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| Veerle Dejaeghere is the clear favourite in the women's race at this weekend's Belgian Lotto Crosscup. |
Roeselare has for many years now played host to a European Athletics Cross Country Permit race that attracts thousands of track and field fans to the circuit at Schiervelde in the heart of Flanders.
More importantly, it offers the athletes a unique possibility to get a ticket for the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Velenje.
Among the big names in the men’s race we have Atelaw Bekele who has been preparing himself especially for this race in Ethiopia.
All the signs point to a much improved Bekele this year. In the summer, the 23 year old, who transferred his allegiance from Ethiopia to Belgium in 2008, dipped under 14mins for 5000m on the track for the first time.
In Nijmegen in May, Bekele slashed 28 seconds off his previous best to record 13:43.20. He has also set new figures for 3000m in 2011.
Bekele’s main opposition may well come from the duo of Lander Tijtgat and Pieter Desmet.
Tijgat was the revelation of the first race of the Lotto Crosscup in Mol in early November when he came home in second behind Ethiopian Tasama Dame.
Only five seconds down was a resurgent Desmet who has been working on his comeback after a year of injuries, and has high hopes of making the squad for Slovenia.
Clear favourite for the women’s race at the age of 38 is Veerle Dejaeghere, the tenfold winner of the Belgian Lotto Crosscup.
Dejaeghere’s best international performance on the track came at the European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg when she finished fifth in the final of the steeplechase.
In Mol she ran out a comfortable winner by 18 seconds over international opposition while her closest rivals for this race, Sigrid Vanden Bempt, Sandra Schenkel and Selien De Schrijder were over half a minute in arrears.
In the race as well this weekend is Yulia Ruban from the Ukraine who recently carried off the Torino marathon title in the excellent time of 2:27.10, just ten seconds off her best time set in Boston in April.
In the junior race Belgium expects a lot of Zenobie Vangansbeke, who surprised everybody in the senior race in Mol by finishing a creditable sixth, 13 seconds ahead of De Schrijder.