Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen crowned again at European XC champs

Norwegian distance champ Jakob Ingebrigtsen hunted down his second senior crown at the 2022 European Cross Country Championships on Sunday, at La Mandria Park in Turin, Italy. Ingebrigtsen won the senior men’s race (9.572 km) in 29 minutes, 33 seconds. On the women’s side, Karoline Grøvdal, also of Norway, took the win in the senior women’s race (7.662 km) in 26 minutes, 25 seconds.

Men’s race

Ingebrigtsen, who is the Olympic 1,500 meter champion, led a close race before pulling off his traditional finishing kick over the final 700 meters, increasing his lead to almost 60 meters before crossing the line in 29:33, World Athletics reported. Great Britain’s Emile Cairess surged for silver in 29:42, followed by Belgium’s former U23 winner Isaac Kimeli, who ran to bronze in 29:45.

Both Cairess, who has had a remarkable breakout season, and Kimeli worked hard to stay with Ingebrigsten from the 6K mark. While they matched or were close to Ingebrigtsen for much of the race they had no answer to his final surge, midway through the last of six long 1.4 km laps. “I think it was a great race for me, I had a lot of fun,” Ingebrigtsen said afterwards, taking his sixth consecutive individual continental gold medal overall.

Women’s race

Grøvdal, like Ingebrigtsen, was the defending champion for the senior title. The senior women’s race was a thriller, with Grøvdal, 32, and Germany’s European 5,000m champion, Konstanze Klosterhalfen, in a head-to-head battle for most of the race. Grøvdal, 32, was finally able to move away from Klosterhalfen on the final downhill stretch, 200 meters from the finish.

Grøvdal’s leading time of 26:25 over the approx. 7.7 km course set her just ahead of Klosterhalfen, who ran to silver in 26:29, and Germany’s Alina Reh, who finished in 27:19, barely holding off teammate Hanna Klein in a sprint for the bronze medal. Reh also took bronze in 2021, while Klosterhalfen moved up from fifth place last year.

“I was tired going into the last lap, and I felt that in the last few meters, but I knew that going down the hill that I am good at that,” Grøvdal said post-race. “The technical part is good for me, I felt quite strong going up the hills as well, and I think that is the reason I took the gold.” With eight individual medals, Grøvdal has an unsurpassed record by a woman athlete in the history of the European championships.

This year’s course at La Mandria Park included a 50-meter indoor section, running through a carriage pavilion, which is part of the Mandria Castle, a UNESCO Heritage site. La Mandria Park is the largest enclosed park in Europe, and Italy is now the only country to have hosted the European championships four times.

posted Monday December 12th
by Running Magazine