The final round of the EnergyVision CrossCup in Diest provided the perfect conclusion to a series of European cross-country events. On an unseasonably calm day in Belgium, 15 players from each junior and senior group lined up carrying England flags.
senior men
An official distance of 9,070 meters awaits the men, with a tight start ensuring the usual mad dash for the lead, before the course narrows and the pack settles down. By that time Jack Miller (Bristol & West/Thames Hare & Hounds, David Bedwell) was already in fourth place, with Jack Gray (Cambridge & Coleridge, Mark Bayle) and Sam Mills (Exeter) leading the way in a busy group. I was a little far away inside. Unfortunately, Alfie Manthorpe (Sheffield & Dearne, John Wood) was stranded in Northern Ireland due to a flight cancellation following the Armagh 5k race and was unable to race.
As the race progressed, it was clear that Jack Miller was performing as well as he had in the London Cross Challenge, gradually pulling away from 5th place and solidifying his position in 4th place, but he was unable to compete for 3rd place. I never felt it.rd. Gray and Mills raced around seventh and eighth, with Mills leading Gray early on the first and second laps, but by the start of the third lap Miller had established a large gap between the two. was. Belgian Salmon and Van der Poorten appeared to have a large lead over Miller, but Grimard, who was third, did not. Going into the final lap, Miller had about a 30 second lead over Gray, who had an additional 15 second lead over Mills. Gray had to pull away from Mills and dig deep against the stronger, older athletes around him, and he did it with the quality and courage we expect from him.
- 4th place Jack Miller – 29:52
- 8th place Jack Gray – 30:22
- 12th Sam Mills – 30:41
senior woman
It was 5 laps, almost 10km for the senior women. The race started at a high pace with Jess Gibbon (Leading AC) sitting just behind the lead group and the rest of the team taking up the next group of athletes. After the first lap, Jasmine Lau and Jan Van Lent got out and Jess just sat at the back, but then there was a significant gap between them and the rest of the field and they split up into smaller groups. The positions remained unchanged until the final lap, with Jess taking the lead, increasing his margin of victory in the second half and maintaining it until the finish line, with Lau finishing second and Van Ren third, eight seconds behind. Sophie Tarver (Bill Foster, Wirral) ran a fast-paced race and finished an impressive 7th. Philippa Stone (Middlesbrough/Durham University, Martin Peever) maintained her position with a good 10th place, while Megan Gadsby (Norwich City/St Mary’s University, Mick Woods) also showed confidence on her debut for England. I finished in 13th place.
The whole team enjoyed the race and the atmosphere, but said the course was tough.
- 1st place Jess Gibbon – 33:23
- 7th place Sophie Tarver – 35:10
- 10th Philippa Stone – 35:40
- 13th Megan Gadsby – 36:08
junior boys
The junior men’s race started with the usual frantic rush, with the front runners determined to get a good view of the hairpin bend at the top of the start straight. First to appear was Belgian Simon Joukenne, with his legs wide open. Close attention was paid to the rapidly rising Quinn Miel-Ingram (Radley, Wendy Miel Ingram) and England debutant Mark Ruby (Poole AC, Mark Pawley). Fellow Brits Jake Stevens (Invicta East Kent, Donald Carter) and birthday boy William Lovejohns (Pool AC, Mark Polley) opted for a more conservative start and fell a little further back in the pack.
By the end of the first lap, Juquesnes had established an early lead against the chasing Ruby. A big change occurred on the second lap, with Jukeen increasing his gap to second place Quinn Mielle Ingram to over 30 meters, while Ruby began to tire and was caught up and passed by Mielle Ingram. The winding nature of the course and the mixture of sand and thick mud made progress extremely difficult and by the third lap, the over-enthusiasm of the start had returned. In the final stages, the players were well spread out and the key positions appeared to be decided. Jouquenne easily overcame his final hurdle and continued on with ease to secure his victory. He has improved significantly from 5th place last year. Mielle Ingram maintained a strong run and took a clear second place. Third place on the podium was taken by Love Johns who performed well on his 18th birthday.
- 2nd Place – Quinn Mielle Ingram – 16:30
- 3rd Place – William Lovejohns – 16:45
- 5th place – Jake Stevens – 16:54
- 8th place – Mark Ruby – 17:03
junior girls
With India Burwell (Lincoln Wellington, Rob Lewis), Amelie Lane (Wharfedale, Sally Maria), Beth Rogers (Ilkley, Sally Maria), Jenny Leggate (Cambridge & Coleridge, Richard Parke) Four England cross-country debutants made up the junior women’s team. Challenge the 3 lap course.
All four women started aggressively and by the first lap India, Beth and Amelie were in the lead group along with the three Belgians. Jenny was about 5 meters behind, but she was ahead of the second group. Towards the end of the first lap the pack started to separate and India took the lead with Amelie in third place by a few meters, followed by Jenny and Beth who were in the top ten.
As the race entered its third and final lap, India was accompanied by SEAA representative Lauren Russell, who ran through the field, and a battle began to develop between the two competitors. Lauren briefly took the lead, but with about 800 meters to go, India showed strength to close the gap, got past Lauren and maintained their lead, crossing the finish line in first place. Behind India, Ameri continued her strong run, eventually finishing with a reliable fourth place pace. Jenny, right behind her, also had a strong finish, finishing in 6th place. After a fast start, Beth recovered well to finish 12th.
- 1st Place – India Burwell – 19:20
- 4th Place – Amelie Lane – 19:49
- 6th place – Jenny Leggate – 19:55
- 12th place – Beth Rogers – 20:25