg">
Despite his obvious pedigree, the Dutch athlete is unlikely to have an easy ride.&nbsp;
In one of the highest-quality fields for an U20 race in recent times, 2021 champion Axel Vang Christensen of Denmark - who won by 25 seconds in Dublin two years ago - returns after a season marred by injury and illness and 2021 European U20 3000m champion Nick Griggs is another doughty competitor with a point to prove.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The Irishman looked a shoo-in for the title twelve months ago but the 19-year-old&rsquo;s legs buckled on the approach to the finish and was overhauled in the closing metres by a charging Will Barnicoat from Great Britain who has moved into the U23 ranks this year.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701453525/GettyImages-1245540633_2.jpg">
Disaster also struck Griggs at the Irish Cross Country Championships where he collapsed in the last 200 metres in a mudbath of a course but Griggs is a proven talent and will be looking to cap his U20 title in style in Laeken Park.
Spain&rsquo;s Sergio Del Barrio is another proven performer having won successive European U18 and European U20 titles over 2000m and 3000m steeplechase distances in the last two years.&nbsp;&nbsp;
He will lead the customary strong Spanish contingent but Great Britain&rsquo;s solid team led by Henry Dover will be determined to defend the team title. Also watch for Norway's Andreas Fjeld Halvorsen who will be looking for a redemptive performance after falling in a slow and tactical 3000m final at the European Athletics U20 Championships in which Griggs won silver.&nbsp;
An interesting subplot will be the progress of three Belgian brothers who are among the host nation team. Twins Casper and Mathis Lievins are part of the team along with their younger brother Daan.&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr">Third time lucky for Th&oslash;gersen?&nbsp;</h2>
The women&rsquo;s race features Sofia Th&oslash;gersen from Denmark, a prolific medallist on track who is yet to translate that form at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
Th&oslash;gersen won two medals at both the 2022 European U18 and 2023 European Athletics U20 Championships but in her prior two appearances at the European Cross Country Championships, she is yet to place inside the top 10.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701453618/GettyImages-1241695732.jpg">
But based on her immense track pedigree, the 18-year-old - who is coached by Tomasz Lewandowski who also coaches Laros - should be in the mix for medals again.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Kira Weis, 5000m silver medallist in summer&rsquo;s European Athletics U20 Championships and sixth at thr European Cross Country Championships in 2022, leads a strong German challenge and after taking team bronze last year in Italy they will be aiming to at least equal that result this time around.
T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;s Dilek Ko&ccedil;ak, European U20 champion over 1500m has the speed to contend, but will she have the endurance? However, the Turkish team - silver medallists in 2022 - also includes last year's eighth-palce finisher Edibe Yagiz, who is still only 17 and eligible to compete in the U20 ranks for two further years.
A lot of intrigue will surround British runner Innes FitzGerald. The 17-year-old is a passionate environmentalist and instead of flying to last year&rsquo;s event in Piemonte-La Mandria Park, she tackled a 20-hour-train journey from her home in Exeter in the south-west of England and still placed fourth.&nbsp;
She is the highest placed returning athlete from the 2022 U20 race and fresh off the train at Brussels Gare du Nord, this year&rsquo;s championships could present the perfect platform for this rare talent.
Along with her teammates, she will be aiming for a record-extending 17th team gold for Great Britain in the U20 women&rsquo;s race.
However, it looks unlikely this year&rsquo;s British team - or any team for that matter - will replicate the incredible exploits of the British U20 women&rsquo;s team who swept the top six individual places the last time the championships were held in Brussels in 2008.&nbsp;
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics
A complete entry list for the Brussels 2023 SPAR European Cross Country Championships is available&nbsp;<a href="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/3d8389a6-7a59-44b5-b68f-c4594d0c6b49/EXCH%202023%20-%20Final%20Entries%20Athletes%20List%20By%20Event%20V2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
The championships will be streamed in their entirety on the <a href="https://allathletics.tv/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">All-Athletics platform</a> from 12:05 local time (CET) and will be accompanied by expert English-language commentary.
There will also be extensive race day coverage of the championships on the European Athletics website and across European Athletics&rsquo; social media channels.
<a href="https://exchbrussels2023.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701185993/651e9039902491413508099c_1.jpg"></a>
&nbsp;

