Fionnuala – our European champion!

Fionnuala Britton of Kilcoole ran a determined race to win the women’s title at the Spar European Cross-Country Championships in Velenje, Slovenia. Last year, Britton had been outsprinted for bronze and finished just seven seconds behind the winner, so victory was especially sweet.  
In the first kilometre of the race, Britton led a breakaway group that included plenty of colourful  characters: former European U-23 champion Binniz  Uslu of Turkey,  second in 2010; Moroccan  Nadia Ejjafini, who runs for Italy after a period with Bahrain;  and Portugal’s Ana Dulce Felix, the woman who had beaten Britton by a stride for the bronze a year earlier.
Uslu, who has had injury problems this year, was the woman who beat Britton to the U-23 title in 2006 and later served a two-year ban for doping.  She was the first to fall back and  eventually dropped out.
At half way, Britton made her break, with Ejjafini’s attempts  to keep with her now faltering and British athlete Gemma Steel now chasing after Britton after passing Dulce Felix.  A determined effort saw Steel close the gap to about 15 metres but Britton by now was completely in control and raced home a worthy winner.
For second place, Dulce Felix chased down Steel after finding a second lease of life. 
In the men’s race, there was plenty more to cheer when Joe Sweeney of Dundrum South Dublin ran the race of his life to finish a gutsy fifth.  With Paul Pollock making a fine debut to finish 26th and early front runner Andrew Ledwith not too far behind in 35th place, the  Irish men’s team finished a creditable sixth. Dominating up front was the Ethiopian athlete Atelaw Bekele running for Belgium.
Irish intercounty champion  Sarah Louise Treacy of Moynalty produced her best ever result at this level when she finished 18th in the women’s U-23 race. In the men’s U-23 race,  Michael Mulhare of North Laois, part of last year’s winning team,  was spiked and lost a shoe in the opening kilometre. He finished a disappointed 31st.
Best in the junior races were Jake Byrne of Mullingar Harriers 23rd of the men and DSD’s Siofra Cleirigh Buttner, 49th in the women’s race.
* Szentendre,  just outside the Hungarian capital Budapest, is the venue for the 2012 European Cross-Country; Belgrade, Serbia  is the 2013 venue. 

Spar European Cross-Country Championships, Slovenia.
Women Senior: 1 Fionnuala Britton (Ireland); 2  Gemma Steel (GBR); 3 Ana Dulce Felix (Portugal.). Other Irish – 43 Claire McCarthy; 44 Elish Kelly; 45 Kerry Harty; 46 Aoife Culhane.  Teams – 1 Great Britain 42; 2 Portugal 51; 3 Germany 83; 4 France 83… 8 Ireland.
U-23:1 Emma Pallant (GB) 19.57; 2 Naomi Taschinowitz (GB) 20.02; 3 Corinna Harrer (Ger); 4 Stephanie Twell (GB). Irish – 23 Sarah Louise Treacy; 83 Una Britton. Teams – 1 GB; 2 Germany; 3 Portugal. 
Junior:1 Emelia Gorecka (GB) 13.13; 2 Ioana Doaga (Rom) 13.14; 3 Amela Terzic (Serbia) 13.22.  Irish – 49 Siofra Cleirigh Buttner;  52 Claire McCarthy; 57 Kate Veale; 71 Mary Mulhare: 80 Mary Ann O’Sullivan. Teams – 1 GB 40; 2 Russian 43; 3 Germany 50… 12 Ireland. 
Men Senior: 1 Atelaw  Yeshe Bekele (Belgium) 29.15; 2 Ayad Lamdassan (Spa); 3 Jose Rocha (Por).  Irish – 5 Joe Sweeney; 26 Paul  Pollock; 35 Andrew Ledwith; 50 Mark Hanrahan; 54 Gary Thornton. Teams – 2 France 34; 2 GB 59; 3 Spain…6 Ireland.
U23: 1 Florian Carvalho (Fra); 2 James Wilkinson (GB); 3 Sondre Norstad Moen (Nor). Irish  31 Michael Mulhare; 54 Emmett Jennings; 73 Liam Tremble; 82 Dave Fitzmaurice; 84 David Flynn.  Teams –1 Norway 56; 2 GB 73; 3 France… 13 Ireland .
Junior: 1 Ilgizar Safuilin (Rus); 2 Richard Goodman (GB); 3 Vladimir Nikitin (Rus). Irish – 23 Jake Byrne; 45 Sean Tobin; 56 Ruairi  Finnegan; 81 Kevin Dooney; 96 Liam Brady.  Teams – 1 GB 30; 2 Russia 49; 3 France 100… 12 Ireland.  

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