European XC Championships

runjb · 24-11-2019 8:25pm #1

With today's nationals done and dusted, how are the irish teams looking for the European championships? Fionnuala seems once again to be a leading contender for us, with maybe the winners of today's Junior races also looking strong. Is there many athletes state side intending to run?

KSU · 25-11-2019 1:56pm

runjb wrote: »

With today's nationals done and dusted, how are the irish teams looking for the European championships? Fionnuala seems once again to be a leading contender for us, with maybe the winners of today's Junior races also looking strong. Is there many athletes state side intending to run?

https://www.athleticsireland.ie/news/european-cross-country-selections/

Team named

A few u23 women who clean sweeped the NCAA Div 2 added to the team

Snodge · 26-11-2019 7:53pm

US based Irish athletes have been performing well hence selections. However would it not be hard for home based athletes to show form since they have fewer races, and races of lower standard than US scholarship athletes are exposed too, therefore putting them at a disadvantage?

MrSkinny · 08-12-2019 10:41am

Live coverage on the BBC red button shortly (10:00 - 14:00) and highlights on BBC Two later (17:15 - 18:15).

https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/50594606

Krusty_Clown · 08-12-2019 11:00am

https://athletics.eurovisionsports.tv/event/36/spar-european-cross-country-championships

runjb · 08-12-2019 11:11am

Strong start to this Junior men's race for the Irish team. Could we snatch an unexpected team medal here? GB and Portugal both very strong teams

runjb · 08-12-2019 11:19am

Excellent individual bronze medal for Even Gidey. Ran a super race to put it up to the leaders from the start and held on over tough course to pull clear of the chasing packs. What a super start to these championships for Ireland!!

66_Lad · 08-12-2019 11:24am

runjb wrote:

Excellent individual bronze medal for Even Gidey. Ran a super race to put it up to the leaders from the start and held on over tough course to pull clear of the chasing packs. What a super start to these championships for Ireland!!

Team bronze also!

Krusty_Clown · 08-12-2019 11:24am

Not unexpectedly an easy win for Ingebrigtsen, but also a fantastic bronze for Efrem Gidey and a bronze team medal for Ireland! What a start!

gavinoontheweb · 08-12-2019 11:25am

Team Bronze on Countback. Ireland and Portugal both on 39 points but Ireland's leading scorer was 3rd while the Portugese scorer was 4th. Tight Margins.

Dodge · 08-12-2019 11:26am

gavinoontheweb wrote: »

Team Bronze on Countback. Ireland and Portugal both on 39 points but Ireland's leading scorer was 3rd while the Portugese scorer was 4th. Tight Margins.

Edited post. Got my maths wrong!

Well done to the lads

runjb · 08-12-2019 11:27am

gavinoontheweb wrote: »

Team Bronze on Countback. Ireland and Portugal both on 39 points but Ireland's leading scorer was 3rd while the Portugese scorer was 4th. Tight Margins.

I was surprised as usually they count the final scorer on the team, which would put Portugal ahead of us. Maybe there's a recent rule change I wasn't aware of.

gavinoontheweb · 08-12-2019 11:31am

runjb wrote: »

I was surprised as usually they count the final scorer on the team, which would put Portugal ahead of us. Maybe there's a recent rule change I wasn't aware of.

Going off comms.

However, upon looking at EA XC Regulations you could be correct.

"302.16.A tie shall be decided in favour of the team whose last scoring athlete finishes nearest to first place."

Dodge · 08-12-2019 11:34am

Are Portugal not in 2nd with Ireland third? GB won so who else is ahead of Ireland and Portugal?

Krusty_Clown · 08-12-2019 11:36am

Dodge wrote: »

Are Portugal not in 2nd with Ireland third? GB won so who else is ahead of Ireland and Portugal?

Norway. 1 + 8 + 29
Looks like Ireland should be 4th.

Dodge · 08-12-2019 11:37am

Crap. Didn’t see the 3rd Norwegian

Dodge · 08-12-2019 11:52am

Team confirmed in 4th now. Portugal with bronze

runjb · 08-12-2019 12:45pm

Looking very positive for irish U23 women's team. Stephanie Cotter has really put herself in a great position for an individual medal and the Flanagan twins both inside the top 15. Battle for gold between them and Netherlands so far. Into the final third of the race now.

jamule · 08-12-2019 12:50pm

runjb wrote: »

Looking very positive for irish U23 women's team. Stephanie Cotter has really put herself in a great position for an individual medal and the Flanagan twins both inside the top 15. Battle for gold between them and Netherlands so far. Into the final third of the race now.

gonna be down to all the finish, they all have a dutch one beside them

runjb · 08-12-2019 12:52pm

What a run from Stephanie Cotter. Brilliant individual bronze!

Looks like silver for the team. Great race for us.

patob · 08-12-2019 2:35pm

Looking good in Senior Women, McCormack and Mageean goinw well, 2nd in team so far

yerwanthere123 · 08-12-2019 2:50pm

4th for Fionnuala, harsh. Well done to Grovdal for bettering her bronze, and of course to Kenya for their gold!

jamule · 08-12-2019 2:52pm

ciara might need a stretcher, killed herself for team silver

runjb · 08-12-2019 2:52pm

Team medal will be of some consolation for Fionnuala. Another 4th for her though, you can't but help feel for her. How many more medals should she have won if it was against a genuine european field.

murpho999 · 08-12-2019 2:53pm

Does anybody else find the RTE commentary annoying. Focus entirely on Irish athletes and barely a mention of the winner.

