Posted: December 10, 2005

Athletics: While Optimistic For Sixth Title, Lebed Already Looking Ahead

From David Monti

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

By Bob Ramsak

Tilburg, Netherlands – On the eve of his chase for a sixth European cross country title, Sergey Lebed is about as confident as one could be without actually making any bold predictions.

"It doesn't matter if the weather conditions are cold or warm," said the 30-year-old Ukrainian, who's taken the last four titles. Speaking through an interpreter, he added: "I'm ready. Based on my physical and mental condition, I think I can win."

Smiling and loose, Lebed is certainly upbeat; based on his winter debuts at these championships over the past several seasons, there's little reason to doubt him. But he's also already looking beyond the cross country season, one that will end much sooner than usual.

Aiming to improve his competitive resume on the track, Lebed announced that he'll bypass the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in April in order to better prepare for the 2006 track season.

"I've always prepared better for cross country than for track," he said, adding that he receives more personal satisfaction from cross country competition than from running circuits around a track. Despite that personal preference, Lebed said 2006 will witness a much heavier emphasis on the track side of things.

Lebed acknowledged that his feats in cross country far outweigh his achievements on the track, an aspect of his competitive resume he wants to change in 2006. While he's become the continent's undisputed King of cross country –he was also runner-up at the 2001 World Championships-- his track credentials remain far more modest. He is the reigning European bronze medallist in the 5000, but he has yet to reach a final in the World Championships. He qualified for the Olympic 5000 meter final in 2000, where he finished seventh.

"My challenge now is to improve on the track." His primary goal for next summer will be an attempt for a 5000/10,000m double win at the European Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden in August.

His chief rivals tomorrow? "The usual ones," he said, naming Spaniard Juan Carlos de la Ossa and Driss Maazouzi of France, who last year rounded out the podium behind him.

About 350 athletes from 27 countries will compete in the four junior and senior races tomorrow in this city's sprawling Leijpark. Tilburg, home to the annual Tilburg 10 Miles where Haile Gebrselassie ran a world' best 44:24 in September, is the first Dutch city to host a European Cross Country Championships, this weekend celebrating its 12th edition.

Hans Jorg Wirz, the president of the European Athletics Association, said that cross country was added to the European association's calendar of championship events in 1994 as a response to the decline of European fortunes in the sport on the international level. The results, while marginal, Wirz said, have been positive.

"We're not saying that it's a fantastic improvement, but it's an improvement."

The men's 9840m race is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. local time. Live, delay and highlight coverage of the race will be broadcast by Eurosport, the BBC, Belgium's BVRT, Spain's TVE, France 2 and 3, ERT in Greece, Ireland's RTE, Italy's RAI, NOS in The Netherlands, RTP in Portugal and Russia's RTR.