The 2010 European Cross Country Championships was a continental cross country running competition that took place on 12 December in Albufeira, Portugal. It was the second time that the country hosted the event, building upon the 1997 edition held in Oeiras.

Serhiy Lebid won the men's race for his ninth victory of the championship – a record for the competition. France took the men's team title. Jessica Augusto comprehensively won the women's race for the host nation and also led the Portuguese team to a team gold medal. At total of 468 athletes from a record number of 34 nations competed at the event.Records set in Albufeira . European Athletics (13 December 2010). Retrieved 14 December 2010.

Competition

Preparation The race took place on a purpose-built course near the city, which also hosts the annual Almond Blossom Cross Country. Albufeira was chosen as the host at the 120th European Athletics Council Meeting in October 2008, defeating a rival bid from Velenje (which was chosen for the 2011 edition instead).Albufeira (POR) & Velenje (SLO) to host the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in 2010 & 2011 . European Athletics (4 October 2008). Retrieved 12 December 2010.

Hayley Yelling entered the race as the defending women's champion while Alemayehu Bezabeh, the reigning men's champion, did not take part in the competition.Minshull, Phil (10 December 2010). Lebid and Yelling-Higham looking for old gold at European XC Champs – PREVIEW. IAAF. Retrieved 10 December 2010. High-profile investigations into doping in Spain immediately preceded the championships and Bezabeh was among the athletes implicated in Operación Galgo.La Guardia Civil interroga a Nuria Fernández y Reyes Estévez. El País (10 December 2010). Retrieved 11 December 2010.Purdue carries Britain's hopes while question mark hangs over Spanish entries. Athletics Weekly (11 December 2010). Retrieved 11 December 2010. As both the reigning champion and the 2009 silver medallist Mo Farah were absent, the men's race was seen as a relatively open competition, with Ukrainian Serhiy Lebid, Spanish runners Ayad Lamdassem and Jesús España being the foremost protagonists.Purdue carries Britain's hopes while question mark hangs over Spanish entries. Athletics Weekly (11 December 2010). Retrieved 12 December 2010. The withdrawal of Rosa Morató (runner-up in 2009) left Jessica Augusto as the provisional favourite for the women's race.Spain’s Morató out of SPAR European Cross Country Championships . European Athletics (8 December 2010). Retrieved 12 December 2010. Forming a strong team, three other Portuguese runners (Ana Dulce Félix, Marisa Barros and Sara Moreira) were expected to challenge for medals, as were Yelling and Adriënne Herzog (also directly implicated in Operación Galgo), who was third the previous year.Minshull, Phil (10 December 2010). Lebid and Yelling-Higham looking for old gold at European XC Champs – PREVIEW. IAAF. Retrieved 12 December 2010.

Races

The men's race remained relatively tight until the final lap. Six men were on equal footing at the bell: Lebid, Lamdassem, French duo Morhad Amdouni and Abdellatif Meftah, and Rui Pedro Silva and Yousef El Kalai, both representing the hosts. Lamdassem was the first to move away from the pack, seizing the lead, and only Lebid followed. The Ukrainian overhauled Lamdassem in the final stages and maintained a clear lead to win his ninth title – a record for the competition. Lamdassem just held off a late sprint from El Kalai to take the runner-up spot. Meftah and Amdouni finished shortly after for fourth and fifth, leading the French men to a team victory.Minshull, Phil (12 December 2010). Lebid collects ninth title while Augusto thrills the locals in Albufeira – European XC Champs. IAAF. Retrieved 12 December 2010.SENIOR MEN'S FINAL: Lebid leaves it late but triumphs again . European Athletics (12 December 2010). Retrieved 12 December 2010.

Jessica Augusto made her gold medal intentions known as she took the lead in the opening stages. The Portuguese athlete never relinquished the position and produced a largely unrivalled, solo performance. Spaniard Alessandra Aguilar shadowed her in the middle part of the race but later dropped out of contention. With Augusto clear in front, Binnaz Uslu, Ana Dulce Félix, Fionnuala Britton and Tetyana Holovchenko battled for the minor medals in the second half of the race. Félix and Uslu fought for the runner-up spot with the Turk eventually winning out. Augusto's lead was so significant that she slowed and celebrated throughout the home straight, still crossing the line with a five-second advantage. Félix took the bronze just ahead Britton, helping the Portuguese women to the team gold medal, and Holovchenko rounded out the top five.SENIOR WOMEN'S FINAL: Portugal’s Augusto dominates to take gold . European Athletics (12 December 2010). Retrieved 12 December 2010.

Hassan Chahdi of France took the men's under-23 title while Ethiopian-born Meryem Erdoğan won the women's under-23 section for Turkey. The junior races were won by Abdelaziz Merzougui and Charlotte Purdue.UNDER 23 MEN'S FINAL: Chahdi and Carvalho make the predictions come true . European Athletics (12 December 2010). Retrieved 12 December 2010.UNDER 23 WOMEN'S FINAL: Turkey’s Erdogan fulfils her role as favourite . European Athletics (12 December 2010). Retrieved 12 December 2010.JUNIOR MEN'S FINAL: Merzougui ends Spain’s 12-year medal drought . European Athletics (12 December 2010). Retrieved 12 December 2010.JUNIOR WOMEN'S FINAL: Purdue finally makes it to the top of the podium . European Athletics (12 December 2010). Retrieved 12 December 2010.

