Olympic 1500m sixth-placer Niels Laros stepped up in distance to win the senior men’s 10km at the Warandeloop in Tilburg, a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Silver event, on Sunday (24) afternoon.
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Laros made steady progress through the field before moving into the lead for the first time on the last lap of a flat but twisting course. The 19-year-old looked largely untroubled as he crossed the finish-line in 29:35, leading a Dutch clean sweep ahead of Abdirahman Mohamed (29:42) and Nik Lemmink (29:44).
This victory is just another example of the versatility of the precocious Dutch middle distance star who was crowned 2024 men’s Rising Star at the Golden Tracks awards night last month.
Among his other achievements, Laros also broke the world U20 1000m record with 2:14.37 on home soil in Hengelo in a track season which also saw him reach the Olympic 1500m final and break Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s European U20 record with 3:29.54.
Laros’ next goal is the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Antalya on 8 December when the teenager will be looking to upgrade his silver medal from the U20 race last year into gold in what will be his last championships in this age-group.
His training partner Kevin Kamenschak from Austria finished fifth in 29:56 while last year’s winner Senay Fissehatsion had to settle for 15th in 30:34.
A hat-trick of titles for Lahti
In the senior women’s 8km, Sweden’s Sarah Lahti took her third successive title in 26:58 by a clear margin from Dutchwoman Ineke Van Koldam (27:15) and Belgium’s Roxane Cleppe (27:18).
Lahti, who is on the comeback from hamstring surgery which forced her to miss the track season, becomes the first three-time winner of the women’s race in Tilburg since Sifan Hassan between 2013-15.
Robin van Riel (5:07) and Marissa Damink (6:06) won the 1.8km short course races which served as the trial race to select the Dutch team for the mixed relay at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
The Netherlands won bronze in the mixed relay last year behind France and Great Britain.
Battocletti defeats Klosterhalfen in Alcobendas
Nadia Battocletti ran out a comfortable winner against Konstanze Klosterhalfen, her predecessor as European 5000m champion, at the Cross de la Constitucion in Alcobendas on Sunday (24).
The Olympic 10,000m silver medallist won the senior women’s 8.040km in 26:14 by over one minute from her German rival, who was a distant second in 27:29.
Battocletti’s next target is the SPAR European Cross Country Championships where she will be looking to improve on her silver medal from Brussels last year. And if she does win, Battocletti will become the first female athlete to win gold medals in the U20, U23 and senior races.
“If the Cinque Mulini was useful to remove the rust [Battocletti finished third], today's race was run on a tougher course, with many ups and downs, and it made me understand that I'm reaching the right shape for the European Cross Country Championships,’ said Battocletti as quoted by FIDAL.
Spain's Carla Arce was third in 27:50.
Steven Mills for European Athletics