<h2>ECCC Cross Country</h2>
The ECCC Cross Country is one of the longest standing and most established cross country fixtures on the calendar, even predating the SPAR European Cross Country Championships by more than three decades.
The first edition of the ECCC Cross Country was held in Arlon, Belgium in 1962 - the venue for the first 13 editions of the championships. But the first event looked and felt very different to the last iteration of the ECCC Cross Country which was held in Oeiras, Portugal.
It was only in 1982 when a women&rsquo;s event was added to the ECCC Cross Country for the first time and the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s competitions were held in different venues until 2005 when the championships became a combined event. Men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s U20 races were added to the programme in 2006 with a mixed relay the latest addition to the timetable in 2021.&nbsp;
Notable past individual winners have included many of the greats of European distance running such as Karel Lismont (1972, 1974, 1979), Carlos Lopes (1977, 1982, 1985), Francesco Panetta (1987-88) and Paulo Guerra (1995-97, 1999) and Sergey Lebid (2001) on the men&rsquo;s side and Albertina Dias (1994-96), Carla Sacramento (1998, 2002) and Fernanda Ribeiro (2005) on the women&rsquo;s side.
The most successful clubs in the senior events are Sporting Clube de Portugal who have won 15 titles in the men&rsquo;s race - including six in a row between 1981-1986 and again between 1989-1994 - and Sporting Braga on the women&rsquo;s side who won seven successive titles between 1987-1993.
At the 2023 ECCC Cross Country which was held in Oropesa del Mar near Castellon on 5 February, local club Playas de Castellon dominated proceedings by winning two individual and three team titles. Burundi's Rodrigue Kwizera, who lives and trains in Spain, won the individual title in the senior men's race and led Playas de Castellon to the team title while last year's individual winner Likina Amebew, who finished sixth this year, led the host club to honours in the senior women's race.
Mariam Benkert opened the account for Playas de Castellon with victory in the U20 women's race while the day fittingly concluded with yet another victory for the hosts with Uganda's middle distance star Winnie Nanyonda anchoring her club to their second successive victory in the mixed relay.