Final entries for the Brussels 2023 SPAR European Cross Country Championships on 10 December have been published and can be viewed in event-by-event order <a href="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/1a92d054-175f-4370-b4b8-0f739109d114/EXCH 2023 - Final Entries Athletes List By Event V3.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
Four of the six individual champions from the 2022 European Cross Country Championships in Turin will be in action in Laeken Park.&nbsp;
Norway&rsquo;s Karoline Bjerkeli Gr&oslash;vdal will be seeking a hat-trick of titles - and a tenth individual medal in total - in the senior women&rsquo;s race in which one of her main challengers is likely to be Italy&rsquo;s Nadia Battocletti who successfully defended her U23 title last year.
Last year&rsquo;s U20 champions Maria Forero from Spain and Great Britain&rsquo;s Will Barnicoat will also be in action but they will both step up into the U23 ranks in Brussels.&nbsp;
With two-time champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen from Norway missing from the championships for the first time in his career, a new champion will emerge in the senior men&rsquo;s race.&nbsp;
A silver and bronze medallist in years gone by, home favourite Isaac Kimeli is one of Belgium&rsquo;s leading title hopes while Italy&rsquo;s Yemaneberhan Crippa - a two-time U20 champion - will be looking to add the senior cross country title to his 10,000m gold from the 2022 European Athletics Championships.
Italy will also defend their mixed relay title and their quartet includes Pietro Arese and Gaia Sabbatini who ran the first and fourth legs respectively of their gold medal-winning team in La Mandria Park last year.&nbsp;
After missing last year&rsquo;s race due to illness, European U20 1500m and 5000m champion Niels Laros from the Netherlands makes his debut at these championships. One of his main rivals will be Denmark&rsquo;s Axel Vang Christensen who was a non-finisher in last year&rsquo;s race but won this title by an impressive 25 seconds when he was only 17 in 2021.&nbsp;
In-depth previews of all seven races will be published on the European Athletics website from Tuesday (5) next week.&nbsp;
The championships will be streamed in their entirety on the <a href="https://allathletics.tv/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">All-Athletics platform</a> from 12:05 local time (CET) and will be accompanied by expert English-language commentary.
There will also be extensive race day coverage of the championships on the European Athletics website and across European Athletics&rsquo; social media channels.
<a href="https://exchbrussels2023.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/european-athletics/image/upload/v1701185993/651e9039902491413508099c_1.jpg"></a>
&nbsp;

