Ahead of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Brussels on Sunday (10), the traditional pre-event press conference took place at the top of the historic Atomium landmark in Brussels where Belgium's Isaac Kimeli and Chloe Herbiet along with Great Britain's Megan Keith and the Netherlands' Niels Laros took the stage alongside European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov.
Isaac Kimeli was the 2016 SPAR European Cross Country Championships U23 gold medallist and took silver in the senior ranks in 2018 as well as the bronze in 2022.
What are your expectations from the race?
My background is running cross country from and it’s great to have these championships at home. I think it will be a tough race but I will do my best to bring the gold medal home.
I know this course as we had the national championships here [in February] however this will be a tougher course as it was a dry course before and this will be mud, so that will be much harder… and if you start too fast you can die in this mud.
Do you think you'll get a lot of support on the day?
I’m expecting a lot of people from Belgium, and also from the Netherlands’ (at this moment Isaac pointed to Niels Laros) to be here and my hometown is just 10 minutes from here, my mother and my girlfriend will be here.
What's your reaction to defending champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen not being here?
I was expected Jakob to be running this race and when he’s in the race everybody is looking at him. I hope he gets better from his injury but now the race is much more open.
Chloe Herbiet is the 2023 Belgian cross country champion and won the Eindhoven Marathon in October.
How do you mentally switch from the marathon to cross country?
It's a lot easier to come down from the marathon to cross country because in my mind it's not as far, it's 42km down to 9km so the race goes much more quickly.
What's your feeling about having these championships on home soil?
It's amazing and a matter of pride to have these championships in Belgium.
Megan Keith is the 2023 European U23 5000m champion and 2021 European U20 cross country champion.
The weather here is a bit like Britain so how do you feel?
I think we've brought the weather with us (it was cold and rainy in Brussels on Saturday). We'll feel right at home here in Brussels.
Do you prefer the track or cross country?
Definitely, I prefer racing on the mud! I feel right at home on a cross country course. I'm really looking forward to these championships.
What's the feeling like within the British team?
I think there is definitely some confidence. We walked around the course this morning and the course is very similar to the trials race we had in Liverpool two weeks ago.
Still only 18, Niels Laros is the 2023 European U20 1500m and 5000m champion, a World Athletics Championships Budapest23 1500m finalist and the Dutch 1500m record holder with 3:31.25.
With so many achievements in 2023, if you had to choose just one highlight what would it be?
I think the Budapest23 final when I ran the Dutch record.
This will be your first SPAR European Cross Country Championships so how are you feeling?
Well, this is typical cross country weather and I like it. and I used to run a lot of cross country when I was young although not so much in the last one or two years. However, I'm looking forward to the race.
How do you feel about the comparisons with Jakob Ingebrigtsen?
Well, he's a great athlete to it's an honour just to be mentioned alongside him. But I'm getting closer to him and soon I hope I'll be able to try to beat him.
(L-R) LOC Co-President & Belgian Athletics Co-President Gery Follens, European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov, Brussels First Alderman Benoit Hellings
Shortly after the athletes left the stage, it was the turn of European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov. Brussels First Alderman Benoit Hellings and Local Organising Committee (LOC) Co-President & Belgian Athletics Co-President Gery Follens to take the stage.
"This is the second time we are having the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Brussels after 2008 and the third time in Belgium with Charleroi staging it in 1996. Cross country feels at home here in Belgium. This year there will be 37 federations here and more than 500 runners on this really challenging course here in Brussels," commented Karamarinov, summarising some key facts about the event.
"Brussels is very proud to welcome these championships. We great experience organising big athletics events including the Memorial van Damme (the annual Diamond League meeting), the marathon here every year and now these championships. Cross country is a wonderful sport: the mud, the effort makes it something special," reflected Hellings.
"And these championships will see three innovations, added Follens. "First of all, we have no more start boxes. We will do it like we have cross country races here in Belgium. Secondly, we have the random order in the mixed relay and thirdly there podium presentation will all come at the end of the championships after all the races are over and I hope many, many people stay to watch them.
"In addition, we will have many of the greats of Belgian cross country running as invited guests: Gaston Roelents, Karel Lismont, Emiel Puttemans and Vincent Rousseau."