Host club Playas de Castell&oacute;n stamped their authority on the 2023 European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country when not only did they defend their senior women&rsquo;s and mixed relay team titles but added the senior men&rsquo;s crown on Sunday (5).
Into the bargain, in a competition where the focus was on team performance, their runners Miriam Benkert and Rodrigue Kwizera took the individual honours in the U20 women&rsquo;s and senior men&rsquo;s races.
Kwizera, from Burundi but based in Spain since 2019, looked well in control of the 8.7km men&rsquo;s senior race from shortly after the gun and although he still had two men accompanying him as the bell sounded for the last 1920m lap the odds were always on him prevailing for a second successive year.
Firstly Benfica&rsquo;s Reuben Longosiwa was soon dropped and while Kwizera's last remaining rival, Oscar Chelimo of the Italian club Casone Noceto dogged hung on for another half-a-lap, Uganda&rsquo;s 2022 World Athletics Championships 5000m bronze medallist didn&rsquo;t have an answer to a subtle but decisive final surge.
He crossed the line in 23:55, having put eight seconds between himself and Chelimo, who like in 2022, had to settle for second again behind Kwizera.
Kwizera&rsquo;s Playas de Castell&oacute;n teammates Aaron Las Heras and Sergio Paniagua finished fifth and sixth to clinch the senior men&rsquo;s team title for the host club with just 12 points while 15-time winners Sporting Clube de Portugal had three scorers in the top 15, led by Vincent Rono in fourth, and finished second for the second year in succession.
<img src="https://assets.european-athletics.com/c76ef2fd-d26a-4f1c-84ec-b477eb62d2c8?width=2400&amp;height=1600" alt="Foto 5 2 23, 12 33 40" />
A short while earlier, Playas de Castellon had defended their senior women&rsquo;s title won 12 months ago in Oeiras, Portugal in a very close team contest when their three scorers finished in the top ten.
2022 individual winner Likina Amebew, Naima Ait Alibou and Cristina Espejo came home sixth, ninth and tenth respectively to total 25 points and prevail by just one point over compatriots Adidas with former champions Sporting Clube de Braga just another single point further back in third.
However, if the destination of the team title over 8.7km went to the favourites, the individual victory was a huge shock as Alley Athletics Club South Tel Aviv&rsquo;s Anjelina Nadai Lohalith, originally from South Sudan but who has competed in the 1500m of various major championships as a member of the Athlete Refugee Team, took the honours.&nbsp; Lohalith had ostensibly never before run competitively further than 1500m but showed untapped reserves over the longer distance, she surged on the penultimate lap and was never headed before coming home home in 27:55.
At one stage, Lohalith had built up a lead of 80 metres before Spanish international Irene Sanchez-Escribano closed some of the gap in the final kilometre to come home just five seconds in arrears.
As in 2022, when the event made its debut on programme for this championship, Playas de Castellon dominated the mixed relay almost from the gun, fielding the same quarter and in the same order as in Oeiras a year ago.
Abderrahman El Khayami gave the host club a six-second lead at the first changeover after a leg of 1450m, with five other closely matched teams battling for second place, before 2021 European Athletics U20 Championships 1500m bronze medallist Mireya Arnedillo consolidated Playas de Castellon&rsquo;s advantage with the fastest second leg of the day to extend her club&rsquo;s lead to 10 seconds over Sporting Clube de Portugal, who were now a clear second.
Victor Ruiz, who set personal bests of 3:37.86 and 8:16.42 for the 1500m and 3000m steeplechase last summer, produced a flying third leg of 3:49 &ndash; like all the runners having to cover more than 200 metres of beach as well as three small steeplechase-like obstacles on the twisting course &ndash; to add another four seconds to the lead and give Uganda&rsquo;s 2022 World Athletics Championships 1500m finalist Winnie Nanyondo the relatively easy task of bringing her club home as champions.
<img src="https://assets.european-athletics.com/18976171-315e-4cc8-8f49-85953f8ddd94?width=4000&amp;height=2667" alt="Foto 5 2 23, 12 45 26" />
Despite going very briefly off circuit and stumbling on a short sandy descent, Nanyondo&rsquo;s class shone through and she also ran the fastest time on her lap to help her club across the line in 16:10, 16 seconds in front of Sporting Clube de Portugal with Swiss club LG Regensdorf coming through for a surprise bronze.
The U20 &nbsp;women&rsquo;s titles went to Playas de Castellon&rsquo;s Spanish 2023 U20 cross country champion Miriam Benkert who started to run away from her rivals just before the bell and eventually won over the 5.8km race in 19:18, coming home 10 seconds clear of Fenebahce&rsquo;s Edibe Yagiz, the latter having just turned 17 two weeks ago and still eligible to compete in this category for another two years. Both women might well duel again for continental honours at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Jerusalem this coming August.
French U20 cross country international Margot Dajoux coulld be part of that contest as well, and also has another year in this category, but was third in this competition for the second year in succession for C. A. Auvergne.
Behind the women getting places on the podium were the trio representing defending team champions Mica Roma from Romania, with Mihaela Maria Blaga, Alexandra Maria Hudea and Iulia Florina Marginean coming home fourth, fifth and sixth respectively &nbsp;&ndash; the reverse order to the way they finished in 2022 &ndash; to tally and 15 points and take home a second set of gold medals to the club&rsquo;s home city of Blaj in Transylvania.
<img src="https://assets.european-athletics.com/24044624-c770-40d0-9c30-f507bf3abbfb?width=2400&amp;height=1600" alt="Foto 5 2 23, 11 56 30 (1)" />
2018 and 2019 U20 women&rsquo;s winners Fenerbahce had to settle for second this time despite having their three scorers in the top 12 finishers and totalling 24 points, which in many previous years would have been good enough to win.
The U20 men&rsquo;s individual title went to Uganda&rsquo;s 2022 World University Games cross country champion Dismas Yeko, running for the Spanish club Clinicas Menorca, who was away and clear from the start of the last of the three 1920m laps and even had the luxury of being able to look around and relax over the final few hundred metres. Yeko, who won in 16:47, was such a convincing winner that his four-second advantage over runner up Vivian Delin, running for the Dijon club, was flattering to the Frenchman despite the excellent effort of the latter runner.
Delin crossed the line in 16:51 after an enthralling three-way battle for the silver and bronze which saw Stefano Benzoni, running for Italian club Atletica Valle Brembana, take third in 16:52 and Playas de Castellon&rsquo;s Ruben Olivo given the same time but just losing out on a medal in fourth.
Fenerbahce, having missed out on the U20 women&rsquo;s team honours a short while before, regained the U20 men&rsquo;s team title they last won in 2010 when Caner Can Tunctan, Furkan Mutlu and Cuma Ozcan helped each other in the latter stages of the race and finished in sixth, seventh and eighth place respectively.
Full results can be seen <a href="https://www.conersyslive.net/Results/Schedule" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> while replays of all five races (with English-language commentary) can be viewed via the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/EuropeanAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Athletics YouTube channel</a>.