Eurovision Sport has today (28)&nbsp;launched a search for pioneering sports broadcasting tech founders, in partnership with HYPE Sports Innovation.
With a focus on the European Athletics Championships hosted in Rome next year, Eurovision Sport will harness HYPE's extensive sports tech network and expertise to find innovative startups with solutions that address numerous industry challenges in areas such as production and engineering, and digital streaming.
This partnership initiative directly supports Eurovision Sport&rsquo;s mission to keep the best sporting events free and accessible to audiences throughout Europe, whilst remaining adaptive to an ever-evolving industry.
European Athletics Communications, Television &amp; Digital Director Marcel Wakim said: &ldquo;This year marks the 26th edition of the European Athletics Championships, and with a more diverse programme of events than ever before we&rsquo;re excited at the potential this initiative has to innovatively impact our flagship event.&rdquo;
Head of Audio &amp; Innovation for Eurovision Sport Christophe Pasquier said: &ldquo;We are thrilled to collaborate with HYPE Sports Innovation as this partnership marks the dawn of a fresh era in the realm of media and broadcasting, where state-of-the-art solutions are poised to enhance the viewer's experience to levels previously uncharted.&rdquo;
Founder &amp; CEO of HYPE Sports Innovation Amir Raveh said: &ldquo;Collaborating with Eurovision Sport, we're set to redefine the future of media and broadcasting with innovative solutions that will change the game.&rdquo;
Full information for sports tech startups who are interested in collaborating with Eurovision Sport and HYPE Sports Innovation on the European Athletics Championships&rsquo; 2024 &lsquo;Road To Rome&rsquo; can be found here: <a href="https://social.ebu.ch/eurovisionsportinnovation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://social.ebu.ch/eurovisionsportinnovation</a>
<h2>About the EBU&nbsp;</h2>
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is the world&rsquo;s foremost alliance of public service media (PSM). Our mission is to make PSM indispensable.&nbsp;&nbsp;
We represent 112 media organisations in 56 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and have an additional 30 Associates in Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Americas. &nbsp;
Our Members operate nearly 2000 television and radio channels alongside numerous online platforms. Together, they reach audiences of more than one billion people around the world, broadcasting in more than150 languages.&nbsp;
We strive to secure a sustainable future for public service media, provide our Members with world-class content from news to sports and music, and build on our founding ethos of solidarity and co-operation to create a centre for learning and sharing.&nbsp;
We have offices in Brussels, Rome, Moscow, New York, Washington DC and Madrid. Our headquarters are in Geneva.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Discover more about the EBU at <a href="https://www.ebu.ch/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.ebu.ch</a> &nbsp;
<h2>About Eurovision Sport</h2>
Eurovision Sport manages the media rights for 14 sports on behalf of EBU Members, delivering over 43,000 hours of sport a year through agreements with 28 international sports federations. We showcase almost 200 events every year and are proud to operate a gender-balanced rights portfolio.
<h2>ABOUT HYPE Sports innovation</h2>
Founded in 2015, <a href="http://www.hypesporstsinnovation.com">HYPE Sports Innovation</a> is the largest global ecosystem for SportsTech comprising over 200 teams, leagues, federations, and has the largest equity holding portfolio of Sports Tech startups to date, HYPE has successfully generated hundreds of business engagements and deals through its ecosystem.
HYPE works with the&nbsp;world&rsquo;s leading professional sports properties in order to support them in uncovering and exploring SportsTech solutions. HYPE&rsquo;s vision is to impact people&rsquo;s lives through the power&nbsp;of sports and innovation.

The road to Roma 2024 is paved with innovation

European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov was in Baku on Friday and Saturday (24-25) to assist in the centenary celebrations of the Azerbaijan Athletics Federation (AAF).
President Karamarinov&rsquo;s first day in the Azerbaijani capital saw him accompany the AAF President Javid Gurbanov and AAF CEO Meherrem Sultanzade for meetings at the Azerbaijan National Olympic Committee followed by attending the national 100km championships.
The following day a delegation &ndash; which included President Karamarinov, Azerbaijan government ministers Farid Gayibov, Mariana Vasileva and Firudin Gurbanov, National Olympic Committee Vice President Chingiz Huseynzade, AAF President Gurbanov, Balkan Federation Athletics President and European Athletics Council Member Slobodan Brankovic and Turkish Athletics Federation President Fatih Cintimar &ndash; participated in the opening ceremony of the newly inaugurated athletics training facility in the Amirjan suburb of Baku.
<img src="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/241120f4-ea81-474a-ae5f-a7388b9a31b1?width=5094&amp;height=3395" alt="RAM 0464 Opening of New Aaf Office">
The stadium can cater for all the throws and horizonal jumps as well as having a six-lane track for the sprints and there is an indoor facility for the vertical jumps.
In the evening, the Centenary Gala saw President Karamarinov present the European Athletics Coaching Award, Member Federations Award and Women&rsquo;s Leadership Award presented to Famil Huseynov, Rahim Khalilov and Tamilla Bunyadova respectively.
&ldquo;It is with great pleasure that I extend my warm congratulations to the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/heritage/news/azerbaijan-fedeartion-centenary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Azerbaijan Athletics Federation as it celebrates its centenary,</a>&rdquo; commented President Karamarinov.
<img src="https://european-athletics.directus.app/assets/b6e29f73-2ea2-4d92-970c-fb60b6f708d8?width=4887&amp;height=3260" alt="RAM 0777">
&ldquo;This significant milestone marks a century of dedicated effort and notable achievements in promoting and fostering athletics in Azerbaijan."
Since its reorganisation in 1993, the AAF has played a pivotal role as an independent governing body, overseeing the management of athletics in Azerbaijan, the most easterly Member Federation of European Athletics.
"The country has rightfully earned its place as a prominent member of the European Athletics family and demonstrated its stature and standing in the world of athletics, especially during the last decade,&rdquo; he added.
Baku hosted the European Athletics Convention and Golden Tracks in 2014.
The inaugural edition of the European Games in 2015 &ndash; which also included the European Athletics Team Championships 3rd League &ndash; also provided a very visible global showcase for Baku and Azerbaijan.
The country's athletes have made a significant impact on the continental stage in recent years and include the likes of Nazim Babayev, who earned European Athletics U20 and U23 titles before winning triple jump gold at the Glasgow 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships, and distance runner Hayle İbrahimov, a four-time continental championships medallist indoors and outdoors.

