The momentum towards the Lagoa 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships on 14 December quickens this weekend, as athletes lay down markers ahead of the continental showpiece event at the year end.
Current European bronze medallist on track and cross country Thierry Ndikumwenayo of Spain, leads the home hopes at the XXXI Campo a Traves Internacional de Sori on Sunday (16).
The 28-year-old, who was third in the men’s 10,000m at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships, as well as at the Antalya 2024 SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
He will be joined on the startline of the men’s 8km race by compatriot Daniel Arce, 3000m steeplechase bronze medallist from the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships.
The World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold event also includes Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera, winner of this race two years ago and Uganda’s Martin Kiprotich who was 14th at the Belgrade 2024 World Cross Country Championships.
The women’s 8km race includes Spanish 1500m record holder Marta Pérez, Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw, a recent winner on the World Cross Country Tour at the 71º Cross Internacional Zornotza and Kenya’s Sheila Jebet, runner-up at the Cardiff Cross Challenge last weekend (8).
Weis heads entry in Pforzheim
At the Sparkassen Cross Pforzheim in Germany on Saturday (15) a strong domestic entry is led by Kira Weis, who won 10,000m silver at the Bergen 2025 European Athletics U23 Championships and who was fourth in the women’s U20 race at the Brussels 2023 SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
She will compete in the women’s 6.6km race at the World Cross Country Tour Silver meeting. The men’s 8.8km features Markus Görger, who was 17th in the senior men’s race at the Antalya 2024 SPAR European Cross Country Championships. Please note, this meeting will now not be live streamed as previously reported due to technical difficulties.
Slovenia and Hungary set to host national championships
This weekend will also see the first of the national championships doubling as trials for Lagoa 2025.
The Slovenian Cross Country Championships take place at Soboško jezero, Murska Sobota on Saturday. The men’s entry is led by Jan Kokalj, a five-time competitor at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships, who recently set a new national men’s 10km record of 28:54.
The Hungarian Cross Country Championships takes place on the same day (15) at Gödöllő.