Playas de Castellón dominate the 2023 ECCC Cross Country with three team titles

Europe&rsquo;s top distance running clubs will come together at the Mediterranean town of Oropesa del Mar, Spain to celebrate the 58th edition the European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country on Sunday 5 February.
The ECCC Cross Country can boast of being one of the oldest international cross country championships in the world and can date its history back to 1962, when there was a solitary men&rsquo;s race, with women participating from 1982, U20 races being added in 2006 and the mixed relay coming online last year, following its recent successful introduction at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
In total, 399 athletes from 77 clubs representing 22 countries are on the final entry list for the event.
This year&rsquo;s host club Playas de Castell&oacute;n will be defending the senior women&rsquo;s and mixed relay titles they won 12 months ago in Oeiras, Portugal and has put together strong teams across the board.
In the senior women&rsquo;s competition, Playas de Castell&oacute;n &ndash;having also staged well-received editions in 2012 and 2013 &ndash; has been able to name two of its scoring trio who took the title in 2022 with individual winner Likina Amebaw &ndash; whose victory was by an emphatic 14 seconds &ndash; being accompanied by Cristina Espejo who finished eighth last year.
The surprising absence of any Turkish senior teams, with Istanbul BBSK having finished second in 2022 and &Uuml;sk&uuml;dar Belediyespor having won three consecutive years between 2015-17, suggests the two Portuguese clubs, Sporting Clube de Portugal and Sporting Clube de Braga, could be Castell&oacute;n&rsquo;s closest challengers.
The former field Kenya&rsquo;s Fancy Cherono who was second in 2022 while the latter can call upon Mariana Machado, who has won European age-group medals both on the track and at cross country, and 2010 European cross country champion Jessica Augusto. Both the clubs are former ECCC Cross Country senior women&rsquo;s champions with Braga the most successful women&rsquo;s team in the history of the event with seven titles but Portugal got their two victories in the back-to-back years of 2018 and 2019.
An interesting entrant in the women&rsquo;s race, competing for the Italian club La Recastello Radici Group, is the former world marathon running champion Alice Gaggi.
<h3>Can Kwizera win again?</h3>
The 2022 senior men&rsquo;s emphatic winner Rodrigue Kwizera, who was out on his own the the front over the second half of last year's men's race, will again pull on a Playas de Castell&oacute;n vest and will be the favourite to retain his individual title after winning four of his six outings against high-class opposition in World Athletics Cross Country Tour events this winter.
The absence of Türkiye&rsquo;s 2022 winning team Ankara Ego will open the door for another team to stand on top of the podium.
2022 runners up Sporting Clube de Portugal will undoubtably again challenge again, having won the men&rsquo;s team crown on no less than 15 occasions, the last time in 2018, and coming second in 2022.
Portugal&rsquo;s leading runner from 2022, Vincent Rono from Kenya who finished fifth in Oeiras, is again in their team.
Italian club Casone Noceto were third in Oeiras 12 months ago but had the individual runner up Oscar Chelimo, and the Ugandan 2022 World Athletics Championships 5000m bronze medallist will lead their team in Oropesa del Mar and should be expected to challenge Kwizera.
The U20 races are always difficult to predict but hosts Playas de Castell&oacute;n men&rsquo;s team features Ruben Leonardo, who finished third last year while just 17 and is the only runner from last year&rsquo;s top 10 to return although Ireland&rsquo;s 2022 winning team Ennis AC will defend their title with Niall Murphy, who finished 11th and was their third scorer, on the start line.
<h3>Mica Roma out to rule once more</h3>
Mica Roma won the women&rsquo;s U20 title last year and could have a very good shot at defending their title as they have Iulia Florina Marginean, Alexandra Maria Hudea, Mihaela Maria Blaga competing once again after finishing fifth, seventh and eighth in 2022.
However, Margot Dajoux, who has represented France at the last two SPAR European Cross Country Championships, could be in contention for another place on the podium after finishing third last year and the C A Auvergne runner &ndash; whose club finished second last year by just two points &ndash; still has another year in the U20 ranks.
Like Mica Roma, C A Auvergne have been able to name a similar team from the one that represented them in Oeiras and along with with Dajoux, Fannie Sapet, who was tenth in 2022, will once again on the start line.
Defending champions Playas de Castell&oacute;n will be the favourite for the second edition of the mixed relay and have been able to name exactly the same team as the quartet that won by 30 seconds in 2022.
&nbsp;Uganda&rsquo;s Winnie Nanyondo, a multiple world 1500m finalist and the anchor leg runner on last year&rsquo;s victorious team as well as local star Mireya Arnedillo, the 2021 European Athletics U20 Championships 1500m bronze medallist, will be accompanied byAbderrahman El Khayami and Victor Ruiz, the latter setting personal bests of 3:37.86 and 8:16.42 for the 1500m and 3000m steeplechase last summer as well as being part of Spain&rsquo;s gold medal-winning mixed relay team at the 2018 SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
The Spanish club's most likely rivals, like in the senior women's race, are the Portuguese pair of Sporting Clube de Portugal and Sporting Clube de Braga&nbsp;
Start lists, timetable and details of the circuit at Oropesa del Mar can be found here. Live results are <a href="https://www.conersyslive.net/Results/Schedule" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a><a href="https://www.european-athletics.com/competitions/eccc-cross-country/team-media-information" target="_blank" rel="noopener">.&nbsp;</a>
All five races will be broadcast live with English-language commentary via the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/EuropeanAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Athletics YouTube channel</a>.

