The traditional pre-championship press conference for the SPAR European Cross Country Championships was held at the x-bionic sphere resort in Samorin, Slovakia, the venue for the 24th edition of the championships on Sunday (10).
As usual, the event brought together senior officials from European Athletics, the Local Organising Committee as well as some well-known athletes who will be in action during the championship.
European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen: “Great Britain, Spain and France, among others have all come with teams of 40 runners or more and it’s a big sign that cross country is still very important in Europe.
“I can say honestly that I have never been in such a fantastic venue as this for the SPAR European Cross Country Championships. We had a great time in Chia 12 months ago – and Slovakian will not be able to compete with the Italian weather – but it’s great having everything under one roof.
“We have the stars here and the coming stars. This will be a real cross country championships. This will also set the bar very high for future organisers so good luck to Tilburg in 2018.”
President of the Slovak Athletic Federation Peter Korcok said: “I am very happy and proud to be having a championship here in my country with a number of firsts: first to have a mixed relay and also the biggest number of runners and biggest number of countries.
“We have ambitions to have many more major athletics events here in Slovakia. The European Throwing Cup will be in Samorin in 2019 and the famous Bratislava meeting from the 1980s and 1990s is on the calendar again. Our ambitions for the future include staging either European Athletics or IAAF U23, U20 or U18 events.”
Italy’s two-time U20 champion Yemaneberhan Crippa, who was third in the U23 race twelve months ago, has come through the age-group ranks and he is targeting his fourth successive medal at the championships.
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“My condition is good, I like cross country and I will be fighting for a medal. For me, cross country is very important for the track season. I have planned a very fast last lap tomorrow. My last lap in Bydgoszcz [when he won the European U23 5000m title in the summer] was fantastic and I hope I can repeat it tomorrow at these championships.”
Another athlete with an excellent record at these championships is Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen. Having won the last two U20 titles, the 20-year-old is stepping up into the U23 ranks on Sunday and she has been training in South Africa in preparation for an assault on her third gold medal.
“It has been a great year and every race was something special. I’ve already been in a training camp but it’s still the beginning of the [winter] season. The U23 race will be a new challenge however I know something about some of the other runners,” said Klosterhalfen, whose main rival could be her teammate Alina Reh.
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Lucia Janeckova will also toe the start-line in the U23 and the 22-year-old, who is making her fifth appearance at the championships, is relishing the prospect of competing on home soil - and in more benign conditions.
“It is great for us to compete at home as we train in this climate. In Chia last year it was very hot for me and not something I was used to at this time of year! I think running in front of a home crowd and in these conditions will be a big help for the Slovak runners,” she said.
The most experienced of the Slovakian team is two-time Olympian over 800m Josef Repcik who will be competing in the inaugural mixed relay.
“I have to give thanks to European Athletics for including the mixed relay at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships. I think it is a great idea, especially as a major cross country championship was the last championships that were missing in my portfolio. All the Slovak team are very proud to compete on home soil,” he said.