Last year’s winner Nadia Battocletti finished second at the Cross de la Constitucion in Alcobendas, a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold event, on Sunday (30).
In her last race before her title defence at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa in two weeks’ time, Battocletti had to settle for the runner-up spot in the senior women’s 8.04km behind Ethiopian teenager Yenenesh Shimket, 25:32 to 25:43.
This was Shimket’s second notable victory on European soil on successive weekends after winning the famous Cinque Mulini one week prior. On the same weekend, Battocletti ran out a convincing winner at the Cross International de Atapuerca ahead of Kenya’s Sheila Jebet who finished third on this occasion in 25:57 with Great Britain's Megan Keith fourth in 25:59, the same position she occupied in Atapuerca.
Laura Luengo, who finished 11th in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships, was the best of the Spaniards, finishing sixth in 27:49.
In the senior men’s race which was won by Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera in 22:55, his training partner Thierry Ndikumwenayo was the leading Spaniard in fifth in 23:31.
Ndikumwenayo won individual bronze behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the 2024 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Antalya but led Spain to team gold.
