France’s Jimmy Gressier has confirmed that he will compete at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa, Portugal on 14 December.
Gressier made the decision after taking a commanding victory on the roads at the Course de l’Escalade in Geneva on Sunday in his first competitive race since the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo where he won 10,000m gold and 5000m bronze.
This will be Gressier’s first appearance at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships since Dublin 2021 when the Frenchman won team gold and individual bronze in the senior men’s race behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
Gressier also won three successive individual and team titles in the U23 ranks between 2017-2019 as well as team titles in the U20 race in 2015 and 2016.
With Ingebrigtsen not competing, Gressier begins as a strong favourite to win his third title on as many surfaces in 2025. As well as winning 10,000m gold at the World Athletics Championships, Gressier also won the half marathon title at the inaugural European Running Championships in Brussels-Leuven in April in a gun-to-tape 59:45.
He has also broken European indoor 5000m (12:54.92) and road 5km (12:57) records in 2025.
Looking further ahead, Gressier is also targeting his first appearance as a senior at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, United States on 10 January.