Last year’s silver medallist Francine Niyomukunzi of Italian team Cus Pro Patria Milano took a final step up the podium by winning the senior women’s race at the Albufeira 2025 European Champions Clubs Cup Cross Country in Portugal on Sunday (2).
The Burundian international, who raced in both the 5000m and 10,000m at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, produced an imperious display, taking charge right from the opening lap.
By halfway, she had opened up a lead of over 30 seconds over a group of six chasers led by Ruken Tek of Turkish club Batman Petrolspor with Portuguese international Mariana Machado of Sporting Clube de Braga also in close attendance.
By the final lap, Niyomukunzi had further tightened her grip on proceedings. But a fascinating battle for the remaining medals was ensuing behind her. Bahar Yildirim of Fenerbahce, 15th at the 2024 SPAR European Cross Country Championships on home soil in Antalya, emerged from the pack to challenge.
As did Machado’s teammate Maria Forero, silver medallist over 5000m at the Espoo 2023 SPAR European Cross Country Championships. At the finish, Niyomukunzi who had barely faltered throughout, took gold in 31:44. Yildrim just got the better of Machado in the duel for silver, digging deep and getting in front of the Portuguese international about 80 metres from the line to prevail by a single second when finishing in 32:22.
Forero was fourth in 32:40 and Bilbao Atletismo Santutxu’s reigning Spanish cross country champion Carolina Robles fifth in 32:45 while Tek faded to sixth in 32:50.
In the team competition, Sporting Clube de Braga took gold, thanks to Laura Taborda’s able support to Machado and Forero, placing 13th.
The victory turned back the clock for the Portuguese club who won the senior women's team title seven consecutive times between 1987 and 1993 but who had been unable to add to that tally in more than three decades.
Spanish club Bilbao Atletismo Santutxu, third 12 months ago, took the silver medals thanks to Robles (fifth), Carla Arce (11th) and Alicia Berzosa (14th) while bonze went to Fenerbahce with reigning Turkish and Balkan cross country champion Sümeyye Erol (seventh) and Dilek Öztürk (21st) backing up Yildrim.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics