2010

:00:46. > :00:48.Good afternoon and thanks for joining us. It's the last athletics

:00:48. > :00:51.coverage of 2011 and we will be reviewing the last year but the

:00:51. > :00:54.main focus is the European Cross Country Championships and while it

:00:55. > :00:57.may be the last event of the year, for the athletes it's the start of

:00:57. > :01:07.the new season and for British athletes, the most important one of

:01:07. > :01:08.

:01:08. > :01:17.This is the King of the European Cross Country Championships this

:01:17. > :01:25.afternoon and he goes for title number 10. Andy Baddeley is hoping

:01:25. > :01:33.a winter in the mud will set him up for the summer of a lifetime. 2006

:01:33. > :01:40.saw Mo win this title and we won't see in this afternoon but we will

:01:40. > :01:44.look back at his fantastic 2011. Steph Twell is on the comeback

:01:45. > :01:50.trail after her horrific ankle fracture or after she fell over in

:01:50. > :01:55.a cross-country race back in February. This Championship is

:01:55. > :01:59.being held in Velenje in central Slovenia. 30,000 people, lovely

:02:00. > :02:04.castle and some strange local inhabitants. The European Cross

:02:04. > :02:14.Country Championships was held back in 1999 it when no Farrar, 16 years

:02:14. > :02:24.old, finished in 5th place. Mo Farah. There are six races in total

:02:24. > :02:37.

:02:37. > :02:40.Lots to look forward to. Brendan Foster is a long psych me. In one

:02:40. > :02:46.sense, you are the founding father other European Cross Country

:02:46. > :02:51.Championships. Going back to 1994 and 1995. Many years ago, we

:02:51. > :02:53.thought the European distance runners were being overwhelmed in

:02:54. > :02:58.the world championships by the Africans and we felt there was a

:02:58. > :03:00.need for the Europeans to have a staging post, and we figured the

:03:00. > :03:06.European Cross Country Championships would be that

:03:06. > :03:09.staging-post. It has had a long and healthy life and all of Britain's

:03:09. > :03:14.top distance runners including Paula Radcliffe have excelled

:03:14. > :03:20.themselves at this event. It has fulfilled his potential and has

:03:20. > :03:27.record entries this year. It's quite early in the air, almost part

:03:27. > :03:31.of the 2012 season. How do athletes that is into their schedule? It is

:03:31. > :03:34.part of 2012. You look at results from December, January and February,

:03:34. > :03:39.and compare them with the track events and the distance races from

:03:39. > :03:43.the summer, you will see an immense Coronation. All the middle distance

:03:43. > :03:47.runners have used Cross-Country as part of their training but the

:03:47. > :03:52.competition it brings is tough, it is enduring, a necessary

:03:52. > :03:59.competition and I feel if you look at the greatest ones, they have

:03:59. > :04:03.always been in the cross-country. You name them, he or she has used

:04:03. > :04:06.cross-country races as well as training as part of their Formula.

:04:06. > :04:11.It's generally been a very successful championships for the

:04:11. > :04:14.British team, hasn't it? We've always figured that Britain should

:04:14. > :04:17.be the strongest distance running nation in the world any more, but

:04:17. > :04:21.we always think it should be amongst the top distance running

:04:21. > :04:26.nations in Europe and we are thrilled we have now got the King

:04:26. > :04:29.of the castle, in the British team. Paula Radcliffe was a delightfully

:04:30. > :04:34.selected for a 5th Olympics the other day, so we have had major

:04:34. > :04:35.players but we have dominated this event and won more medals in the

:04:35. > :04:39.European cross-country championships than any other

:04:39. > :04:49.country, and that's what the youngsters need because it takes an

:04:49. > :04:49.

:04:49. > :04:55.awful long time to go from a young runner Mo Farah, and this event

:04:55. > :05:03.help that journey. Paula Radcliffe has won this title back in 1998.

:05:03. > :05:07.Just selected for 2012. A very different stage of her career now.

