European Cross Country Championships will be held in heavenly La Mandria Park in Turin with an attendance of more than 500 athletes. Before the action, we just have a quick look in the past to remember of the clinical ends.
1997 Oeiras: Men's race
World Orienteering champion Carsten Jorgensen of Denmark has been doing very well in XC courses on that days. In 1997, the 27-year-old had returned to the course on a sunny day in Oeiras after his fourth-place finish one year earlier. And he made an impressive conclusion there.
During the 9.8 kilometres race, he just chased on Swedish Claes Nyberg and Frenchman Mustapha Essaid before attacking in the penultimate lap. In the final phase, he was challenged by Claes Nyberg who turned the final bend ahead, but Jorgensen geared up in the final stretch to grab the title over him. He remains the only Danish medallist in the senior men's race at the European XC.
1998 Ferrara: Men's race
Ukrainian XC legend Sergiy Lebid's first win in European Championships was phenomenal. That gold marks Lebid's first of his nine European titles in the dirt, as hailed him as a true fighter.
Only 23 years of age on the day, Lebid executed a good race edging past the rivals such as Mohammed Mourhit - a World medallist runner originally from Morocco, Frenchman Driss El Himer, and defending champion Jorgensen who was able to finish fifth in that race.
Lebid broke the tape with 28 minutes and 7 seconds in just one second ahead of Mourhit who bought Belgium's first individual podium at the event.
2001 Thun: Women's race
The Moroccan-born Frenchwoman Yamna Belkacem was the winner of the 2001 event held in the picturesque Swiss town of Thun. After she immigrated to France, Belkacem previously contested as a member of the French team in European and World XC on some occasions but she climbed only once to the individual podium. In the 2001 European Championships, women athletes contested in a relatively short and easy-to-run course while Belkacem covered 4.6 km in 15:48 to take the victory. She was able to come first in eight athletes group within only 10 seconds to finish up the race. Meanwhile European U23 champion Olga Romanova of Russia secured the silver medal after a hard-fought contest where the Portuguese and British favourites were behind.
2014 Samokov: Women's race
With a snowy course on a sunny day, cross-country fans have witnessed an immense battle between two Britons. Gemma Steel and Kate Avery ran together nearly half of the whole way during eight kilometres course while pushing up each other to great tempo. Avery gained a quick advantage by some 3-4 metres while entering the last 100 metres, but Steel kicked back to win the title at the end. In the result sheet, both have clocked the same time, but Steel clearly got the tape first. The Briton who has won all 10 international medals in European XC, completed her individual medal set in Samokov after that neck-to-beck finish.
2018 Tilburg: Women's race
Turkey's Kenyan-born cross-country star Yasemin Can arrive in Tilburg as a clear favourite to win. But the race said different things. Fabianne Schlumpf who win a steeplechase European silver medal four months earlier, sticked with Can until the very end. Can attempted several time to break up but the long-legged Swiss didn't let her go. Yasemin Can entered on the lead to the final straight and closed it with a stylish finish ahead of the well-contested Schlumpf, who won only second seniors medal for Switzerland after Anita Weyermann's victory in 1999. And lately surged Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal of Norway also joined the top two finishers on the podium where she finished just a couple of seconds later than Yasemin Can.
