Lebid claims sixth title with stunning last lap surge

SERGIY LEBID stole the show with a devastating last lap surge to claim his fifth successive title - and his sixth in all - at the SPAR European cross-country championships in Tilburg, overcoming the challenge of Spain’s Alberto Garcia, the European 5,000m champion who only returned from a two-year ban for a positive drugs test last March.

The race, originally earmarked for Cork Racecourse as part of the European City of Culture celebrations until failure to win Government funding scuppered the plan, marked the changing of the guard for Ireland’s cross-country runners with the likes of Seamus Power, Peter Matthews, Sonia O’Sullivan, Anne Keenan Buckley and Catherina McKiernan no longer around.

European indoor 3,000m champion Alistair Cragg was forced to withdraw on the eve of the event with a foot infection, and illness ruled out the European junior 1,500m champion Colin Costello who had returned from Arkansas.

Gary Murray, the double national champion, finished 12th in the senior race while Martin Fagan suffered a crashing fall on the final circuit, ending up 16th.

“I was comfortable with the pace early on but then I began to tire a bit on the third lap,” Fagan said.

“I think it was only then that the races back in the States began to take their toll. I had been feeling a bit tired in recent days.”

Gary Murray did his best running in the closing stages.

“It was a matter of just keeping relaxed. I was feeling quite good, guys were going past and I was passing guys. I made my mind up last week that with two laps to go, I was going to give it everything and if I had to be carried off the track so be it,” he said.

“There was a lot of pain involved in the last lap but I am delighted with the way it went.”

Mary Cullen from North Sligo finished 11th in the senior women’s race to lead the Irish team into fifth place. However, the big star from an Irish point of view was Dubliner Linda Byrne who produced another battling performance in the front line to take fourth place in the junior women’s race ­ a repeat of her steeplechase finish in the 3,000m at the European track and field championships ­ and lead the team to fourth.

The senior women’s race provided the perfect result for the huge home crowd as Lornah Kiplagat, a former Kenyan now resident in The Netherlands, powered clear on the last lap to take the title.

Ireland’s Mary Cullen was right up with the early pace, lying fifth and then seventh with national champion Jolene Byrne getting to 12th place despite an ankle injury sustained on Thursday. She hurt the damaged ankle again during the race and Mary Cullen fell in the middle of a group of runners but they fought on.

Cullen finished her first serious cross-country race of the year in 11th position, while Byrne finished 31st and was overtaken by Rosemary Ryan, who ran the race of her life. Orla O’Mahoney, the Clare athlete now based in Dublin, finished 35th.

Cullen said: “When I fell, it threw me off a bit but I didn’t lose too many places. I struggled a bit on the third lap but I came back again.”

Linda Byrne, who broke the Irish junior steeplechase record several times this year before finishing fourth in the European junior championships, set herself a top 10 target to round off her junior career but ended up fourth in the junior women’s race.

The title went to Ancuta Bobocel of Romania, who got the better of Great Britain’s Emily Pigeon and Susan Kuijken from The Netherlands, but Byrne was just a fraction of a second back in fourth place. She was no further back than seventh during the race and with strong performances from teammates, injured Roseanne Galligan battling through the pain at 23rd, Azmera Gebrezgi 34th and Aisling Baker 37th, Ireland reached fourth place behind Great Britain, Romania and Russia.

“I have never done myself justice in those championships before,” she said.

“It was my last year as a junior so I was looking for a good run ­ hoping for a top 10, but I came fourth and I am delighted with that. I was fourth in the European junior track and field championships in Lithuania as well and it is a bit disappointing being so close to a medal twice. My legs felt really strong today. I had a good sprint at the end to hold my position as well.”

Danny Darcy was close to the action throughout most of the junior men’s race which saw Barnabas Bene (Hungary), the surprise winner last year, retain his title when he again used his sprint finish to hold off Andy Vernon of Great Britain. Darcy finished 20th.

“Going up the bridge going out on the last lap, I lost a couple of metres,” he said. “I struggled from there on. I am very disappointed with my last lap. I just could not get back into the race and I blew up.”