Nick Griggs supplied the only moment of delight for the Irish supporters at yesterday’s 30th European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Turkey. The Newmills, Dungannon athlete picked up the individual silver medal in the men’s U23 race after disputing the gold right up to the finish line.
Despite surprisingly soft underfoot conditions, given the location, which usually suit Irish cross country runners, Griggs was the sole medal winner.
It was the fourth consecutive year that Griggs had picked up a medal in these championships and the man who denied him gold was Britain’s Will Barnicoat who had also pipped him for the victory in the U20 race two years earlier in Turin.
In the interim the Aldershot athlete had claimed up the U23 title in 2023 at the first time of asking giving him a hat-trick of consecutive Euro cross country individual golds.
Griggs always looked menacing in the lead pack which whittled down to three contenders by the approach of the long finishing straight but the Englishman had the measure of the Candour Track Club athlete on the run-in to the line.
Despite the best efforts of Griggs, Ireland finished just out of the team medals in fourth place with Niall Murphy (23rd) and Griggs’ Candour clubmate Callum Morgan (29th) being the other two scoring finishers. North Belfast Harrier Matthew Lavery was 49th.
Another year and it was also another virtuoso performance from Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen. The Norwegian had notched up four straight victories before missing last year through injury. But he was back to his best despite the mud to score another European success for himself and his country.
Another European champion Yemaneberhan Crippa from Italy filled the runner-up spot with Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo leading his adopted country to the team gold. Just goes to show that regardless of the underfoot going, it is the track stars who shine.
Ireland was eighth of the 13 countries that completed teams with Cormac Dalton the first man to finish, taking 21st, and followed by the other two scorers Efrem Gidey, in 26th, and Pierre Murchan in 41st.
Keelan Kilrehill who had reveled in the mud in winning the national title in Fermanagh just three weeks earlier could manage no better than 53rd on this occasion.
Nadia Battocletti struck late for victory in the Senior Women’s race after France’s Manon Trapp had set the early pace. And it was double gold for the reigning European 5000m/10000m champion with Italy seeing off Great Britain for the team title.
Niamh Allen’s excellent 11th place went some way to putting a gloss on the Irish women’s results which saw them end up 10th of the 13 competing countries.
The Leevale AC athlete worked her way steadily through the field to finish just outside the top ten in one of the best lineups seen in this event for some time. Ann-Marie McGlynn, who had beaten Allen for the national title, finished third scorer of the Irish in 62nd.
It was a battling but, in the end, rewardless performance for the Irish U23 women. Laura Mooney was in the leading pack from the first kilometre and a seventh-place finish represented the best ever result on the international stage for the Tullamore Harrier. Emma McEvoy was 13th but Ireland had to wait for Ava O’Connor in 37th for their scoring finisher leaving them fifth in the team listings.
The two Ulster runners Roise Roberts and Amy Greene were 50th and 54th respectively.
The Junior men’s selection was defending the team title from Brussels, but a repeat victory was never on - as was obvious from even the early stages. While Olympic 1500m finalist Neils Laros from the Netherlands stamped his class on the field up front, the Irish struggled to make an impact.
In the end it was former Lagan Valley athlete Lughaidh Mallon who led the Irish home in 26th with the other Ulster representative on the team Frank McGrath not having the best of days in 62nd. Great Britain were convincing winners with Ireland back in ninth.
The Junior women opened the action knowing Ireland had never taken a medal in this age group, but it may be getting closer. East Down’s Anna Gardiner was the first to finish in 19th, a mere second and one place ahead of Willowfield’s Lucy Foster with Enniskillen’s Annabel Morrison completing the scoring trio in 32nd.
A team placing of sixth was as good as any in the past number of years. Innes Fitzgerald set up a day of British domination with the individual win and leading her team to victory.
By the end of the day Great Britain had totted up 199 medals over the years teeing up Fitzgerald to notch up the 200th as she defends this title next year.
RESULTS
U20 Women (4814m): 1 Innes Fitzgerald GBR, 2 Jess Bailey GBR, 3 Sofia Thogerson NOR, …19 Anna Gardiner, 20 Lucy Foster, 32 Annabel Morrison, 52 Caitlin Hughes, 66 Avril Millerick, 86 Eva Bartlett; Teams: 1 Great Britain 9, 2 France 39, 3 Italy 44 … 6 Ireland 71.
U20 Men (4814m): 1 Neils Laros NED, 2 Jakob Deiterich GER, 3 Leni Remer Mancini ITA, …26 Lughaidh Mallon, 28 Noah Harris, 29 Jonas Stafford, 35 Cormac Dixon, 40 Sean Quinn, 62 Frank McGrath. Teams: 1. Norway 17, 2 Netherlands 20, 3 France 40… 9 Ireland 83.
U23 Women (6324m): 1 Phoebe Anderson GBR, 2 Maria Forero ITA, 3 Ilona Mononen FIN, …7 Laura Mooney, 13 Emma McEvoy, 37 Ava O’Connor, 45 Lucy Holmes, 50 Roise Roberts, 54 Amy Greene. Teams: 1 Great Britain 24, 2 Turkey 38, 3 Germany 40… 5 Ireland 57.
U23 Men (6324m): 1 Will Barnicoat GBR, 2 Nick Griggs, 3 David Stone GBR, 23 Niall Murphy, 29 Callum Morgan, 37 Cathal O’Reilly, 49 Matthew Lavery, 63 Paul Hartnett. Teams: 1 Great Britain 17, France 24, 3 Denmark 42… 4 Ireland 54.
Senior Women (7834m): 1 Nadia Battocletti ITA, 2 Konstanze Klosterhalfen GER, 3 Yasemin Can TUR, ... 11 Niamh Allen, 57 Cheryl Nolan, 62 Ann-Marie McGlynn, 66 Mary Mulhare, 73 Fiona Everard, 74 Danielle Donegan. Teams: 1 Italy 33, 2 Great Britain 36. 3 Belgium 46… 10 Ireland 130.
Senior Men (7834m): 1 Jakob Ingebrigtsen NOR, 2 Yemaneberhan Crippa ITA, 3 Thierry Ndikumwenayo, … 21 Cormac Dalton, 26 Efrem Gidey, 41 Pierre Murchan, 53 Keelan Kilrehill, 54 William Fitzgerald, 63 Sean Tobin. Teams: 1 Spain 18, 2 Belgium 37, 3 Great Britain 39…8 Ireland 88.
Mixed Relay: 1 Italy, 2 France, 3 Great Britain.