Spanish and Portuguese clubs strong contenders to take centre stage at the ECCC Cross Country

Final entries for this year&rsquo;s European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country, which will be staged in the Spanish town of Oropesa del Mar on Sunday 5 February have been published and can be found <a title="Entries" href="https://downloads.european-athletics.com/7d8a56c3-3861-4c25-9bbd-617b024e80c4/ECCC%20XC%202023%20-%20Final%20Entries%20-%20Athletes%20List%20By%20Event.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
In total, 399 athletes from 77 clubs representing 22 countries are entered and will participate in one of the longest-standing and most established cross country fixtures on the calendar.
The ECCC Cross Country will celebrate its 58th edition this year, after being inaugurated in Arlon, Belgium 1962 and nowadays comprises of separate competitions for U20, senior men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s teams representing the national cross country champion and vice-champion clubs of European Athletics Member Federations. The latest addition to the timetable is a mixed relay which was added to the programme for the first time in 2022.
Last year&rsquo;s individual winners in Oeiras, Portugal were Burundi&rsquo;s Rodrigue Kwizera and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Likina Amebaw who both wore the vest of Spanish club Playas de Castellon, and the latter also led her team to victory.
The host club Playas de Castell&oacute;n will put out strong teams in all five races and be defending its continental titles in both the senior women's and mixed relay events.&nbsp;
After all the medals have been presented and the national anthems finished, the final event of the day will be the Total Runner 5K which is designed to be a open trail/cross country race over the same course as used earlier in the day for the five ECCC Cross Country races.
To mark 10 days to go to ECCC, the Castell&oacute;n Provincial Council&nbsp; hosted the press conference on Thursday and the Castell&oacute;n Provincial Council Presdient, Jos&eacute; Mart&iacute;, highlighted the Provincial Council's "firm commitment to sport" and celebrated that "big sporting events put the province on the map."
European Athletics was been represented by Jose Lu&iacute;s de Carlos, European Athletics Honorary Council Member and Project Leader of the event, who has placed special emphasis on the support of local, provincial and regional institutions in developing a first-class event. More details from the press conference (in Spanish) can be found <a title="Press conference details" href="https://atletismecastello.es/presentacion-del-campeonato-de-europa-de-cross-por-clubes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here.</a>
Full details of the event, including course maps and timetable, can be found <a title="Competition page" href=" https://www.european-athletics.com/competitions/eccc-cross-country/team-media-information" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
The 2023 ECCC Cross Country will be live streamed on the European Athletics <a title="YouTube" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/EuropeanAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube channel</a>.

