Belgium’s Willem Renders won his second major European title in 2025 in a sprint finish at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa, Portugal on 14 December
After winning 5000m gold at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere this August, Renders won men's U20 4.45km gold in Lagoa and led Belgium to their first-ever team gold in this category.
In summary:
- Willem Renders becomes the Belgian U20 champion since 2009
- Renders leads Belgium to team gold
- Norwegian challenge falls away on last lap
How the race unfolded...
Renders moved to the front of a 100-plus field at the end of a fast, physical and boisterous first lap and the Belgian was tracked by a pack of strong Nordic contenders, including European U20 1500m and 3000m champion Hakon Moe Berg from Norway and the fancied Swedish duo of Karl Ottfalk and Sebastian Lörstad.
However, their collective challenge faded away in rather dramatic fashion. Moe Berg dropped out at the start of the final lap despite being in a medal position while Ottfalk and Lörstad slipped down the field and out of the reckoning, eventually finishing 16th and 32nd respectively.
With Moe Berg out of the race, last year’s fourth-placer Magnus Øyen was the sole Norwegian left in contention but the 19-year-old was run down in the latter stages by the likes of Spain’s Oscar Gaitan who seemed to have gauged his race to perfection.
Gaitan closed the gap on Renders and he even passed the long-time leader before the last corner to the finish-line but Renders had kept something in reserve. He gathered himself for one last effort, kicking past Gaitan on the short final uphill section to the finish for his second major continental victory in 2025, winning by one second in 13:11 to become the first Belgian winner of this title since Jeroen d’Hoedt in 2009.
Behind the leading two, France's Alois Abraham pipped Türkiye's Ali Tunc for the bronze medal with both athletes timed at 13:19 while last year's fourth-placer Øyen faded to fifth on the last lap in 13:24.
Renders also led Belgium to team gold with their second and third counters Sem Serrano and Ilyes Druez packing excellently in sixth and seventh respectively, the latter moving up from 18th over the course of the final lap, for their first ever U20 men's team title in SPAR European Cross Country Championships history.
Led by 800m specialist William Rabjohns in 12th, Great Britain & NI packed well for team silver with individual silver medallist Gaitan leading Spain to team bronze.
What they said
Willem Renders: "I did not really have a plan. Originally, I was going to wait for the first lap but I started a little bit earlier which I think I should not have done. I saw the Spanish guy Gaitan - he came from really far, but managed his race really well. He made it so close. I was lucky that I had enough energy to just pass him. But it was a really tough race.
"I love cross country. I like it more than track, so I think I will keep doing it. This course was very tough because you did not have any time where you could recover. Uphills were really fast and there were those sharp turns. It was a special course. I have never run on something like that."
Oscar Gaitan: "I was sixth, fifth, then when the third quit [Hakon Moe Berg] I knew that it was my opportunity. I got first with 200 metres to go but my legs failed with only 50 metres to go. Despite being so close to the gold medal, I am vey proud of this race.
Alois Abraham: "With 400 metres to go, I was in fifth. Even though I was running out of time to get the podium, I knew I had something left and the victorious sprint of Jimmy Gressier in Tokyo came into my mind. I just gave everything out of me and I was able to overcome Ali Tunç right at the finish line. That was a wonderful feeling."
