Ndikumwenayo, Mechaal and a strong mixed relay for European cross country

Thierry Ndikumwenayowho won at Italica, and Adel Mechaalwho this season became the first Spaniard in Atapuerca and Lasarte, They lead the powerful team that will compete on December 8 at the European Cross Country Championships in Antalya (Türkiye)where andThe mixed relay will feature athletes of the caliber of Adrián Ben, Marta Pérez, Jesús Gómez and Esther Guerrero in pursuit of a medal.

In the last edition, held in Brussels, Spain managed to win three collective medals – a historic women’s absolute silver and the men’s U20 and women’s U23 bronzes – in addition to six individual finalist positions (12 in total), finishing fourth in the position classification.

For these Europeans from Antalya, Spain has a team of forty athletes (20 girls and 20 boys) preselected after meeting the criteria established by coach José Peiró and the Sports Directorate of the RFEA.

In the absolute men’s team Four of the six athletes who battled the Brussels mud last year are backincluding reinforcements of the European bronze in 5000 Thierry Ndikumwenayowho had just been crowned in Itálica, and veteran Adel Mechaalwho in this season became the first Spaniard in crosses of the stature of Atapuerca or Lasarte.

The Olympians Abdessamad Oukhelfenwho led the team last year in seventh, along with Nassim Hassaous (7th in 2021), the young Aarón Las Heras, who finished 22nd (first European) at last year’s Bathurst world championship, and the Madrid-born Fernando Carro, who was present. in the European past of Rome and national record holder of 3,000 obstacles, complete the team.

In the women’s category, From the historic team that won silver in Brussels last year, two athletes who finished in the top20 repeat: Cristina Ruiz (13th) and Carolina Robles (16th).

Robles, current Spanish Cross Country champion, will run his fourth straight European with Cristina, who had a cross country season with good results. Both will lead a young team with athletes like Idaira Prieto or Carla Arce who, despite their international experience in the minor categories, are making their senior debut. The sextet is completed with Alicia Berzosa, present in the European past in Rome, and Carla Gallardo, who will compete in a European cross country for the first time with the senior team after making her international debut in the category at the European Championship in Munich in 2022.

He mixed relay, who will be looking for his fifth medal in Antalyais led by two athletes who have already won silver at Piedmont 2022: Olympian Adrián Ben and the experienced Jesús Gómez, who won bronze in 2017.

Experience the international finals of Esther Guerrero is another mainstay of the mixed teamespecially because he knows what it’s like to be the European champion in the mixed relay (2018) and stand on the podium to collect the bronze (2017). Completing the quartet is the national 1500m record holder, Marta Pérez, who last year made history by becoming the first athlete to compete for Spain in indoor, outdoor, road and cross country in the same season.

Throughout almost three decades of history of European cross country competitions, Spain total 85 medals: 32 individuals and 53 for teams.

The complete selection is as follows:

· Fully feminine: Carla Arce, Alicia Berzosa, Carla Gallardo, Idaira Prieto, Carolina Robles, Cristina Ruiz.

Masculine absolute: Fernando Carro, Nassim Hassaous, Aarón Las Heras, Adel Mechaal, Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Abdessamad Oukhelfen.

· Mixed relay: Adrián Ben, Jesús Gómez, Esther Guerrero and Marta Pérez.

· Women U23: Claudia Corral, Jihad Essoubai, María Forero, Marta Serrano, Àmbar Tomás and Ángela Viciosa.

· Men’s U23: Pablo Alba, Brahim El Ourzadi, Eric Loré, Miguel Ángel Martínez, Jaime Migallón, Pol Oriach.

· Women U20: Candela Blázquez, Laia Cariñanos, Emma Méndez, Anna Rovirosa, Nadia Soto, June Sudupe.

· Men’s U20: Marcos Crespo, Óscar Gaitán, Andrés Lara, Unai Naranjo, Àlex Pintado, Gonçalo José Sousa.