Underage teams lead Irish medal hopes at Euro Cross Country Championships
Nick Griggs of Ireland on his way to finishing third in the U20 men's 5000m at the European Cross Country Championships. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Having led the Irish U-20 team to gold last year, while also winning individual bronze, Nick Griggs will be hoping for more of the same when he steps up to the U-23 category at Sunday's European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Turkey.
Ten days out from his 20th birthday, the Tyrone native will form part of a formidable U-23 team that looks to have one of the best Irish medal chances. Griggs went for gold in the senior race at nationals last month but ended up breaking himself in the process, having to stop for a period before resuming the race and finishing seventh.
He’s a far better athlete than that result suggested and he should show as much in tomorrow’s 6.3km race. He will be joined by Niall Murphy, the 20-year-old Ennis Track athlete who had the race of his life at nationals to finish second. Murphy finished ninth in the U-20 race in Brussels last year and looks set for another strong showing. With three to score in the team event, the question is whether one of the other Irish athletes can finish inside the top-20 and put them in the medal shake-up.
The championships have proven a happy hunting ground for the Irish in recent years, with 14 medals across the last four editions. It’s been six years since the Irish arrived home empty-handed but with some of the strongest seniors like Fionnuala McCormack and Brian Fay giving it a swerve, the best chances look to be in the underage races.
The course is flat, dry and fast, with a few gimmicks like small hurdles and patches of mud and sand to break up athletes’ rhythm. But in essence these will be glorified track races and Griggs – who clocked an Irish U-23 5000m record of 13:13.07 in the summer – should relish that.
The Irish men’s U-20 team should launch a stout defence of their title, with national champion Jonas Stafford – who was 10th last year – looking primed for another strong showing. Dutch star Niels Laros is the overwhelming favourite for gold.
National champion Ann-Marie McGlynn will lead the Irish senior women’s team, backed up by Euro Cross debutantes Niamh Allen and Cheryl Nolan, while Danielle Donegan, Mary Mulhare and Fiona Everard will bring plenty of experience. Norway’s Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal will try to retain her title though Italy’s Nadia Battocletti, the Olympic silver medallist over 10,000m, will be tough to beat.
In the senior men’s race all eyes will be on Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen who should coast to his third title, having missed last year’s event through injury. Sligo’s Keelan Kilrehill leads the Irish charge, having routed the field to win the national title last month by 28 seconds. While that speaks to Kilrehill’s superb form, it may not bode well for the strength of the Irish team, which finished a fine fourth last year.
The action gets under way with the U-20 women’s race at 8am Irish time, with the senior men closing the programme at 11.11am.
