The European Cross Country Championships have proven a happy hunting ground for the Irish in recent years, with 14 medals across the last four editions.
It’s been six years since they arrived home empty-handed, and chances are they will add more medals to the tally in Antalya, Turkey on Sunday.
But it’s no guarantee. With some of the strongest senior athletes like Fionnuala McCormack and Brian Fay giving it a swerve, the best chances look to be in the underage races, specifically the men’s Under-23 event where rising stars Nick Griggs and Niall Murphy will lead a youthful team.
With just three to score, hopes will be high that one of the other four athletes can net a top-20 finish, which would put them in the medal hunt if Griggs and Murphy run to form.
Cookstown man Griggs, who led the Irish to Under-20 gold last year in Brussels and also won individual bronze, should find conditions to his liking.
The course is flat, dry and fast, with a few gimmicks like small hurdles and patches of mud and sand to break up the athletes’ rhythm. But in essence this will be a glorified track race and Griggs — who clocked an Irish U23 5,000m record of 13:13.07 in the summer — should relish that test over 6.3km (3.91 miles).
Murphy produced a superb run to finish second at nationals last month and he has good experience in this realm, finishing ninth in the Under-20 race last year.
The men’s U20 team look set to launch a stout defence of their title, with national champion Jonas Stafford — who was 10th last year — looking primed for another strong showing. Dutch star Niels Laros will be the overwhelming favourite for gold.
National champion Ann-Marie McGlynn will lead the Irish senior women’s team, backed up by Euro Cross debutants Niamh Allen and Cheryl Nolan, while Danielle Donegan, Mary Mulhare and Fiona Everard will bring plenty of experience to the line. Norway’s Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal will try to retain her title though Italy’s Nadia Battocletti, the Olympic silver medallist over 10,000m, will prove tough to beat.
In the senior men’s race, all eyes will be on Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen who should coast to his third title, having missed last year’s event through injury. Sligo’s Keelan Kilrehill will lead the Irish charge, having routed the field at nationals last month to win by 28 seconds. While that winning margin speaks to Kilrehill’s form, it may not bode well for the strength of the Irish team, which finished fourth last year.
The action gets under way with the Under-20 women’s race at 8am, with the senior men closing the programme at 11.11am.