Posted: December 9, 2005

Athletics: Update From The European Cross Country Championships

From David Monti

© 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Bob Ramsak

TILBURG, Netherlands -- Ukrainian Sergey Lebed will chase his sixth title while Briton Hayley Yelling will try to defend hers at Sunday's 12th SPAR European Cross Country Championships.

While Lebed, who has won the last four titles, is clearly the man to beat, Yelling will face considerable opposition when she attempts to become the first woman to win back-to-back championships. Aniko Kalovics of Hungary has had a series of strong outings in the fall, including a win over a solid international field at Cross Internacional Valle de Llodio in Llodio, Spain on November 27. Justyna Bak of Poland, the defending silver medallist, is among the favorites as well. For an overall preview of the competition, please see my story for the IAAF at: IAAF.org.

One update: 2004 Olympic 5000 meter finalist Alistair Cragg of Ireland, who cruised to the European indoor title in the 3000 meters in Madrid last March, has withdrawn from the competition. The 25-year-old former University of Arkansas star, who was sidelined since the European Indoor Championships with a stress fracture in his back, resumed competition in October, finishing second at the Cowboy Jamboree cross country race in Stillwater, Okla., and followed up with a runner-up performance at the Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day (24-November). A blister on his foot has reportedly become infected, forcing Cragg to bypass Sunday's race.

Look for more stories from Tilburg throughout the weekend.