:05:07. > :05:12.How do you think she will react to that selection and how do you see

:05:12. > :05:18.the year going for her towards the marathon? Is it did fantastic? Her

:05:18. > :05:23.5th Olympic Games. -- isn't it fantastic? I, member anybody who

:05:23. > :05:26.has done five Olympic Games. -- I can't remember anybody who has done

:05:26. > :05:32.five Olympic Games. She did well in Berlin and qualified quite rightly

:05:32. > :05:37.for the team. What a boost for her training in Kenya. Nothing more to

:05:37. > :05:42.do, selected for 2012, and how much is she going to enjoy that? The

:05:42. > :05:48.London Marathon has been a major stage. She has got a bigger stage,

:05:48. > :05:52.the Olympic Games, on the London Marathon course. That's in a few

:05:52. > :06:00.months' time and with Paula Radcliffe, it will be a great story,

:06:00. > :06:03.a great story. Andy Baddeley, a 1,500 metre specialist. You

:06:03. > :06:09.flattered to deceive with major championships, I think it is fair

:06:09. > :06:12.to say. How important is this in the build-up to the Olympics?

:06:12. > :06:15.important and I'm pleased to see him doing it because strength and

:06:16. > :06:20.endurance is what he needs for the track. I spoke to Steve Cram this

:06:20. > :06:26.morning. I asked him if he was still competing, would this figure

:06:26. > :06:30.in your armoury? He said he would certainly be using up Cross-Country.

:06:30. > :06:35.I think it's right that Andy Baddeley should do that because

:06:35. > :06:39.endurance is what you need in the 1,500 metres to put up a earlier

:06:39. > :06:44.today the first race was the women's junior race. It turned out

:06:44. > :06:54.to be pretty successful for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It

:06:54. > :06:56.

:06:56. > :07:03.Emilia Gorecka bided her time a little bit. Last year's silver-

:07:03. > :07:11.medallist set the pace. She has moved away to the front and has had

:07:11. > :07:19.to work hard to break the Romanian. She was hoping to move up from a

:07:19. > :07:26.bronze medal last year to the gold this year. She did it in fine style.

:07:26. > :07:30.Charlotte Purdue, she won it last year. Emilia Gorecka getting a gold

:07:30. > :07:33.medal and a great start for the British team. It's a title which

:07:33. > :07:40.not only they were aiming for individually but the team as well,

:07:40. > :07:45.so she has backed up behind her. Annabel Gummow, crossing the line

:07:45. > :07:54.in 6th place. Last year she got into the top 10, which gave us a

:07:54. > :07:59.really good base for which we went on to win the gold medal with Gemma

:07:59. > :08:03.Kersey and Katie Holt behind her. Annabel Gummow, a huge talent. The

:08:03. > :08:07.British team has really dominated this team in terms of team and

:08:07. > :08:16.individual. Russia did well, just three points away. Watch out for

:08:16. > :08:20.A great performance there from Emilia Gorecka and the British team.

:08:20. > :08:24.It's a great development stage, isn't it? A gold medal for Emilia

:08:24. > :08:29.Gorecka and a team. In a week which has been dominated by Europe, it's

:08:29. > :08:33.nice to hear the Union Jack being displayed. We had the senior

:08:33. > :08:41.women's race next. Patti Deano won the British trials for the Powell

:08:41. > :08:45.do you see her chances? -- Hattie I think she would have featured in

:08:45. > :08:50.the team championships and I am thrilled she is coming back. She

:08:50. > :09:00.should give it a good run for her money today. You have got your

:09:00. > :09:09.marching orders to go alongside You consider Portuguese team are

:09:09. > :09:13.just getting ready. They would have had high hopes are. She is trying

:09:13. > :09:18.to move up to that event for next year in the Olympic Games but

:09:18. > :09:22.dropped out of the cross-country trials so no Jessica Augusta for

:09:22. > :09:32.the Portuguese team which gives Great Britain high hopes once more

:09:32. > :09:32.

:09:32. > :09:36.doing very well here. They have won the the silver medal here but Hatti

:09:36. > :09:41.Dean won the trials in fine style, some good experience in there. They

:09:41. > :09:50.you can see Freya Murray and Gemma Steel And has been in good form all

:09:50. > :10:00.year. They will have to go well to follow on behind Hatti Dean. It's

:10:00. > :10:03.

:10:04. > :10:13.hard to pick out too many away so really good competition in

:10:14. > :10:15.

:10:15. > :10:23.prospect. The favourite I would suggest could well come from Italy.

