Medal mania for Irish at European Cross Country

For the Irish, this was their best-ever medal haul at the European Cross Country, but it was also so much more. For so many years, they had come to this event with hopes rested squarely on the shoulders of Fionnuala McCormack alone.

But this was different. Medal mania on the slopes of Bela Vista Park in Lisbon – athlete after athlete standing proud on the podium, glistening in green. Four medals in all: two bronze through the individual brilliance of Efrem Gidey and Stephanie Cotter; two silver through the superb collective courage of the senior and U23 women’s teams.