European Cross Country Championships 2023

Spar European Cross-Country Championships 2023

Brussels, Belgium

Sunday December 10th 2023

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 Shown live on European Athletics All TV Platform, in partnership with RTE

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 Schedule

Final Entries - PDF File

Anika Thompson, Leevale AC	Avril Millerick, Youghal AC	Fearghal Curtin, Youghal AC	Fiona Everard, Bandon AC

Irish Squad

Athletics Ireland Preview

U20 Women's 5,000m - 11:25am Irish Time

The women’s U20 team will lead out the Irish challenge on Sunday morning in what looks a hugely competitive race. Recent national champion Anna Gardiner (East Down AC) will be joined by Avril Millerick (Youghal AC) and Hannah Kehoe (Kilkenny City Harriers) who already boast European Cross Country experience

Kirsty Maher (Moy Valley) and a second Kilkenny athlete in Maebh Richardson (Kilkenny City Harriers) will make their Euro Cross debuts, while Amy Greene (Finn Valley) will complete the team and should head to Brussels full of confidence given her superb recent run of form

U20 Men's 5,000m - 11:50am Irish Time

Last year’s U20 silver medallist Nick Griggs (Candour Track Club) will spearhead a strong looking U20 men’s team as he looks to go in search of more European success

Griggs is sure to have plenty of Irish company at the head of the field with national U20 champion Niall Murphy (Ennis Track) and Jonas Stafford (UCD AC) looking particularly strong this season

Harry Colbert (Waterford AC), Seamus Robinson (City of Derry Spartans AC), and Shane Brosnan (An Riocht) complete an exciting looking team who will face one of the  hottest U20 races in recent years

European U20 1500m and 5000m champion Niels Laros (Ned) is set to make his debut at these championships, while Denmark’s Axel Vang Christensen won this title in 2021 and returns for another tilt at gold following a withdrawal in last year’s race

U23 Women's 7,000m - 12:35pm Irish Time

The Irish U23 team doesn’t lack for experience and Tullamore’s Danielle Donegan (Tullamore Harriers) is sure to play another leading role following her fine performance in Turin last year which saw her cross the finish as the first Irish athlete home

Aoife Coffey (Lucan Harriers), Eimear Maher (Dundrum South Dublin AC), and Aoife O'Cuill (St Cocas) are sure to give their running as the team look to better last year’s 7th place finish, while the in-form pair of Ava O'Connor (Tullamore Harriers) and Anika Thompson (Leevale AC) return from impressive performances stateside

The race for individual honours looks hard to call with last year’s U20 champion, Maria Forero of Spain, likely to prove one of the leading contenders

U23 Men's 7,000m - 13:05pm Irish Time

The men’s U23 team picked up bronze in Italy last year and this year’s team is sure to have sights set on another top five finish. Abdel Laadjel (Donore Harriers) returns to the Irish singlet following his superb performance at the European U23 Track and Field Championships back in July, while last year’s U20 bronze medallist Dean Casey (Ennis Track) graduates to the U23 team

Casey’s clubmate Oisin Spillane (Ennis Track Club) will join Callum Morgan (CNDR Track Club), Matthew Lavery (North Belfast Harriers), and Michael Morgan (Sligo AC) in completing an Irish team stacked with potential

Senior Women's 9,000m - 13:35pm Irish Time

The senior women have been one of the most prolific medal winning teams in Irish athletics in recent times, and although not one of the favourites to medal on Sunday, few will discount them

Kilcoole's Fionnula McCormack continues to be one of Ireland’s most remarkable athletes and she will lead out the team in her 18th appearance at a European Cross Country Championships

McCormack will be joined on the team by Eilish Flanagan (Finn Valley AC) and Roisin Flanagan (Finn Valley AC) who produced outstanding performances in last year’s race to finish side-by-side in 11th and 12th place which helped Ireland to team bronze

Mary Mulhare (Portlaoise AC) and Fionnuala Ross (Armagh AC) are no strangers to European success and they will be joined on the start line by recent national champion Fiona Everard (Bandon AC)

Norway’s Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal will seek a hat-trick of titles in the race for individual honours, with one of her main challengers likely to be Italy’s Nadia Battocletti who successfully defended her U23 title last year

Senior Men 9,000m - 14:15pm Irish Time

The senior men’s team includes newly crowned national cross country champion Cormac Dalton (Mullingar Harriers) who will be ably supported by Irish 5,000m record holder Brian Fay (Raheny Shamrock), Hugh Armstrong (Ballina AC), Keelan Kilrehill (Mov Valley AC), Fearghal Curtin (Youghal AC), and a resurgent Kevin Mulcaire (Ennis Track Club)

All six athletes came through one of the deepest national cross country fields in recent years to secure their places on the plane to Brussels and they will expect to be competitive on the day with conditions set to suit

With two-time champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen from Norway missing from the championships for the first time in his career, a new name will stand top of the men’s podium

Home favourite Isaac Kimeli is one of Belgium’s leading title hopes, while Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa - a two-time U20 champion - will be looking to add the senior cross country title to his 10,000m gold from the 2022 European Athletics Championships