Slovenia’s Klara Lukan took her fourth victory at the Carsolina Cross in Trieste, a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Bronze event, on Sunday (30).
In her first race since breaking the Slovenian half marathon record on her debut at the distance with 68:04 in Valencia last month, Lukan eased to her fourth title in the senior women’s 7.5km in 25:23, winning by almost one minute over Italians Micol Majori (26:12) and Federica Zanne (26:18).
Lukan has amassed an excellent season in 2025, especially on the roads, and the 25-year-old picked up her first major senior medal with bronze in the 10km at the inaugural European Running Championships in Brussels-Leuven in April. However, the Slovenian will forego the upcoming SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa on 14 December.
In an all-Italian senior men’s race, steeplechase specialist Giovanni Gatto took the plaudits in 22:25, defeating two-time European cross country mixed relay gold medallist Pietro Arese, who also won 1500m bronze at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, by two seconds.
Yassin Bouih, who also won mixed relay gold alongside Arese on home soil in Turin at the 2022 SPAR European Cross Country Championships, rounded out the podium in third in 22:29.
Other notable performances included Konjoneh Maggi winning the U23 6km in 18:00. The 21-year-old was a creditable sixth in the U23 race at the 2024 SPAR European Cross Country Championships and will be looking to improve on that showing in his final appearance in this age group in Lagoa next month.
The Italian team for the 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships, which will be led by reigning champion Nadia Battocletti, will be announced next week.