Despite a late decision to compete, Yann Schrub is hopeful he can make a strong defence of the senior men’s title in Sunday’s (8) SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Türkiye.
The French athlete was speaking at the official press conference Modern Art Gallery in Dokuma Park, the venue for Sunday’s races.
The championships will be streamed through the European Athletics website and the Eurovision Sport website from 11:00 local time (CET+2) and will be accompanied by English-language commentary from two-time World Cross Country Championships silver medallist Tim Hutchings and 2011 World Athletics Championships 1500m silver medallist Hannah England.
In addition to English-language commentary, there will also be the option of watching the live stream with French, Czech, German, Poland, Serbian and Croatian commentary.
Good once, better twice says Schrub
2023 senior men’s winner Schrub won his first major title when he triumphed in the mud in Brussels last year, but he faces the monumental challenge of returning two-time senior men’s winner and twice Olympic gold medallist Jakob Ingebrigtsen this year.
The 28-year-old took a break at the end of an intense summer season which saw him win 10,000m silver at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships and place a creditable 12th over his less-favoured 5000m at the home Olympics in Paris.
“It was very important for me to win the European championship last year,” he reflected on his success at Brussels 2023. “It was most important because it was the first time (winning the men’s senior race) for the French Federation, so I am very proud of that.
“It was very special to win it last year. It’s good to do it once, but it’s better to do it twice, but it will be very competitive tomorrow.”
He was also persuaded to compete thanks to the prospect of team success, in an outfit that also includes 2022 European cross country sixth-placer Bastien Augusto and European 3000m steeplechase champion Alexis Miellet who anchored France to victory in the mixed relay last year.
“That’s why in the end I decided to come to these European championships and also because I really love cross country,” he said of his passion for the discipline.
Klosterhalfen returns to championship running
Having missed the summer in its entirety, 2022 silver medallist Konstanze Klosterhalfen is delighted to be back on the start-line.
Due to illness, the 2022 European 5000m champion has been absent from the international arenas since the last major event in Türkiye, when she won 3000m silver at the Istanbul 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships.
“At the beginning of year, I went to training camp in Ethiopia, when I came back, I couldn’t do anything,” she said. “It’s hard to know what was going on. I had to take a rest, it took a while to come back to volume. But I had a good half marathon [67:07 in Valencia] I feel like I am getting stronger every week.
“Of course it was hard. The Olympics take place every four years and at the beginning of the year I thought I was in the shape of my life and them I wasn’t able to run.”
But the redoubtable Rhinelander from Bonn is relieved just to be back in action. “For me, I love running and for me every step was painful, so that was not so nice. Now I am even more happier that running feels good again. I can just enjoy running. I just focus on the progress and feel happy I can get back to training and competing."
Turkish due is hopeful
Also, at the press conference were leading home hopes Yasemin Can, a record four-time winner of the senior women’s race (2016-2019) and Ayetullah Aslanhan, U20 silver medallist in Lisbon 2019.
“We prepared great, we will do our best,” said Aslanhan, who won silver at the Balkan Cross Country Championships in Campulung Moldovenesc, Romania last month. “I have run two times on this course and I really like it. I know what is waiting for me, I will do my best to represent my country in best way possible.”
Like Klosterhalfen, Can is also on the comeback trail having missed the last two seasons but the 27-year-old, who is the only female athlete to win four individual titles at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships, believes her form and fitness is improving..
"My training is going better and I will try my best to see how it will be. Tomorrow, we will see. I will try my best," she said.
President expects memorable event
European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov shares the excitement ahead of the 30th anniversary staging of the event. “I am sure it will be one of the best editions of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships,” he said.
“Türkiye is a big country. The Turkish Federation is a strong federation for the big occasions. We really count Türkiye as one of the main partners of European Athletics and we hope in the future we will be here again and again.
“I want thank the LOC (Local Organising Committee) and to all the people who are involved with these championships. Yesterday (Friday) when I came to the airport, I saw so many smiling faces and so many young people who were so enthusiastic to welcome our teams. They are so proud that they are volunteers to this event.”
He was joined at the top table by Dr. Ahmet Karadağ, the new President of Turkish Athletic Federation.
“We have had significant success in athletics,” he said. “We would like to work more with European Athletics to help them meet their goals. We are happy to host 30th anniversary of the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Türkiye’s tourist capital.
“Athletics is the mother of all sports branches. It is important to attract people when they are really young, or really old. It is important for all countries to attract people to athleticism.”
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics