Posted: December 11, 2004

Athletics: Four-Time Winner Lebid Cautiously Optimistic On Eve Of European Cross Country Championships

From David Monti

(c) 2004 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Bob Ramsak:

SEEBAD HERINGSDORF, GER -- (11-Dec) -- Despite his role as overwhelming favorite, defending champion Sergiy Lebid shared little more than cautious optimism on the eve of Sunday’s 11th SPAR European Cross Country Championships, held tomorrow in this charming, if cold, Baltic seaside setting.

“Yes, I feel pressure,” he said, despite his very relaxed appearance. “But I really want to do it again. It’s going to be a tough race, particularly with the Spanish, French and Portuguese that are here.”

The 29-year-old Ukrainian, in recent years the undisputed king of cross country on the continent, has won this event four times, first in 1998 before taking the last three titles by considerable margins. A win on Sunday would break his tie with Portugal’s Paolo Guerra for most individual wins.

“I don’t have any specific tactics. I’m just going to watch the others and then decide how to finish.”

The only man set to compete in each of the championships’ 11 editions, Lebid hasn't raced since his appearance in the heats of the Olympic 5000 metres in late August when he concluding a season on the track where he clocked 13:13.03 in the 5000, just off his 13:10.78 national record from 2002. Starting his cross country season later than some of his competitors is a formula Lebid has followed for the past several seasons.

“It’s quite normal for me to start this way,” he said. After a two-month break, he resumed training with a month-long stint in Russia, running primarily on sandy terrain. “It’s the best early season preparation for the legs,” he said.

Based much of year in Italy where he competes for the club Cover Sportiva, Lebid was quick to thank Italians for their support since arriving in the country, but he disappointed an Italian reporter who asked him if he would ever consider competing for Italy.

“Italy is like a second home to me by now. I’ve lived there since my first title. But it’s my second home,” he said. “I am Ukrainian.” Joking, he added, “If the Ukrainian Federation would no longer want me, then I would go to Italy.”

One man aiming to end Lebid’s continental reign is Jose Manuel Martinez, the reigning European 10,000 metre champion.

“Two years ago, I was prepared, but wasn’t feeling good the day of the race,” the Spaniard said of his 15th place finish in 2002. “Now, I’m preparing for a marathon, and my training’s been fantastic. It’s possible to win.”

Besides Lebid, Martinez said he and teammate Juan Carlos de la Ossa, last year’s runner-up, are not only podium favorites, but lead the favored Spanish squad in the team competition. “Me and my friend de la Ossa,” he quipped with a hearty smile. “Then Sergiy can have the third step on the podium.”

On paper, the 28-year-old de la Ossa looks even stronger to mount the strongest attack on the Ukrainian's supremacy. Two weeks ago at the Cross Internacional Valle de Llodio, he was eighth overall and the top European finisher. He notched his first win of the fall season in Spain's Cross Del Aceite on November 14, a week after finishing second at the Cross Internacional Castellano-Manchego. Also on the Spanish squad is Jose Rios who has raced three times this fall, most recently in Llodio where he was 15th. Last spring, Rios won the Lake Biwa Marathon in Japan. While Spain has won the team crown in 1995, 2001 and 2002, no Spaniard has ever won the individual title.

France, the defending team champion, is led by Mustapha Essaid, who was seventh last year after a runner-up finish in 2002. The French won their first team title in 2000 and finished runners-up in 2001 and 2002.

Marathoner Tom van Hooste, fourth last year, may be in the individual hunt as well. Most recently, the 32-year-old Belgian served as a pacemaker at the ING New York City Marathon, pacing American Ryan Shay to a personal best. Gabriele de Nard, fourth in 2001, will lead the Italian squad in his eighth appearance at the championships.

The men's junior race may be a rerun of the previous two editions, with a heated match-up expected between 19-year-old Russian twins Yevgeniy and Anatoliy Rybakov. On Sunday, this sibling rivalry could reach legendary status. In 2002, Yevgeniy beat his brother by one second; last year Anatoliy narrowed the margin, was credited with the same time, but still finished second. In the past two editions, the brothers led Russia to the team title as well. Ireland’s Mark Christie, sixth last year, along with teammate Danny Darcy, hope to challenge the Rybakov brothers' recent domination.

A record 373 competitors from 27 countries will compete in tomorrow’s four races, topping the 340 from Medulin, Croatia in 2002.

The men’s action begins with the junior race (5640m) at noon, with the senior men's race (9640m) concluding the event at 13:45.

The forecast for Sunday calls for overcast skies with temperatures of 5-6 degrees Celsius. The championship will be broadcast by several Europe-wide and national satellite, cable and national networks, including Eurosport, Germany's Nord-Deutscher Rundfunk (NDR), the BBC in the UK, TVE, Teledeporte and SAT in Spain, NOS in the Netherlands, VRT in Belgium, RTE in Ireland and RAI in Italy.