:10:23. > :10:29.And that is Nadia Ejjafini wearing sunglasses. I think she will go

:10:29. > :10:33.well today. Another one who has moved up into the marathon, a great

:10:33. > :10:40.mix of a track specialist, the 1,500 metre runners are right up to

:10:40. > :10:48.the marathon runners coming together in Cross-Country. 8,000

:10:48. > :10:54.metres in Velenje. As we have a flat course. 1,300 metres. And a

:10:54. > :11:01.short lap of 500. Five of along a laps and won a short one to add up

:11:01. > :11:07.to 8,000 metres. The weather is cold but find and drive. This

:11:07. > :11:11.course is proving to be not too much of a test in terms of

:11:11. > :11:18.traditional cross-country courses, if you like -- the weather is fine

:11:18. > :11:23.and dry. Nothing for the track specialists to worry about, though.

:11:23. > :11:28.The women's race under way. It's always a big sprint at the

:11:28. > :11:32.beginning to settle down and find yourself a place. And then settle

:11:33. > :11:38.down into a bit of a rhythm. We expect the British women to take

:11:38. > :11:42.their time a little bit. We saw Emilia Gorecka do that in the

:11:42. > :11:49.junior race. She ran smartly in the first three or four minutes of the

:11:49. > :11:58.race and then moved her way through and timed her effort perfectly.

:11:58. > :12:03.Nadia Ejjafini For Italy in the beginning. The Dutch athlete in the

:12:03. > :12:10.beginning there. Hatti Dean just tucked in the behind at the leading

:12:10. > :12:14.group. They are just settling down around this first of. Ancuta

:12:15. > :12:19.Bobocel. I apologise give it to the will to work out exactly where they

:12:19. > :12:24.are because there's a lot of turns and you can see they give a little

:12:24. > :12:29.bit at an impression. It will eventually be the finishing

:12:29. > :12:38.straight. And then they will head doubt on the first of five large

:12:38. > :12:45.laps. -- head out. Ireland had a good championships last year with

:12:45. > :12:51.Fionnualla Britton with a couple of surprise medals. The Great Britain

:12:51. > :12:55.team, before we started here today, 80 medals, 30 more than any other

:12:55. > :12:59.nation in these European Cross Country Championships. It just

:12:59. > :13:05.shows the dominance. When you think of the Portuguese and Spanish and a

:13:05. > :13:09.great pedigree in distance running, it highlights how well the last few

:13:09. > :13:14.years Great Britain has been doing in their endurance programme. It is

:13:14. > :13:20.certainly bearing fruit. They are all wearing chips on that there

:13:20. > :13:23.spikes, and it's working pretty well today. You can see on the

:13:23. > :13:31.screen of their exactly where they are at the end of each lap. The

:13:31. > :13:41.first 500 metres completed. Gemma Steel. Hatti Dean at leading up.

:13:41. > :13:42.

:13:42. > :13:45.Brendan has joined me now. minutes. A personal best, I think.

:13:45. > :13:51.The you could see the way the athletes set of and I think their

:13:51. > :13:55.team manager said to them, don't go too quickly in the early stages.

:13:55. > :14:02.Hatti Dean at leading the British team were the Freya Murray

:14:02. > :14:07.alongside her. The British team is a good one. Julia Bleasdale, Freya

:14:08. > :14:12.Murray, Gemma Steel. The second order, away from the very fast

:14:12. > :14:18.opening park. The interesting thing is, gauging the effort. The course

:14:18. > :14:23.looks pretty favourable. We could only see what you can see. The

:14:23. > :14:27.course is not too heavy. It looks like a run has caused a rather than

:14:27. > :14:34.a real endurance test. Britain and Ireland is where we expect to find

:14:34. > :14:40.them, at the beginning. She could and a real chance in this one today.

:14:40. > :14:47.The Irish have done well in cross- country running well. Especially in

:14:47. > :14:57.the early races. Irish athletes have figured strongly over the

:14:57. > :14:57.

:14:57. > :15:04.years. The first one was held a few years ago and it's a great

:15:05. > :15:09.tradition of cross-country running there. It's good to see Fionnualla

:15:09. > :15:14.Britton up there at the beginning. He plenty of for medalists in this

:15:14. > :15:19.race, of different age groups. As a Jonathan was alluding to, of course,

:15:19. > :15:25.we have seen the junior women's race already so six races

:15:25. > :15:28.altogether. Plenty of medals up for grabs. And the British team third

:15:28. > :15:33.league target every single one of those races individually and in the

:15:33. > :15:36.team event, as well, but this one in particular is, given the

:15:36. > :15:41.pedigree of Britain's women's distance running in the last 10

:15:41. > :15:43.years, it is one they really would like to wrestle back, if you like,

:15:43. > :15:48.because the silver medal in the last four years, I'm sure they

:15:48. > :15:54.would love to convert into gold. It's a good team. As I said, it's

:15:54. > :15:59.good to see Freya Murray and Gemma Steel Already in the front at ready.

:15:59. > :16:04.Elle Baker going through their already. The Italians will be good.

:16:04. > :16:14.The Portuguese, as I said, seriously, they have had their

:16:14. > :16:15.

:16:15. > :16:20.chances dented. A good opportunity the British team through, closing

:16:20. > :16:26.up the pack. The early tactics, they have discussed this, it makes

:16:26. > :16:31.a lot of sense. There is Baker of UK running through. Back in about

:16:31. > :16:36.10 per place is the diminutive figure, the Scottish athlete who

:16:36. > :16:45.ran the few -- the Commonwealth Games a few years ago, she has been

:16:45. > :16:50.running well recently on the roads. In the leading group, Ejjafini in

:16:50. > :16:54.second place, Fionnulla Britton alongside her. Ana Dulce Felix in

:16:54. > :16:59.5th place. On the wide outside, the first of the British athletes. It

:16:59. > :17:03.is an open race, you would not want to predict the winner. You did not

:17:03. > :17:07.know who is coming into the race confident they can win it. You will

:17:07. > :17:13.get a run for your money from the British team. They are doing that.

:17:13. > :17:17.Looking back there, Hattie Dean is in about 15th place. Julia

:17:18. > :17:25.Bleasdale just behind her. It is looking good for the team events.

:17:25. > :17:31.Fionnulla Britton is looking strong in the individual event. Fionnulla

:17:31. > :17:35.Britton trying to push things on at a very early stage of the race.

:17:35. > :17:42.Ejjafini an interesting athlete, born in Morocco and went to compete

:17:42. > :17:47.for borrowing. By marriage, she now runs for Italy, she has been clear

:17:47. > :17:51.to run for Italy for two years now. She is having a very good year, in

:17:51. > :17:58.the yacht -- longer distances, she has run a very fast marathon and

:17:58. > :18:02.half marathon, she has improved her personal best which is a good sign.

:18:02. > :18:08.She has picked up a few scalps on the cross-country circuit as well.

:18:08. > :18:11.She will be a very good to danger today. One of two people are there

:18:11. > :18:16.not being able to compete here, Freya Murray is just watching those

:18:16. > :18:21.go through. It is good packing from the British team. It is for inside

:18:21. > :18:30.the top 15, and that would be gold medal if they were able to maintain

:18:31. > :18:35.his position as. It is a hot pace being set here -- it's a hard place.

:18:35. > :18:45.She is taking it to them, the new- look Britain, she has broken the

:18:45. > :18:45.

:18:45. > :18:54.field up Britain -- broken up the field. They are all well strung out

:18:54. > :18:58.behind this fast pace being set early on. You can see slowing-down

:18:58. > :19:04.-- lower down the field, the rest of the Irish team, but there is the

:19:04. > :19:08.leader, Fionnulla Britton, really head-down, determined. Clearly

:19:08. > :19:14.running to plan here. She is not holding back or running practically.

:19:14. > :19:18.She is saying, she is a very good steeplechase runner, nine minutes

:19:18. > :19:23.37 seconds, she ran the European Championships and finished 4th. The

:19:23. > :19:26.race is on the second lap now. Similar Britain is leading. Freya

:19:26. > :19:32.Murray being overtaken by Gemma Steel -- Fionnulla Britton is

:19:32. > :19:39.leading. Hattie Dean who won the British trials for this event, now

:19:39. > :19:42.the group is beginning to open up a little. Fionnulla Britton, Ejjafini

:19:43. > :19:47.and Ana Dulce Felix, all three names you would have put in a long

:19:47. > :19:50.list among the early part, but he would not have been able to pick a

:19:50. > :19:57.winner. You still cannot pick a winner. There are three of them

:19:57. > :20:02.starting to settle down with a gap. Fionnulla Britton ran really well a

:20:02. > :20:07.few weeks ago, which was in essentially the French trials.

:20:07. > :20:17.There were some Eva Prince -- Ethiopians running in the men's

:20:17. > :20:18.

