Great Britain’s mixed relay quartet won bronze at the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia on Saturday (30). It was the nation’s first senior medal at this championship for 20 years and Europe's first since 2017.
The team were led by senior debutant Thomas Keen who covered the first loop, measured at just over 2km with the straight at the start taken into consideration, in 6:34 coming home in ninth place. He handed on to Alex Miller and she picked up one place covering the complete 1887m lap in 5:43.
Next up was Adam Fogg and he cut through the field with a storming run of 4:54 over 1887m to leave Great Britain in fourth.
It was left to Bethan Morley to see if she could grab a podium position for Britain.
The 2024 World University Cross Country Championships short race bronze medallist quickly overcame USA’s Katie Izzo to move into third and despite Morocco and Uganda in close attendance, Morley hung on for bronze with 5:49 and lead Great Britain home in cumulative time of 23:00. Kenya took gold in 22:15 and Ethiopian silver with 22:43.
“The American girl was in my sights early on, but I had to remain calm, and not go off too quickly,” Morley told www.britishathletics.org.uk.
“Coming down the final ramp into the home straight I was just thinking ‘oh my god, I am going to be a world medallist’, you’ve got to keep it going! We thought on a very good day we could get a medal, and look, we had a very good day.”
"We thought it might be possible to win a medal today," added Fogg who, along with Morley, also won a bronze as part of Great Britain's mixed relay team at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships and who ran a 3:49.62 mile indoors last month in New York. "Thankfully we pulled it together and got it done. I think that is more than we could have asked for."
Spanish lead senior challenge
In the senior men’s race, Spanish athletes led the European challenge. Thierry Ndikumwenayo placed 9th in a race won for the second successive year by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo. Spain placed fourth in the team standings behind winners Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia.
Three-times SPAR European Cross Country Champion Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal was 14th in the senior women’s race while Spain were fifth, the leading European team, in the team event won by Kenya.
Main photo by Nikola Adamovic, on behalf of the Local Organising Committee Belgrade 24 World Cross Country Championships