Maria Forero upgraded silver to gold with a superb victory in the women’s U23 race at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships on Sunday (14).
The Spaniard, who won silver 12 months ago in Antalya 2024, found herself in a familiar battle with last year’s bronze medallist Ilona Mononen of Finland in the final lap.
In summary:
- Maria Forero gets the better of Ilona Mononen for gold
- German battle for bronze
- France pip Germany to team gold
How the race unfolded...
Both athletes claimed gold at the Bergen 2025 European Athletics U23 Championships during the summer — Forero over 5000m and Mononen over the 3000m steeplechase — so it was no surprise to see them in the lead pack during the early stages, which was initially led by Ireland’s European U23 10,000m champion Anika Thompson.
Unable to shake off a group that also included German duo Lisa Merkel and Pia Schlattmann, French pair Camille Place and Julia David-Smith, and Forero’s Spanish teammate Marta Serrano, the Irish athlete began to struggle and faded from contention by halfway.
By the final lap, Forero and Mononen’s class began to tell as they eased away from the chasing pack, reducing the battle for gold to a head-to-head duel. Forero maintained a tight grip on the lead, with Mononen poised ominously on her shoulder.
Both athletes were clearly hurting as they entered the final kilometre of the 5.96km course, but Forero had kept a little extra in reserve and pulled clear to seize gold. The Spaniard yelped with joy as she crossed the line in 19:59, five seconds ahead of Mononen.
For Forero it was a second SPAR European Cross Country Championships title, having won women's U20 gold in Turin 2022.
Schlattmann and Merkel contested an all-German battle for bronze, won by Schlattmann in 20:23, with Merkel just two seconds behind.
The team competition was exceptionally close, with France and Germany tied on 21 points. However, France’s tighter packing secured victory, with third scorer Nélie Clément’s ninth-place finish proving decisive, backing up Place’s seventh and David-Smith’s fifth. Germany’s Kira Weis finished 14th to complete their scoring.
Spain claimed team bronze courtesy of Forero’s victory, Serrano’s sixth-place finish, and Mireya Arnedillo placing 18th.
What they said
Maria Forero: "I have been thinking so many days about this moment and all expectations were fulfilled. I have been wearing this kerchief because of my friend Blanca who retires this year and she gave it to me so I wanted to run with it to be with her during the race.
"The race was great Marta (Serrano) and me decided to be brave and start in the front, I am so proud of all my team and so happy that all my family team and friends were here and that the weather was great for running.
"We were in the course yesterday and I really loved it, it fit me very well with all those turns and hills and I knew I was going to enjoy it a lot so I came here to give it all."
Ilona Mononen: "The feeling of achieving the U23 podium again is good after second and third. Of course the goal is to win always. I don't show up to place second. So my plan was to stay with the front runner for as long as I could and then kick at the end and be the first to arrive, but today I got second.
“I'm proud of myself for keeping myself in the race as long as I did because Maria was really strong today. I was really trying to push the dynamic of the race, but my end was not really the sharpest this year neither.
“My season was really long and it ended with Tokyo in late September. So, I didn't have the preparation I needed. The cross country culture in Finland is a bit different. We usually don't race during the fall at all. This was the first year I had my nationals in the fall. So I didn't have many races to sharpen up with coming to this championship."
Pia Schlattmann: "This was really a tough race. Coming here, I did not know what to expect because the course was very unpredictable. I think I am much better on the different surface, but I tried to stay focused and confident.
“I was thinking about the top eight before Lagoa, so this medal is a huge surprise for me. The biggest support was the people around the course. My whole family and my coach are also here. And the German team and their parents work really hard for the cross as well. So that helped.
"It was also important to have Lisa Merkel behind and beside me. In the last curve, I think I felt that I was going to get the podium.”