Ireland earn three medals at home European Cross-Country with an Under-23 gold

The home crowd unquestionably played their part, naturally the home ground too, and with that Ireland completed a three-medal haul at the European Cross-Country, topped off with team gold in the men’s Under-23 race.

There was some disappointment that medal haul wasn’t greater again, three fourth place finishes - including the mixed 4x1,500m relay where at halfway Ireland were well in front - proving that home advantage didn’t necessarily make winning medals any easier. It was tough out there, even with the Sport Ireland campus looking splendid and well attended too.

Darragh McElhinney produced “the race of his life” to nail second in that men’s Under-23 race, for long stages battling hard to gold with Britain’s Charlie Hicks, before he struck for gold, the 21-year-old from Cork who now runs for UCD still delighted and deserving too in making the individual podium.

Not far behind in sixth was Keelan Kilrehill of Moy Valley AC, then Micheal Power of West Waterford AC in 13th, and that was good enough to land them gold medals, the three-scoring tally of 21 just three points ahead of Great Britain, still plenty good enough for gold, with France much further back in third with 36 points.

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“It was a strange race, slightly different that what I expected, I thought it was going to be hard from the gun, whereas it did dawdle a bit for the first couple of laps,” said a delighted McElhinney. “I knew I just had to stay in contention the whole way, which I did, and even with a lap to go all I was thinking of was gold.

“I knew the guys were running well behind me, and in the last 250m, my legs were jelly, I was trying to take inspiration from anywhere I could, and what more could you ask for that 8,000 Irish people cheering you on. The last 100m was long, I thought that finish line would never come, but to come away with team medals, a team gold, a savage day.”

That followed the team silver medals also won by the Irish Under-20 team, just one point shy of winners Great Britain, Abdel Laadjel from Donore Harriers showing the way here with a brilliant sixth place, followed by Dean Casey of Ennis Track, in 13th, then Nick Griggs, still only 16th, coming home 16th. Axel Vang Christensen from Denmark, also still just 16, produced a commanding performance over the 6,000m distance, scoring a gun-to-tape victory.

Fionnuala McCormack

It turned out to be a case so near and yet so far for both the senior men and senior women, who both finished fourth in the men’s race, Fionnuala McCormack finishing ninth in her record 17th appearance at the event, and also a week after running a 2:23:58 marathon in Valencia. The team finished on 47 points, nine points off Sweden in third, victory there also going to Great Britain on 25 points.

That race also saw Karoline Grovdal complete a senior double for Norway, following as she did on the heels of Olympic 1,500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, just turned 21, who won the senior men’s race with an astonishing turn of speed over the last lap.

The Irish senior men, led home by Brian Fay in 10th, also ended fourth, Senior men also a close fourth in the senior men’s race, surrendering the bronze medals to Norway by a mere four points, scoring 51 points, to Norway’s 47. France comfortably won there.

“Yes,” said Ingebrigtsen when asked if his victory was as comfortable as it looked. “Though it’s a 10km and outside the track is always a tough race. At the same time I felt good and I’ve been training really well the last couple of months. I know I’m in good shape.

“For me it was just about staying with the other guys when they increased the pace and getting first to the finish line. I’m really happy. I just increased the pace slightly. I realised when we were four guys in the front, I was working hard, and at the same time, I realised that the others around me were breathing at least as hard as me and even more.

“I enjoy racing and I enjoy competing for medals. At the same time, cross country is really tough and I don’t like to be in pain. I had to make up my mind all the way up to the championships but I’m happy that I came here.”

Hiko Tonosa Haso also ran a fine race to finish 13th, but there was real disappointment in the 4x1,500m mixed relay, having sat in a medal position throughout the race, only to slip into fourth in the last 200 metre stretch, through no lack of effort.

Ciara Mageean took out the first leg in style, passing over the Luke McCann with a three second lead, before Síofra Cléirigh Büttner lost some ground on the third leg. Andrew Coscoran fought incredibly hard on the last lap, Britain’s Ben West seeing them home in gold, France and Belgium winning the sprint home for silver and bronze, Cosorcan given the same time in fourth.

Also running well was Sarah Healy, still just 20 and with two more years in the Under-23 ranks, who sat with the leaders for a long time before falling back on the last lap to finish fifth. The team also finished fifth.

It didn’t match the four-medal haul of Lisbon two years ago, and exciting day of running nonetheless.