The 2021 SPAR European Cross Country Championships take place this Sunday, December 12th, at the Sport Ireland Campus. It is a year later than expected because of Covid but the organising committee have remained focused on the prize and the infrastructure required has been rising from the Campus grounds over the past weeks.

The men’s U20 race gets proceedings up and running from 10 am, while all eyes will be on Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen as he makes his debut in the senior men’s race at 13.13pm.

Ingebrigtsen has dominated the U20 race since 2016, winning four successive individual titles and also leading Norway to the U20 team title in Tilburg 2018.

He will be lining up alongside his older brother Filip who won the senior men’s title at those championships three years ago.

As well as the Olympic champion, all six European Cross Country gold medallists from the last edition two years ago in Lisbon are set to compete.

Turkey’s Yasemin Can and Aras Kaya will be seeking their fifth and third titles respectively in the senior races while France’s Jimmy Gressier and Denmark’s Anna Emilie Moller both graduate into the senior ranks after multiple successes at the U23 level. Great Britain & NI are also seeking their third title in the mixed relay.

Italy’s Nadia Battocletti, who won the women’s U20 race in 2018 and 2019, has opted to contest the U23 race in Fingal-Dublin. She will be seeking her second major title at this age group in 2021 after winning the 5000m at the European Athletics U23 Championships in Tallinn.

Leading Irish hopes include European U20 3000m champion Nick Griggs in the men’s U20 race and Sarah Healy in the U23 race. Irish champions Hiko Tonosa and Michelle Finn highlight the Irish senior team with 2011 and 2012 winner Fionnuala McCormack due to extend her record of most appearances on the women’s side to 17.

All seven races will be broadcast live on RTE 2 from 9.30 am, on Sunday as well as being streamed live and accompanied by expert English-language commentary on the European Athletics website.

There will also be coverage available on BBC via the red button and Athletics Ireland will be updating with all the action on its social media channels.

 
Sport for Business Perspective

Hostimg a European Championship in any sport is a real achievement and Athletics Ireland, Sport Ireland, Fingal Local Authority and Spar have done a great job in keeping their nerve as Covid ebbed and swirled across the period of last year’s planned staging and all the way up to this weekend. For those who make it to Abbotstown, it will be a memory to live long in the mind.

 

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