Euro Cross Championships

[sidelined]

UKA have named the team for the European Cross Country Championships:

http://www.athleticsweekly.com/news/twe ... ean-cross/

Steph Twell will run the U23 race. Charlotte Purdue has asked not to be considered due to injury, and Jessica Judd has opted out, which I think is a pity. The women's U23 team looks very strong - the senior women's less so. It's interesting to see Andy Baddley there - is he aiming for the 5000 next season, I wonder?

Great Britain & Northern Ireland team:

Senior men: Andy Baddeley, Mark Draper, Ryan McLeod, Frank Tickner, Andy Vernon, James Walsh.
Senior women: Elle Baker, Julia Bleasdale, Hatti Dean, Freya Murray, Gemma Steel, Emily Wicks.

Under-23 men: Philip Berntsen, Matthew Gillespie, Mitch Goose, Matthew Graham, Derek Hawkins, James Wilkinson.
Under-23 women: Lauren Howarth, Emma Pallant, Lily Partridge, Naomi Taschimowitz, Stephanie Twell, Hannah Walker.

Junior men: Kieran Clements, Niall Fleming, Richard Goodman, Jack Goodwin, Jonny Hay, Mark Shaw.
Junior women: Beth Carter, Emelia Gorecka, Annabel Gummow, Katie Holt, Gemma Kersey, Laura Muir.

[d pickup]

'Twell returns as Britain takes big medal aspirations to SPAR European Cross Country Championships'

see
www.european-athletics.org/18th-spar-eu ... lenje.html

[d pickup]

'Final entries: Record numbers probable at 2011 SPAR European Cross Country Championships'

see
www.european-athletics.org/18th-spar-eu ... ships.html

[usedtoit33]

For the past couple of years the Beeb has shown this on the red button. Hope we get to see it again.

[Blindfaith]

BBC2 are listed as showing coverage from 12.30 til 14.15 so that should mean both senior races live and highlights of the others (unless they are shown earlier on the red button??)

Timetable of events are as follows (Velenje is an hour ahead of UK)
http://www.european-athletics.org/files ... etable.pdf

[usedtoit33]

I'll enjoy the women's races of course, but I'm most interested in the progress of our men. A lot of them got good PBs in the 5 and 10k during last season, and were close to getting medals last year. The Euro XC is a good step onto better distance success, just as the Euro indoors has launched a few track careers.

[nevetssllim]

I'm looking forward to the women's senior race and the men's under-23 race. There isn't really an outstanding favourite in the women's race but there are a lot of very good athletes who could win and the under-23 race brings together the European U23 champions from 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m and the steeplechase.

If the BBC are covering the senior races, I'm sure they'll put the rest of the them on the red button...hopefully!

[sidelined]

Well, I'm interested to see what Emelia Gorecka can do in the junior women's race, and how Steph Twell will get on in the women's U23 race. But I just looked on the BBC's list of red button coverage and there's no sign of the Euro cross...

[nevetssllim]

Well, I'm interested to see what Emelia Gorecka can do in the junior women's race, and how Steph Twell will get on in the women's U23 race. But I just looked on the BBC's list of red button coverage and there's no sign of the Euro cross...

It's all going to be streamed on the European Athletics website.

[LiamRiley]

Aside from defending champions Jessica Augusto and Serhiy Lebid, the senior competitions seem to be pretty light on big names. I wouldn't be surprised to see the men's and women's top two finishers the same as last year's (with Lamdassem and Binnaz Uslu in runner-up spots).

Why has Twell gone back down to U-23? Is she still worried about injuries? Sadly (from a viewer perspective), Britain's best chances seem to be in this less interesting category.

[nevetssllim]

Augusto isn't running either according to final entries. I'm hoping Fionnuala Britton can win a medal. She finished ahead of Uslu in a recent XC race in France and I hope the latter isn't anywhere near the medals on Sunday.

Given Twell's year and the fact she's only just returned, surely the under-23 race is the best option?

[LiamRiley]

Looking at the entries for the men's senior race, the GB guys might be in with a shout of a medal. The French team are by far the strongest on paper (Meftah, Amdouni and Benhari all got top ten last year and are back for more).

Spain are looking weakened team-wise, although Lamdassem and Serrano might lift the standard between them. The Portuguese and Italian men's teams aren't looking too great this time round either - Lalli is missing for Italy while all of Portugal's 2010 silver medal-winning team are absent from Velenje.