Race results

Senior men

+Individual race Rank Athlete Country Time (m:s) Serhiy Lebid29:15 Ayad Lamdassem29:18 Yousef El Kalai29:19 4Abdellatif Meftah29:21 5Morhad Amdouni29:21 6Andrea Lalli29:28 7Eduardo Mbengani29:29 8Rui Pedro Silva29:32 9Jesús España29:32 10Mokhtar Benhari29:34 11Yevgeniy Rybakov29:35 12Steffen Uliczka29:36

+Team race Rank Team Points MeftahAmdouniBenhariDriss El Himer33 El KalaiMbenganiRui Pedro SilvaRui Silva35 LamdassemEspañaRicardo SerranoFrancisco Javier López 58 496 599 6106 7142 8181

Totals: 75 entrants, 74 starters, 71 finishers, 10 teams.Senior Men – Results . European Athletics (12 December 2010). Retrieved 12 December 2010.

Senior women

+Individual race Rank Athlete Country Time (m:s) Jéssica Augusto26:52 Binnaz Uslu26:57 Ana Dulce Félix26:59 4Fionnuala Britton26:59 5Tetyana Holovchenko27:04 6Marisa Barros27:06 7Hatti Dean27:08 8Alessandra Aguilar27:09 9Sara Moreira27:26 10Ana Dias27:27 11Fatiha Klilech-Fauvel27:27 12Maria Sig Møller27:31

+Team race Rank Team Points AugustoFélixBarrosMoreira19 DeanLouise DamenStephanie TwellHelen Clitheroe65 AguilarDiana MartínNuria FernándezIrene Pelayo 72 479 5101 6132 7147 Totals: 49 entrants, 49 starters, 47 finishers, 7 teams.Senior Women – Results . European Athletics (12 December 2010). Retrieved 12 December 2010.

Under-23 men +Individual race Rank Athlete Country Time (m:s) Hassan Chahdi24:11 Florian Carvalho24:14 Yegor Nikolayev24:15 4Jeroen d'Hoedt24:23 5Ricardo Mateus24:25 6Siarhei Platonau24:28 7Tiago Costa24:32 8Sindre Buraas24:34 9Ricky Stevenson24:34 10Florian Orth24:44 11David McCarthy24:46 12Sebastián Martos24:47

+Team race Rank Team Points McCarthyBrendan O'NeillMichael MulhareDavid Rooney60 ChahdiCarvalhoAbdelatif HadjamEtienne Diemunsch78 MartosAntonia AbadíaJavier GarcíaVíctor Corrales 79 4104 5112 6114 7133 8134 Totals: 102 entrants, 102 starters, 96 finishers, 16 teams.Under-23 Men – Results . European Athletics (12 December 2010). Retrieved 12 December 2010.

Under-23 women

+Individual race Rank Athlete Country Time (m:s) Meryem Erdoğan20:08 Cristina Jordán20:17 Emma Pallant20:28 4Hanna Nosenko20:36 5Roxana Birca20:39 6Sandra Eriksson20:41 7Nathalie Gray20:43 8Viktoriya Pohorielska20:46 9Yekatyerina Gorbunova20:46 10Lucie Sekanová20:47 11Patricia Laubertie20:47 12Natalya Vlasova20:47

+Team race Rank Team Points PallantGrayEmily PidgeonSarah Waldron47 GorbunovaVlasovaLyudmila LebedevaAlfiya Khasanova49 NosenkoPohorielskaOlha SkrypakLyudmyla Kovalenko 65 494 5107 6117 7118 8194 Totals: 65 entrants, 64 starters, 61 finishers, 8 teams.Under-23 Women – Results . European Athletics (12 December 2010). Retrieved 12 December 2010.

Junior men +Individual race Rank Athlete Country Time (m:s) Abdelaziz Merzougui18:07 Nemanja Cerovac18:07 Rui Pinto18:09 4Ivan Strebkov18:09 5Sondre Nordstad Moen18:16 6Andrey Rusakov18:18 7Jesper van der Wielen18:19 8Sándor Szábo18:23 9Marek Kowalski18:25 10Ryan Saunders18:27 11Romain Collenot-Spriet18:31 12Shane Quinn18:31

+Team race Rank Team Points SaundersJonathan HayJohn McDonnellAndrew Combs62 PintoEmanuel RolimJosé CostaNuno Santos74 RusakovVictor SaenkoIlgizar SafiulinNikolai Lialikov 85 488 5120 6130 7145 8155 Totals: 104 entrants, 104 starters, 99 finishers, 17 teams.Junior Men – Results . European Athletics (12 December 2010). Retrieved 12 December 2010.

Junior women

+Individual race Rank Athlete Country Time (m:s) Charlotte Purdue 12:42 Amela Terzić 12:59 Emelia Gorecka 13:00 4Gulshat Fazlitdinova13:03 5Corrina Harrer13:08 6Zenobie Vangansbeke13:09 7Ciara Mageean13:16 8Ioana Doaga13:18 9Lily Partridge13:19 10Annabel Gummow13:19 11Gesa Krause13:22 12Kate Avery13:24

+Team race Rank Team Points PurdueGoreckaPartridgeGummow 23 HarrerKrauseMaya RehbergJannika John 53 DoagaMirela LavricAnca Maria BuneaDana Elena Login 64 499 5103 6128 7149 8165 Totals: 76 entrants, 75 starters, 74 finishers, 11 teams.Junior Women – Results . European Athletics (12 December 2010). Retrieved 12 December 2010.

Total medal table

Note: Totals include both individual and team medals, with medals in the team competition counting as one medal.

References

External links Official website Competition site on European Athletics