Griggs aiming to sign off junior career in style

Fionnuala McCormack is making a record 18th appearance at the Euro Cross.

MEDAL HOPE: Nick Griggs will look to sign off his junior career in style. Pic: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane

The conditions may be suitably Irish, the rain-soaked course in Brussels’ Laeken Park sure to evoke reminders of the mud bath that was last month’s nationals, but even still, it’s hard to see the Irish repeating last year’s feat at tomorrow’s European Cross Country Championships.

In Italy 12 months ago, they claimed a record five medals but scanning the depth in their ranks this time, two or three would prove a successful haul.

Their best chance will likely come in the men’s U-20 race, where Nick Griggs will look to sign off his junior career in style. Griggs won silver last year after an ill-fated look behind him with 50 metres to run, which led to a stumble that likely cost him gold. Having also won silver at the European U-20 Championships over 3000m in the summer, he’ll be keen to climb back to the top of the podium, as he did in 2021, when he first announced his talent internationally with 3000m gold at the European U-20s, aged just 16.

The Tyrone teenager is the fastest Irish U-20 in history at 1500m, the mile, 3000m and 5000m, but to win gold he’ll have to produce something special given the presence of Dutch star Niels Laros, who missed last year’s championships with illness. Laros is the biggest prodigy to emerge in European distance running since Jakob Ingebrigtsen and he took double gold over 1500m and 5000m at this year’s European U-20 Championships before making the world 1500m final in Budapest.

Griggs comes into the race in good form, having been in command of the U-20 race at last month’s nationals before collapsing in a section of deep mud on a hellscape course in Gowran and failing to finish. If he handles the conditions, he could bring home both an individual and team medal.

Away from that, Ireland’s best chance could lie with the senior women’s team, with Fionnuala McCormack making a record 18th appearance at the Euro Cross. The Flanagan twins, Eilish and Róisín, along with national champion Fiona Everard, should provide good back-up for the 39-year-old, who last Sunday became the first Irishwoman to qualify for five Olympics after clocking 2:26:19 at the Valencia Marathon.

The senior men’s race looks wide open in the absence of defending champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen. National champion Cormac Dalton will lead the Irish team, with national 5000m record holder Brian Fay capable of rising to the occasion on this stage.

European Cross Country Championships: Live, tomorrow: RTÉ 2, 1pm; Allathletics.tv, BBC Red Button: 11.15am.