Final entries published for ECCC Cross Country in Oropesa del Mar

With one month to go, preparations are well under way to make the 2023 European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country, commonly abbreviated to the ECCC Cross Country, in the Spanish town of Oropesa del Mar on Sunday 5 February possibly the best ever.
And it is also shaping up to be one of the biggest editions to date with 85 clubs confirmed to take part across the programme which includes senior and U20 men's and women's races as well as the mixed relay which was added to the schedule for the first time in 2022 when the event took place after a three-year hiatus in Oeiras, Portugal.
However, hopes are high the Spanish club teams can also deliver as well on a testing course that is literally just a stone&rsquo;s throw away from the Mediterranean. Host club Playas de Castell&oacute;n will be represented in all five races and defending its continental titles in both the senior women's and mixed relay events.
Jumping the gun, Playas de Castell&oacute;n have already named Uganda&rsquo;s Winnie Nanyondo, a multiple world 1500m finalist and the anchor leg runner on last year&rsquo;s victorious mixed relay team as well as local star Mireya Arnedillo, the 2021 European Athletics U20 Championships 1500m bronze medallist, as their likely female runners in the mixed relay.
They will be accompanied, according to club officials, by "two of Spain&rsquo;s top men's middle distance runners." By their own admission, the Playas de Castell&oacute;n senior women&rsquo;s team may not be quite as strong as last year's winning quartet which had its scoring trio all place in the top eight, including the Spanish-based Ethiopian Likina Amebew who took the individual title, but it is expected to feature "possibly two Spanish internationals."
In addition to Playas de Castell&oacute;n, Spanish champions and runners-up Valencia Atletismo will also have teams replete with international runners in the senior women&rsquo;s race, with Spain having won the ECCC Cross Country senior women&rsquo;s team title on four previous occasions including last year.
In the men&rsquo;s race, Playas de Castell&oacute;n will be joined by surprise Spanish champions C&aacute;rnicas Serrano &ndash; making their debut in this competition &ndash; who are expected to feature the experienced international Roberto Al&aacute;iz, whose last race was the SPAR European Athletics Cross Country Championships where he was part Spain&rsquo;s bronze medal-winning team.
<img src="https://assets.european-athletics.com/c4747734-bd22-453d-b186-81f52da1b424?width=1440&amp;height=1156" alt="Serrano" />
In the men's U20 race, hosts Playas de Castell&oacute;n will once again be among the favourites as they bid to regain the team title they won in 2017 and 2018. In 2022, they finished just outside the medals in fourth place in this category but saw their lead runner Ruben Leonardo finish on the podium in the individual race in third place.
Leonardo will still be 18 on the day of the race and is expected to be part of the Playas de Castell&oacute;n U20 team again.
In additional to his cross country prowess, the criminology student at the University of Valladolid is very talented steeplechaser who also has to be a long range candidate for a medal at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Jerusalem this summer.
In the U20 women&rsquo;s race, Playas de Castell&oacute;n also finished fourth 12 months ago in Portugal but saw themselves beaten in the Spanish championships by Gij&oacute;n Atletismo and the latter will join the host club on the start line in Oropesa del Mar.
After all the medals have been presented and the national anthems finished, the final event of the day will be the Total Runner 5K which is designed to be a open trail/cross country race over the same course as used earlier in the day for the five ECCC Cross Country races.
Full details of the event, including course maps and timetable, can be found <a href="https://www.european-athletics.com/competitions/eccc-cross-country/overview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

