Rodrigue Kwizera of Spanish club Playas de Castellon is seeking his third successive victory in the senior men’s race at the European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country in Albufeira, Portugal on Sunday (25).
The championships will be streamed in their entirety through Eurovision Sport with separate English, French and Spanish commentaries, with extensive coverage of the event on the European Athletics website and social media channels. The stream will be geo-blocked in Portugal but Portuguese viewers will be available to watch on Sport TV3.
Kwizera, seventh in the 10,000m at the Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships, first won this race two years ago in Oeiras, Portugal and successfully defended his title last year in Oropesa del Mar, Spain.
The Spain-based Burundi runner is carving his name into the rich 62 year history of the event, whose winners’ roster also includes Ukraine’s nine-time SPAR European Cross Country Championships gold medallist Serhiy Lebid (2001), Portugal’s 1984 Olympic marathon winner Carlos Lopez (1977, 1982, 1985), Italy’s 1984 Olympic 10,000m gold medallist Alberto Cova (1984, 1986) and current European 10,000m gold medallist Yemaneberhan Crippa (2017).
Leading contenders showing form
In January, Kwizera placed second at the 80th Elgoibar Juan Muguerza International Cross Country, a World Athletics Cross Country Gold event in Spain, only five seconds adrift of Berihu Aregawi, senior men’s silver medallist at last year’s World Cross Country Championships, so is in excellent form.
His main opposition for individual honours will likely come from clubmate Thierry Ndikumwenayo. Another Burundi-born athlete, Ndikumwenayo, has competed for Spain since April last year.
Last month he won the senior men’s race at the Spanish Cross Country Championships in Getafe. He also has shown rare turn of speed on the track, particularly when winning over 3000m at the Monaco Diamond League in 2022 in 7:25.93.
Their team also includes rising star Alejandro Quijada (pictured), 3000m steeplechase gold medallist at last year’s European Athletics U23 Championships in Espoo, Finland. With such a potent spearhead at their disposal, Playas de Castellon will start as favourites for the team title.
Strong home challenge
The home challenge will be led by Sport Lisboa e Benfica and Sporting Clube de Portugal. The former include in their ranks Kenya’s 2018 World U20 5000m gold medallist Edward Zakayo and Portugal’s André Pereira, who placed 28th in senior men’s race at last year’s SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Brussels.
Whilst the latter boasts Kenyan Vincent Rono, seventh at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships and Portugal’s Rui Pinto, 20th in the marathon at the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championship.
Uganda’s Oscar Chelimo placed runner-up last year, paving the way to team bronze for Italian club Atletica Casone Noceto. The 5000m bronze medallist from the 2022 World Athletics Championships returns for another medal tilt this year.
Fenerbahce Spor Kulubu will represent Türkiye and they have former World Youth 2000m steeplechase gold medallist Hilal Yego in their team.
French representation comes in the form of Pays de Fontainebleau Athletisme, who include Louis Gilavert, 6th in the 1500m final at last year’s European Athletics Indoor Championships in Istanbul.
Another name worth watching is Norwegian prospect Andreas Fjeld Halvorsen, still only 18, but tackling the senior race. A silver medallist over 1500m and 3000m at the 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships in Jerusalem, he broke Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s national U20 record over 3000m last year. He represents Ullensaker/Kisa IL.
Jeukenne one to watch
In the men’s U20 race, Belgium’s Simon Jeukenne of Herve Athletique Club, 7th in the men’s U20 men’s race at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Brussels in December, is a name to watch.
So too is Dragoș-Luca Pop of Romanian club LPS Cluj Napoca. He was 10th in the 5000m final at last year’s European U23 Championships in Espoo. Fenerbahce Spor Kulubu will attempting to defend their team title.
Another interesting entrant is William Thøgersen, the younger brother of European U20 cross country silver medallist Sofia Thøgersen, who makes his international debut. He competes for Sparta AC.
The mixed relay will see Playas de Castellon aiming to defend their title and their team includes Abderrahman El Khayami and 20-year-old Mireya Arnedillo, both of whom were part of their title-winning team last year.
Swiss club LC Regensdorf took bronze 12 months ago and will be challenging again this year.
This year’s event is combined with the Cross Internacional das Amendoeiras em Flor, a World Athletics Cross Country Tour meeting, the final Gold level event of the 2023/24 season and the biggest international race before the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia on 30 March.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics