Great Britain’s Innes FitzGerald became the fourth woman to win back-to-back European U20 cross country titles with yet another dominant run, tearing the heart out of her rivals from just after the halfway point in the 4814m race at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Antalya on Sunday (8).
The 11-second margin over her rivals wasn’t as big as the 19 seconds she put between herself and the field in Brussels 12 months ago, but it was an equally impressive triumph.
Türkiye’s recently crowned Balkan U20 champion Edibe Yagiz was to the fore early in the race, towing the field through much of the first kilometre before fading to 14th by the finish.
However, on the home runner’s shoulder was FitzGerald, her British compatriot Jess Bailey and Germany’s 2024 European U20 mountain running champion Julia Ehrle and this trio was away on their own by two kilometres into the race, with France’s 2023 bronze medallist Jade Le Corre just behind them.
With just under two kilometres to go, FitzGerald produced her decisive move and pulled clear of her two rivals.
At the bell, FitzGerald had two-second advantage over Bailey but a superb last lap saw her gradually increase the lead to come home around 70 metres in front of her teammate on 15:47.
FitzGerald is still young enough to be eligible to run in the U20 race next year in Portugal when she could bid to equal the record of fellow Briton Stephanie Twell, who won the U20 title three times between 2006-08.
Nevertheless, it was an outstanding run from Bailey, who crossed the line for silver in 15:58.
Bailey finished eighth last year and who had finished 31 seconds adrift of FitzGerald the last time they met, which was at the British trials for Antalya last month.
Behind the British pair, there was drama in the battle for the bronze as the 2023 silver medallist Sofia Thøgersen, a 4:05.34 1500m runner, clawed back a 12-second deficit at the bell to just edge in front of Ehrle on the line, with both runners being given the same time 16:03.
Great Britain’s third scorer Eleanor Stevens came home sixth to secure a comfortable victory in the team competition with just nine points, winning in the category for the seventh time in the last 10 years and the 15th time in the last 20 years.
France, led home by Le Corre in fifth, took the silver medals with 39 points with Italy third with 44 points.
Laros gets his redemption
European Athletics Rising Star of the Year Neils Laros was the prohibitive favourite to upgrade his silver from 12 months ago in Brussels to gold in the Dokuma Park and completely fulfilled his role but the Dutchman had to work hard to hold off Great Britain’s inspired George Couttie, who had the best race of his life.
The early stages of the race, though to the early part of the second lap, saw Italy’s Francesco Mazza push the pace but behind him there was a large group of runners.
Couttie and Sweden’s Karl Ottfalk, the latter fourth in 2023, took up the running on the second of the three laps as Laros kept out of trouble and slowly worked his way through the field.
However, only two seconds covered the first 20 runners as the bell sounded.
Going into the final kilometre, the host nation’s Balkan U20 champion Ali Tunc tried to surge but was unable to drop many of his rivals, although he was still to finish a good seventh place.
As the leaders turned into the final long 500-metre downhill stretch into the finish, Couttie tried to pull away from Laros, but the Dutchman soon imperiously swept around the Briton.
Nevertheless, despite there being a 10-second difference in their 1500m bests, with Laros having set a European U20 record of 3:29.54 in the Olympic Games final this summer, the Dutchman couldn’t shake off Couttie as they crossed the line in 14:07 and 14:09 respectively.
"I'm happy. The course was tougher than what I expected. You don't really find your rhythm and that's what makes it a good cross country course. I am really happy to win of course. I had silver last year and now gold, so I am happy to end my U20 career with a gold," reflected Laros.
Behind the leading pair, Norway’s world U20 3000m gold medallist Andreas Fjeld Halvorsen looked as though he was struggling at the start of the last lap but came through strongly to claim the bronze in 14:16.
With his compatriot, Magnus Øyen coming home fourth and their compatriot Kristian Bråthen Børve in 10th, Norway took the team gold with 17 points.
Laros made a second trip to the podium as the Netherlands got an U20 team medal for the first time ever as they finished second with 20 points, with their European U20 5000m list leader Juan Zijderlaan finishing eighth after a flying last lap when he moved up from 18th at the bell.
France took the bronze medals with 40 points.
Phil Minshull for European Athletics