Britton chases hat-trick

Fionnuala Britton goes in pursuit of past glories over 6km at the Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country in Holyrood Park today.

Britton has won this race, an annual international three-team contest between Great Britain, Europe and the USA, for the past two years but knows claiming a hat-trick of victories is a huge challenge.

The Wicklow woman lost her European crown last month in pursuit of the historic three-in-a-row and her conqueror in Belgrade, France’s Sophie Duarte, has also been confirmed in Europe’s squad.

Other tough competitors in the field include Britain’s Gemma Steel, who won silver in the Europeans, Amela Terzic of Serbia and Almensch Belete of Belgium.

The Kilcoole AC athlete got the better of Steel in Antrim last week but was unable to overcome Belete in a fast finish.

Michael Mulhare (Portlaoise AC) and David McCarthy (West Waterford AC) will also be a part of Team Europe in the men’s senior 8km race, where they will be up against the likes of Britain’s European silver medallist Andy Vernon, Pieter Jan-Hannes, Belgium’s European U23 champion and USA’s Bobby Mack, who won here last year.

The Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country is regarded as one of the world’s best annual cross country events and attracts the cream of world talent including Kenenisa Bekele, who will be today’s star attraction.

It will be the Ethiopian’s sixth appearance at the event but he will find the going tough in the men’s invitational 4km race as he is preparing for the Paris marathon on April 6 and will be up against a stellar field.

Regarded as the greatest distance runner of all time, Bekele will have to compete against his brother Tariku and two-time world 1500m champion Asbel Kiprop of Kenya, who has been in the headlines recently for allegedly carrying a gun and assaulting a security guard.

The event will be televised live on BBC starting at 1.21pm with the men’s 4km event and concluding with the women’s 6km race at 2.15pm.