Raving about McCormack and giving her a bronze medal then switching focus to team medal when that didn't happen.

I appreciate they want to cover Irish athletes but they should commentate on the race in my opinion not just athletes and team.

Dodge · 08-12-2019 3:00pm

4 medals for the team is a brilliant return. First medals since 2014 at Euro XC

runjb · 08-12-2019 3:02pm

Dodge wrote: »

4 medals for the team is a brilliant return. First medals since 2014 at Euro XC

Yes it really is a great return for an Irish team. Sets us up nicely for next year in Dublin. A real focus should now turn to this event next year. The mixed relay team for example should be planned and an attempt made to get our best middle distance athletes out and try take a medal.

chasingpaper · 08-12-2019 3:08pm

murpho999 wrote: »

Does anybody else find the RTE commentary annoying. Focus entirely on Irish athletes and barely a mention of the winner.

Raving about McCormack and giving her a bronze medal then switching focus to team medal when that didn't happen.

I appreciate they want to cover Irish athletes but they should commentate on the race in my opinion not just athletes and team.

No, first place was a procession and second was also decided early on.

The only actual race was for 3rd, McCormack vs the Swede. Even from a non Irish perspective 3rd place and the team places were the main talking points during the race.

Sacksian · 08-12-2019 3:14pm

I presume he'll skip it, but just noticed Efrem Gidey is entered for the National Novice. From Euro Cross to Cow Park in a week!

yerwanthere123 · 09-12-2019 12:59am

runjb wrote: »

Team medal will be of some consolation for Fionnuala. Another 4th for her though, you can't but help feel for her. How many more medals should she have won if it was against a genuine european field.

This is at least the second time she's lost out on a bronze because of Can, perhaps there's been more.

murpho999 · 09-12-2019 3:48pm

chasingpaper wrote: »

No, first place was a procession and second was also decided early on.

The only actual race was for 3rd, McCormack vs the Swede. Even from a non Irish perspective 3rd place and the team places were the main talking points during the race.

I really doubt coverage in other countries was ignoring the athletes in 1st and 2nd place and were entirely focused on the Irish individual trying to win a a bronze and the team places.

glacial_pace71 · 09-12-2019 6:17pm

Fantastic performance from our athletes. Heartbreaking for Fionnuala, and for the men's team: if I recall correctly, under the older system it used to be four runners to score, which would've gotten them the bronze.

One slightly sour note was the coverage/lack of coverage in today's papers. Ok, I wasn't expecting a feature on Adams State, but there were no interviews, and a quite demeaning photo on the cover of the Irish Times sports supplement. These are international standard elite athletes, yet the only way for front-page coverage is to have a photo-op 'jump' like they're doing a charity fun dip at Christmas. (I know, we're supposed to take our friends where we can find them, and any publicity for the Irish teams is better than none, but I feel there are achievements being diminished by this sort of coverage: why not a photo of the medal haul?)

Dodge · 10-12-2019 7:22am

murpho999 wrote: »

I really doubt coverage in other countries was ignoring the athletes in 1st and 2nd place and were entirely focused on the Irish individual trying to win a a bronze and the team places.

TV pictures weren’t by RTE. They were by the international broadcaster. They chose to show the battle for 3rd more than the leader and second, not RTE

The Irish comms just spoke about what was on screen. They didn’t ignore anything IMO

chasingpaper · 10-12-2019 12:12pm

murpho999 wrote: »

I really doubt coverage in other countries was ignoring the athletes in 1st and 2nd place and were entirely focused on the Irish individual trying to win a a bronze and the team places.

That's not what I said though was it?! :rolleyes:

I said the race for 3rd was the only medal up for grabs, as first and second were decided long before the race was over.

If your preference is to watch a "Turk" strolling on their own to another European title that's fine. My preference is watching an actual competition. Especially in cross country where times mean nothing, so someone destroying the field has even less meaning for the viewer than on the track.

FixdePitchmark · 10-12-2019 4:14pm

Africans running for European countries is kind of crazy ?

pconn062 · 10-12-2019 4:53pm

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Africans running for European countries is kind of crazy ?

Depends on the Africans, many are genuine citizens and integrated into their new countries or asylum seekers. Some, such as the Turks are paid to transfer country and race and win medals despite not living or training in their new countries. The loophole has been partly closed by the IAAF but the current people are entitled to keep competing.

Regarding Efrem who competed for Ireland, anyone aware of his story and the conditions of life in Eritrea should not begrudge him his new start.

KSU · 10-12-2019 6:12pm

pconn062 wrote: »

Depends on the Africans, many are genuine citizens and integrated into their new countries or asylum seekers. Some, such as the Turks are paid to transfer country and race and win medals despite not living or training in their new countries. The loophole has been partly closed by the IAAF but the current people are entitled to keep competing.

Regarding Efrem who competed for Ireland, anyone aware of his story and the conditions of life in Eritrea should not begrudge him his new start.

Similar to this I saw alot of negative comments regarding the Israeli Junior team

https://www.israel21c.org/alley-runners-helps-marginalized-kids-strive-for-the-pros/

European XC Championships

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