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| Ayad Lamdassem of Spain. |
Spain's Ayad Lamdassem showed ominous form ahead of the 2012 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Budapest while finishing fifth at the 19th Cross Internacional de Soria on Sunday.
Lamdassem, a silver medallist at the 2011 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Velenje, was the first European home at the race which was the second leg of the IAAF Cross Country Permit series.
After finishing third in the Spanish municipality of Atapuerca a week earlier, Kenyan Emmanuel Bett moved up two places in Soria to win his first race on the Spanish soil.
He triumphed over 10km in 30:48 from Eritrea's Amanuel Mesel, who was second in 30:51, with John Kipkoech, of Kenya, third in 30:57.
The leading Europeans were Spanish runners, with Lamdassem fifth in 31:09 and Antonio Jimenez sixth in 31:15.
Bett, 29, is an athlete of outstanding consistency and this victory in Soria is one of the best of his career. This year he won the 10,000m at the IAAF Diamond League in Brussels in 26:51.16 and was fifth in the Great North Run, from Newcastle to South Shield.
The women's race almost brought home glory as Spain's Diana Martin was beaten by just two seconds over the 8km course by Nazareth Weldu, of Eritrea.
Weldu won in 28:36 and Martin's fellow Spaniards were not far behind, with Azucena Diaz third in 28:54 and Lidia Rodriguez in fourth in 29:00.
Sara Treacy, of Ireland, was the top non-Spanish European in fifth in 29:07.
The event was three weeks away from the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Budapest on December 9 and the Spanish team look in encouraging form heading towards the final major athletics competition of 2012.
Martin will now race in Alcobendas near Madrid this Sunday as another key race before Budapest.