One month to go until the 2023 ECCC Cross Country 

After the thrilling racing at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships earlier this month, attention for aficionados of this discipline turns to the 2023 European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country in Spanish town of Oropesa del Mar on Sunday 5 February.
Hosted by the reigning ECCC Cross Country women&rsquo;s and mixed relay champions from 12 month ago, Playas de Castell&oacute;n, this will be the 58th edition of the event.
In little mor than five weeks&rsquo; time, the picturesque Mediterranean venue just 90 kilometres north of Valencia will welcome more than 400 athletes from an expected 25 countries competing for honours in the senior and U20 men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s races and the mixed relay, that latter being and popular and successful addition to the programme in 2022.
This will be the third time that Playas de Castell&oacute;n have staged the event after well-received editions in 2012 and 2013, while Spain last hosted the ECCC Cross Country in 2015 when it was in Guadalajara.
The 1920m circuit (<a href="https://www.european-athletics.com/competitions/eccc-cross-country/team-media-information" target="_blank" rel="noopener">details of which can be found here</a>) will also be familiar to runners for local teams as the Spanish cross country championships have been held there three times in the last decade.
<img src="https://assets.european-athletics.com/6f08dadb-3179-4cba-9398-3ccc190228e7?width=980&amp;height=735" alt="4024a3ae 3fba 40a1 9ade E17e535a4b8b 980x735" />
Despite being almost flat, the circuit designed for the event will certainly be challenging as each lap, runners will have to negotiate approximately 260 metres of sandy beach, which the organisers described in a rather unstated manner as &nbsp;&ldquo;something very unusual in cross country events&rdquo;. In addition, this section of the course is also where the runners will face one of the most difficult parts of the circuit, what the organisers have dubbed &lsquo;La Curva de la Muerte&rsquo; &ndash; or &lsquo;The Death Turn&rsquo; in English &ndash; a 180-degree turn on a sandy surface which runs downhill.
The majority of the course, about 1500 metres, will be natural grass per lap but additional difficulty will come from a series of &nbsp;narrow sharp turns which will have little room in which to pass.
Playas de Castell&oacute;n have a budget of approximately &euro;250,000 to stage the event, much of the funding coming from the local public authorities including Castell&oacute;n Provincial Council, the Oropesa City Council and the Generalitat Valenciana (the Valencia regional council).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Este a&ntilde;o no falla <a href="https://t.co/WOnQwx6NR1">https://t.co/WOnQwx6NR1</a>
&mdash; CA Playas de Castell&oacute;n (@atletismoplayas) <a href="https://twitter.com/atletismoplayas/status/1596633197751988225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
Although teams have yet to be declared one of the stars of the event could be Playas de Castell&oacute;n&rsquo;s very own Rodrigue Kwizera, the defending men&rsquo;s senior champion.
Kwizera has had a stunning winter on Spanish soil with by beating world-class opposition with victories at the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meetings in Amorebeita, Alcobendas and Venta de Ba&ntilde;os as well as finishing second in Sevilla. The Burundi international is based in Spain has been proudly competing in his green Playas de Castell&oacute;n club vest all winter.
He will be looking to become the first man since Spain's Ayad Lamdassem won back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.
Tracing its history back to 1962, the ECCC Cross Country can boast of being the second oldest regional competition in the world after the Balkan cross country championships. The 2023 ECCC Cross Country will be live streamed with further details to be announced closer to the time.

