Mohamed Katir seeks to shine in the cross country and stands out in the Spanish list of 40 athletes
MADRID, 10 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish athletics team faces the European Cross Country Championships this Sunday in Piedmont – La Mandria Park (Turin, Italy), with an expedition of 40 athletes among whom the option of maintaining the streak of medals in the competition is certain. .
The European Cross Country is synonymous with a podium for Spain: 26 medals in 27 editions, so the objective is clear in the delegation of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA). The year he spent in Fingal-Dublin, Spain won two silver medals (for absolute men’s teams and U20 women’s) to add a total of 77 medals, 31 individual and 46 for teams, in the history of the European Cross Country Championships.
A total of 40 athletes (20 women and 20 men) were shortlisted after meeting the criteria established by the coach José Peiró and the RFEA Sports Department. Six athletes per gender will compete in three categories –absolute, Under 23 and Under 20–, while four athletes (two per gender) will be part of the mixed relay.
The Spanish record holder of 1,500, 3,000 and 5,000 meters, Mohamed Katir, will seek to shine in the cross country after achieving sixth place in the Itálica selective test to now face the slopes of the tough La Mandria Park circuit. The runner-up in Europe in the 5000 and world bronze in the 1500 gives polish to a category list.
Katir will be accompanied in Turin by the first three Spanish classifieds in the last European Cross Country, key in the achievement of team silver. Nassim Hassaous finished seventh in Fingal-Dublin, closely followed by two-time Spanish cross-country champion Carlos Mayo (11th) and Abdessamad Oukhelfen (12th).
Oukhelfen and Hassaous showed their excellent form in the recent Cross of Atapuerca, earning the preselection by finishing as the first two Spaniards. Roberto Alaiz and Sergio Paniagua complete the team after two great results.
In women, Spain’s potential is beyond doubt, including two-time national cross-country champion Irene Sánchez-Escribano in what will be her third European Championship. She is accompanied on the team by Carolina Robles, current Spanish champion in the 3000 m obstacles (distance in which she played the Olympic final in Tokyo) and 18th in the last edition of the championship, and Marta García, the current ‘queen’ of the Spanish 5000 m , who in Fingal-Dublin 2021 ran the mixed relay.
All three have been playing a great role in the cross country season: Sánchez-Escribano was fourth in Lasarte, eighth in Itálica and 12th in Atapuerca; Robles finished sixth in Lasarte, seventh in Itálica and 14th in Atapuerca; and García finished second in Soria, fifth in Itálica and 13th in Atapuerca.
Meanwhile, Isabel Barreiro will make her absolute debut with the endorsement of having the best Spanish performance in the cross country tour of the International Federation. The Asturian hopes to be able to endorse in the Piedmontese capital the great state of form demonstrated as the winner of the Cross of Zornotza (Amorebieta), fourth (first Spanish) in Itálica, eighth in Lasarte and tenth (second Spanish) in Atapuerca. The Catalan Naima Ait Alibo will also make her debut as another revelation this season and completes the Águeda Marqués team.
The mixed relay is led by triple European bronze medalist Jesús Gómez (twice in the 1500 m indoor track and once in the mixed relay) along with Olympic and world 800 m finalist Adrián Ben. Solange Pereira, with eight national mile titles en route and three medals with the mixed relay at the European Championships, and the rookie Rosalía Tárraga complete the quartet.