President Karamarinov assists Azerbaijan Athletics Federation's centenery celebrations

Scientists have found that European Athletics&rsquo; new I Run Clean workshops have had a positive impact on participants&rsquo; resistance to doping and strengthened the fight against doping with an additional, innovative tool to complement the current I Run Clean e-learning platform.
A study conducted by anti-doping education specialists from the University of Milan and La Sapienza University of Rome &ndash; published recently in the European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education &ndash; has demonstrated the workshops&rsquo; effect on key psychological parameters in young athletes and the coaches who influence them.
It also confirmed the quality of the training for the volunteer ambassadors tasked with leading the workshops.
Welcoming the research results, European Athletics First Vice President Jean Gracia commented that he was, &ldquo;proud of the project and the example it sets for Member Federations and other partners on their ability to cooperate with the EU for the benefit of the sport.
&ldquo;We had some real challenges, not least the Covid pandemic which broke out just weeks after we started and meant we had to completely change the way we worked,&rdquo; added Gracia, who is also President of the Paris-based Agency for the Development of Athletics in Europe (ADAE), which was established by European Athletics to bid for European Union project grants and was responsible for coordinating the ten partner organisations that delivered the I Run Clean project.
&ldquo;I have to thank the European Union for its Erasmus+ programme and our whole team: the project managers, the experts representing all the partners and, of course, the young ambassadors we hope will continue working with their federations to deliver I Run Clean workshops in the future,&rdquo; he said.
<blockquote>
&ldquo;Together we have augmented I Run Clean by developing valuable new tools for reaching the grassroots and promoting the clean sport culture of athletics.&rdquo;
</blockquote>
The recently concluded three-year I Run Clean project also created additional anti-doping e-learning modules aimed at coaches, medical support personnel and sport leaders to supplement the existing modules for athletes.
The additional modules are currently being incorporated into a redesigned course that will enhance the online user experience when it is released on a new platform in January 2024.
In addition to European Athletics, ADAE, the University of Milan and La Sapienza University of Rome, the I Run Clean project team included La Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris as well as the athletics federations of Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
To date more than 41,000 individuals have completed the I Run Clean e-learning programme and received their I Run Clean certification, which is mandatory to compete at a European Athletics event.
You can read the University of Milan and La Sapienza University of Rome research paper&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2254-9625/13/11/178" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. To find out more about European Athletics' innovative I Run Clean project visit: <a href="https://www.iruncleanproject.eu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.iruncleanproject.eu</a>
To get your I Run Clean certificate visit: <a href="https://www.irunclean.org/selectlanguage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.irunclean.org</a>

Research highlights value of I Run Clean education

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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.

Conica has been developing and manufacturing innovative seamless flooring solutions for sports, games and leisure for over 40 years and is one of the world's market leaders and innovation drivers in this field.  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.  Conica is part of the Serafin group of companies based in Munich, Germany.

Conica

Polanik is a family company, founded by Wiesław Szczepanik in 1966. It produces athletics equipment having over thousand products in the offer. Polanik fully equips stadiums all over the world and handles the highest-level athletics events. Stars of athletics beat world records using Polanik products. Polanik is held in high regard by many for top quality and advisory services for designers and investors of athletics stadiums.

Polanik

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

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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 ten countries and has more than 400 employees in Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, 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.

Latest News

Preview | Strong British contingent poised to dominate the U23 races again in Brussels

Preview | Laros looks to master the mud on his U20 debut in Brussels

Final entries published for 2023 SPAR European Cross Country Championships

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Bol and Ingebrigtsen crowned European Athletes of the Year!

Run Clean