Excitement builds with the ECCC Cross Country on the horizon

Spanish-based Ethiopian distance runner Likina Amebaw took the individual victory in the senior women&rsquo;s race at the ECCC Cross Country in Oeiras, Portugal on Sunday (6) and there was double the reason to celebrate as she also led Playas de Castellon to the team title.
Amebaw broke clear on the last lap of a technically demanding course which featured hills, twists and sandpits to deny the reigning individual champion Fancy Cherono from Kenya a repeat victory in the senior women&rsquo;s 6.4km, 22:13 to 22:27.
Amebaw was amply backed up by her teammates Blanca Fernandez and Cristina Espejo who finished sixth and eight respectively to ensure the team title would return to Castellon along with the individual title. Istanbul BBSK and Bilbao Atletismo Santutxu.
<img src="https://assets.european-athletics.com/9eb397d2-19f5-4c65-8ac0-35f9f169e414" alt="S M2 7086" width="3000" height="2000" />
And despite Cherono&rsquo;s best efforts, Sporting Clube de Portugal not only relinquished the team title but also missed out on a place on the podium by two points. Lia Lemos and former European cross country champion Jessica Augusto were their other scorers in 17th and 23nd respectively.
In the senior men&rsquo;s 10km, there was further success for Castellon as in-form Rodrigue Kwizera from Burundi ran out a comfortable winner in 29:27 ahead of Uganda&rsquo;s Oscar Chelimo who was representing Italian-based club Casone Noceto in 29:48.&nbsp;
His brother Jacob Kiplimo, the world half marathon record-holder, was due to compete but did not start. However, Casone Noceto still won team silver behind Ankara Sport Club whose efforts were headed by former European 10,000m champion Polat Kemboi Arikan who finished sixth individually.
<img src="https://assets.european-athletics.com/aaa79911-52fd-4f17-8545-fbb5fc3bf885" alt="S M2 6718" width="3000" height="2000" />
Twins Dean and Dylan Casey dominated the U20 men&rsquo;s race and led Ennis Track Athletics Club to a commanding victory in the team race while Finland&rsquo;s European U20 3000m champion Ilona Mononen notched up another significant continental victory in the U20 women&rsquo;s race.
And there was even more success for Playas Castellon in the inaugural mixed relay. Anchored by Uganda&rsquo;s Winnie Nanyondo, the Spanish club won the 4x1600m in 19:31 by exactly half-a-minute from Sporting Club Braga whose team was anchored by rising Portuguese middle distance star Mariana Machado.
Full results <a href="https://lap2go.com/en/event/eccc-cross-country-2022/timetable" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Playas de Castellon dominate at the ECCC Cross Country in Oeiras

The final entries for the ECCC Cross Country which returns to the calendar for the first time since 2019 have been published and can be found <a href="https://assets.european-athletics.com/1cbdd156-0238-4c88-a82b-d6121664dbe0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
The ECCC Cross Country will be taking place in Oeiras, Portugal on Sunday (6) and Sporting Clube de Portugal will be looking to seal their third successive senior women&rsquo;s team title.
Despite the long hiatus between editions, Sporting Clube&rsquo;s team is largely unchanged and features the individual winner on that day - Fancy Cherono from Kenya - along with Portuguese veterans Jessica Augusto, Sara Moreira and Sara Catarina Ribeiro.
<img src="https://directus.european-athletics.com/assets/e26353db-3105-44f8-a92e-aba375f7f184" alt="World Athletics Half Marathon Championships" width="3299" height="2199" />
The highest profile name to be competing at the Jamor National Sports Complex will be Uganda&rsquo;s Jacob Kiplimo, the world half marathon champion and world record-holder. Only 18, Kiplimo won the individual senior title three years ago and he will be looking for individual back-to-back titles for Casone Noceto.
Spanish-based team Atletismo Bikila will be looking to retain their team title and their line-up includes former three-time winner Ayad Lamdassem who has since made an excellent transition to the marathon with a fifth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics.
Their closest challengers for the team title could be Ankara Sport Club whose team features two former European cross country champions in Kaan Kigen Ozbilen and Polat Kemboi Arikan and Eritrean steeplechaser Yemane Haileselassie.
As well as U20 races for men and women, the programme has been expanded further to include a mixed relay which will be contested by nine clubs.
Live results can be found <a href="https://lap2go.com/en/event/eccc-cross-country-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> and the event will be streamed live <a href="https://www.rtp.pt/play/direto/rtp1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Final entries published for ECCC Cross Country in Oeiras

