These are the Spaniards who have the most options to qualify for the European Cross Country

The first great international championship athletics of the 2024/2025 season will be European Cross Countrywhich will be held on December 8 at Antalya (Turkey). This will be the highlight of the cross country season and a great opportunity for Spanish athletes who aspire to reach international podiums. Africans are the great dominators of this specialty because it is their common training ground. At the European level, Jakob Ingebrigtsen He is the great dominator of the specialty and is expected to participate again in the next edition of the Continental in search of his third title in the absolute category. Norwegian is on Sierra Nevada (Granada) training with intensity at altitude

Cross country has many traditions Spain in autumn and winter due to having milder weather conditions than other parts of Europe. A modality with great specialists and offers great versatility, allowing expert athletes to compete at all distances from 800m to the marathon. Many of these athletes take advantage of the months of cross country to do a good preseason of quantity and strength for the arrival of track competitions.

Selection criteria for European Cross Country
The

The great goal of the season for the Spanish athletes who specialize in cross country is European Union of Antalya (Turkey) which will be held on December 8. There will be three categories, each with a different distance: Absolutely (7.5km), Under-23 (6km) and Under-20 (4.5km). A fourth mixed relay event will be held in the 4×1,500m. Each country can register a maximum of six athletes per event and two more athletes as reserves. The deadline to meet the sports performance criteria established by the RFEA began on October 20 and will close on November 24, and the results obtained and the athlete’s history with the national team will be taken into account. All the criteria established by the RFEA are:

• Assessment and level of results achieved, as well as the trajectory and development of results achieved in the indicated period and in authorized competitions. Especially in the weeks before the qualifying period ends.
• Direct confrontation between the athletes involved during the validity period to obtain the qualification, which establishes the evaluation criteria depending on the moment in which said confrontations occur.
• The adaptation of the athlete to the characteristics and conditions of the championship.
• History of results in international cross country competitions.
• Age category and sporting projection of each athlete.
• Other sports performance criteria for consideration by Sports Management.

The RFEAIn particular, it provides the following explanation about the selection process:

• A maximum of six athletes per category and gender and four (2 women and 2 men) in the mixed relay will compete on December 8 in Antalya (Turkey), at the next European Cross Country Championships. In the preselection criteria, established by the National Selector, with the approval of the Sports Director, the six places in the absolute category (of each gender) will be granted as follows: three direct preselection places to the athletes selected by the Championship Spain club cross country – Cross Internacional de Itálica and three preselection areas based on sports performance criteria, one of which is specific (through World Ranking points from the Global Cross Country Calendar and national cross country calendar races) and two general (based in sports standards).
• Regarding the specific gender area, the five eligible athletes with the highest points in a combined system of points obtained in the World Cross Country Ranking and the points obtained in several races of the National Cross Country Calendar will be eligible for them (see circular 134/ 2024). In any case, a maximum of three points can be added, of which at least two must belong to events included in the World Athletics “Cross Country Tour”. In this particular preselection, athletes already preselected for direct preselection positions will not be included.

These are the Spaniards with the most points this season

Next, we examine the national rankings provided by the RFEA on November 11 with the best all-around athletes by gender. The maximum number of tests counted per athlete is 3, with crosses Amorebieta, Atapuerca and Soria has the most points in all the debates to date. The Cross of Italics this Sunday and of Alcobendas on November 24 the other two will offer the highest score before the European Championship. Other tests that scored were: Lasarte, Aceite, Quintanar de la Orden, Ponte Romana, Castellón, Toledo and Llodio. The strongest athlete today, Rodrigue Kwizerahas not yet received Spanish nationality and is not eligible to represent the RFEA in international competitions.

Classification of men

1) Fernando Carro 3,405 points (3 attempts)

2) Juan Antonio ‘Chiki’ Pérez 3,180 points (3 attempts)

3) Miguel Baidal 3,140 points (3 attempts)

4) Eleazar Canton 3,081 points (3 tests)

5) David Bascuñana 3,055 points (3 attempts)

6) Nassim Hassaous 2,340 points (2 attempts)

7) Adel Mechaal 2,330 points (2 attempts)

8) Pablo Sánchez 2,260 points (2 attempts)

9) Àdam Maijó 2,220 points (2 attempts)

10) Abderrahman El Khayami 2,185 points (2 attempts)

Classification of women

1) Carolina Robles 3,660 points (3 attempts)

2) June Arbeo 3,270 points (3 tests)

3) Irene Pelayo 3,240 points (3 tests)

4) Andrea Romero 3,060 points (3 attempts)

5) Miriam Benkert 2,975 points (3 attempts)

6) Cristina Ruiz 2,320 points (2 attempts)

7) Carla Arce 2,265 points (2 attempts)

8) Lidia Campo 2,240 points (2 attempts)

9) Águeda Marqués 2,220 points (2 attempts)

10) Sara Reimondo 2,220 points (2 attempts)

To all these names, we must add the talented specialists who have not yet debuted and will do so directly this weekend in International Cross of Italicawhich will be the Spanish Cross Country Championship for clubs. Some of the main favorites to attend the European Championship are expected to arrive in Seville, such as Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Adel Mechaal, Nacho Fontes, Abdessamad Oukhelfen, Dani Arce or Jesús Ramos. In the Itálica results, the places will be distributed as follows:

• 6 places in the absolute men’s category: 3 places from Itálica (Spanish Championship for clubs), 2 places for sporting performance and 1 for the World Ranking (closing November 24).
• 6 places in the absolute women’s category: 3 places from Itálica (Spanish Championship for clubs), 2 places for sporting performance and 1 for the World Ranking (closes on November 24).