The Portuguese and Spanish teams are the ones to beat in the women's race. Augusto maybe be out, but 2010 bronze medalist Ana Dulce Félix is still there among the possible favourites and Portugal have plenty of other handy runners in there too.

The GB women's team should be in the team medals again if all goes well, and perhaps an individual medallist is possible among them too (Hattie?).

I hope Adrienne Herzog doesn't get near the medals - she's had a lucky escape in my opinion. Individually, Ancuţa Bobocel, and marathoners Nadia Ejjafini and Mockenhaupt could easily be medalists or also-rans. My hopes are with the British girls and Ireland's leading pair of Fionnuala Britton and Mary Cullen!

Final entries here: men's/women's

[Geoff]

Live feed for record-breaking European Cross Country Championships

http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/su ... mpionships

Will it will be blocked during BBC's transmission?

[Blindfaith]

Anybody else getting problems with the live feed? Tells me to update my Adobe flash player, which I did, but still not working....

I had no problems when they showed the european Under 20s etc earlier in yeear..

[sidelined]

Just deleted an enthusiastic post so I don't spoil things for anyone only watching the Beeb!

[nevetssllim]

Really hope Fion Britton can win this!

I get a little bit of sick in my mouth whenever I see Uslu.

[usedtoit33]

I'm watching the Beeb. It's a really exciting senior women's race! I'd be really pleased if Fionn Britton won, but dare I hope for the Brit coming up from behind?

[nevetssllim]

Gemma Steel is having a super run! Ejjafini has gone from looking really good to really bad in the space of a few minutes. Britton pulling clear.

[nevetssllim]

Top four are waaaay ahead of the rest. Ejjafini and Felix might not be out of it yet as they both have marathon strength.

[usedtoit33]

I'm not sure Felix is entirely done yet. Is Ejaffini Uslu?

[nevetssllim]

Going to be really tight for the team race. We're tied with Portugal at the last lap!

[nevetssllim]

I'm not sure Felix is entirely done yet. Is Ejaffini Uslu?

No - Binnaz Uslu, the Turkish steeplechaser who tested positive for testosterone a few yrs ago. Thankfully she's nowhere today.

[usedtoit33]

Fantastic run by Britton! So pleased for her. And what a great run from Gemma Steel for bronze!

ETA: Thanks for clearing that up nevets!

The Beeb haven't mentioned the men's races yet. Think they're waiting until before the senior men's race to do it? I'm really interested to see how the men get on as the men need a bit more work than the women.

Fantastic run by Emma Pallant and the woman in silver whose name I can't spell (sorry). So disappointed Steph got caught on the line. Definitely the right decision by her to go in the U23 race. Pallant looked like she would have been perfectly at home competing with Gemma Steel.

[usedtoit33]

James Wilkinson got the silver behind Carvalho and ahead of Moen! in the men's U23s! That's brilliant stuff and hopefully that bodes well for his 3k 'chase prospects next year. And we got the team silver! That's a really good result.

[boysen]

Cameron vindicated...GB supreme over ,err, Europe.

[boysen]

They seek him here, they seek him there, theres a b......Bekele everywhere!

[nevetssllim]

Really good performances on the whole but I'm a bit disappointed with the men's senior team. It's not like it was the strongest possible line-up (Mo and Thommo not there, some of the best Spaniards and Italians weren't there and quite a few of the best runners were in the U23 race!) and I don't think it's too much to ask for a few more in the top-10.

I wonder what Gemma Steel's plans are? She's 26 and improving all the time. Will she try a marathon soon, maybe?

[sidelined]

That was a really well-judged race from Emelia Gorecka to haul in the long-time leaders at the end - perfectly paced, unlike Johnny Hay, who overcooked it a bit at the start, and the senior men who all undercooked it. I thought hanging around at the back was supposed to be a thing of the past.

And typical BBC - chat, interviews, trailers for SPOTY instead of showing more of four very exciting races.

nevets, Gemma Steel has said that her aim for next year is the 10,000.

[GBSupporter]

It was nice to see the BBC cover this event .The team aspect makes it more interesting .Talking of which all the teams did a good job apart from the mens senior. Some really great individual performances as well . So on the whole is it looking good for our distance runners ?
I think currently no ...of those who competed today...in the future could well be . All focus on the juniors .i'm afraid we have to wait another 10 years before we see another Mo or Paula . But big congrats to Gemma Steel .

[boysen]

Did I really hear one of the BBC people say "Its good to hear the Union Jack being played"? If so who might have said it?