After a three-year hiatus, the European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country returns to the international calendar in 2022 and Europe&rsquo;s top distance running clubs will do battle in Oeiras, in the suburbs of Lisbon on Sunday 6 February.
The circuit for the Cup, in the Jamor National Sports Complex, already has a place in European athletics history as it was here that the 1997 European Cross Country Championships was staged.
In addition, for many years at the start of the 21st century the Oeiras cross country meeting was one of the world&rsquo;s top winter fixtures and this was also the venue for the 1999 edition of the European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country.
This will be the 57th edition of the men&rsquo;s Cup, after being first held in 1962 &ndash; making it the second oldest regional cross country fixture in the world after the Balkans cross country championships &ndash; while the women&rsquo;s Cup will be celebrating its 39th staging after being first held in 1982, with the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s competitions being held at the same venue since 2005 and U20 races being added the following year.
The latest addition to the Cup programme will come in Oeiras with the inauguration of a mixed relay.
The host club Sporting Clube de Portugal will be out for a hat-trick of women&rsquo;s titles, having won in 2018 and 2019 when the Cup was also held in Portugal &ndash; in Mira and Albufeira respectively &ndash; and there should be no shortage of friends and fans of the runners to cheer them on.
In 2019, Sporting&rsquo;s one permitted overseas runner, Kenya&rsquo;s Fancy Cherono led the way and took the individual title, and she was ably supported by Portuguese internationals&nbsp;Sara Catarina Ribeiro and Sara Moreira in fifth and sixth with 2010 European cross country champion Jessica Augusto finishing 13th.
If the club is able to field these women again, they will be a hard act to beat, especially as they were convincing winner in Albufeira.
The top three teams from 2019 have an automatic right to enter the Cup and so it is expected that Spain&rsquo;s Bilbao Atletismo Santutxu and Poland&rsquo;s Podlasie Bialystok, second and third respectively in 2019, will also be on the start line with the remainder of the competing clubs still generally dependant on the outcome of the relevant national championships.
In the 2019 men&rsquo;s event, Atletismo Bikila, replete with Spanish international runners and winners four times in five years between 2010-2014, just edged out Italy&rsquo;s Casone Noceto Club, by nine points to regain their title after five years although the latter were able to field the individual winner Jacob Kiplimo, from Uganda, who has subsequently gone on to even great glory by winning the world half marathon title last year and Olympic Games 10,000m bronzer medal just a few months ago
Host club and 15-times men's Cup winners Sporting Clube De Portugal &ndash; who were Europe's dominate team in across two decades and could boast internationally famous runners and Cup winners like Carlos Lopes, Fernando Mamede and the Castro twins, and won 14 times between 1977 and 1994 but then had to wait 24 years for their next victory in 2018 &ndash; were third in the 2019 men's team competition and, like their women, will be aiming to not only get on the podium again but climb on the top step once more.
Around 350 runners from more than 20 countries are expected to contest the five races at the 2022 Cup.
The 2022 Cup will also feature for the first time a mixed relay, becoming the latest major championship to feature this event and following in the footsteps of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships which introduced this event in 2017. The competition's partners include ihe Portuguese Athletics Federation (FPA), the Municipality of Oeiras and the Portuguese Sports Institute and Youth (IPDJ). The organisers have announced that they are expecting approximately 70 clubs and 450 runners to participate across all five races..

Hosts Sporting Clube de Portugal looking for a hat-trick of women's titles at ECCC Cross Country

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2023 ECCC Cross Country | Men's race replay

2023 ECCC Cross Country | Women's race replay

2023 ECCC Cross Country | Mixed relay replay

2023 ECCC Cross Country | Men's U20 race replay

2023 ECCC Cross Country | Women's U20 race replay

2023 ECCC Cross Country | Replay

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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.

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ECCC Cross Country News

Latest News

Playas de Castellón dominate the 2023 ECCC Cross Country with three team titles

Spanish and Portuguese clubs strong contenders to take centre stage at the ECCC Cross Country

Final entries published for ECCC Cross Country in Oropesa del Mar

One month to go until the 2023 ECCC Cross Country

Excitement builds with the ECCC Cross Country on the horizon

Playas de Castellon dominate at the ECCC Cross Country in Oeiras

Final entries published for ECCC Cross Country in Oeiras

Hosts Sporting Clube de Portugal looking for a hat-trick of women's titles at ECCC Cross Country

Reports

Playas de Castellón dominate the 2023 ECCC Cross Country with three team titles

Playas de Castellon dominate at the ECCC Cross Country in Oeiras

Team News and Previews

Final entries published for ECCC Cross Country in Oropesa del Mar