:20:18. > :20:24.race. Fionnulla Britton was only 10 or 11 seconds behind the winner,

:20:24. > :20:29.and was a long way ahead of the Turkish athletes who is in 5th

:20:29. > :20:34.place, Binniz Uslu, she is bringing that confident into the

:20:34. > :20:38.championships. She knows that Ejjafini is in great shape. Ana

:20:38. > :20:44.Felix, we would expect her to be in there or thereabouts. This is brave

:20:44. > :20:51.running from Fionnulla Britton, she looks comfortable. Gemma Steel, who

:20:52. > :20:56.beat Ana Felix, early on it, she is living through nicely. She set off

:20:56. > :21:00.comfortably and is moving through. Gemma Steel, the first of the

:21:00. > :21:04.British athlete, into 6th place. Fionnulla Britton is running

:21:04. > :21:10.powerfully and confidently. When an athlete tells -- get their head

:21:10. > :21:16.down and starts to drive, you can tell. Gemma Steel in six place.

:21:16. > :21:19.Freya Murray is in 10th place. So the team, the event is being blown

:21:19. > :21:24.apart. The gaps are being widened by the consistent pace of Fionnulla

:21:24. > :21:28.Britton, Ejjafini and Ana Dulce Felix, all three of them have

:21:28. > :21:32.distinguished themselves on the roads, in the country and on the

:21:32. > :21:38.track. But Fionnulla Britton, for the moment, concentration, you can

:21:38. > :21:41.see it in a map -- in her eyes. She is trying to break the field. She

:21:41. > :21:45.does not want two athlete sitting on her shoulder for nine much

:21:45. > :21:49.longer. This is the battle for the individual medals at the moment.

:21:49. > :21:52.Plenty of running left here. After the first two kilometres, Great

:21:52. > :21:58.Britain were in the lead in the team race but only just, from

:21:58. > :22:02.Portugal, by four points. Rest assured, those positions will

:22:02. > :22:07.change. Gemma Steel has moved up. She was in 11th place at that

:22:07. > :22:12.measurement, so she has obviously improved her position. Just

:22:12. > :22:16.watching behind, Freya Murray, the next, then Julia Bleasdale. Hattie

:22:16. > :22:22.Dean is the one I would have expected to have been further up,

:22:22. > :22:31.not quite sure what is going on with her. She had a great race at

:22:31. > :22:34.the trials. She is unable to replicate that today. That is our

:22:35. > :22:40.first athlete to drop out. The course is not actually that's tough.

:22:40. > :22:50.In terms of the Test. There is this one sticky area. Just look at Gemma

:22:50. > :22:54.

:22:54. > :23:00.Steel there. That burst -- fast pace has put paid to a few athletes.

:23:00. > :23:05.Here comes Roxana Barca from Romania. The counters will be very

:23:05. > :23:11.important here. Julia Bleasdale coming through, Baker will be the

:23:11. > :23:15.4th accountable to operate Britain looking good for the team race.

:23:15. > :23:20.This is the thing about cross- country running. You have got the

:23:20. > :23:25.track specialists, 3000 metres, Fionnulla Britton, Ana Dulce Felix

:23:25. > :23:29.finished second in the Great North Run a few years ago. She is a half

:23:29. > :23:33.marathon specialist. And Ejjafini ran a good marathon recently. You

:23:33. > :23:36.have got the track runners, the cross-country runners, the road

:23:36. > :23:40.runners and the marathon runners all competing against each other. A

:23:40. > :23:45.good position now is being gathered by Gemma Steel of Great Britain.

:23:45. > :23:49.She is the leading candidate there, she is in 4th place. A little bit

:23:49. > :23:54.or adapt to the leading group, but she is an endurance athlete, Gemma

:23:54. > :24:01.Steel. -- a little bit of a gap until the leading group. But track

:24:01. > :24:04.specialist Fionnulla Britton, the marathon specialist Nadia Ejjafini,

:24:04. > :24:09.the Road runner Ana Dulce Felix, and Gemma Steel who have

:24:09. > :24:15.distinguished herself on the roads recently. She won the replay --

:24:15. > :24:24.women's race recently at the grey Birmingham run, that is when highly

:24:24. > :24:28.Gebrselassie won the man's race. Ana Dulce Felix is falling off the

:24:28. > :24:32.leading group. She has got a good gap into 5th and 6th place, as we

:24:32. > :24:37.look at the chasing group coming through. We are looking for the

:24:38. > :24:41.next British athlete, and there she is, Freya Murray. There are two of

:24:41. > :24:46.the other British athletes. That is Julia Bleasdale, and Baker, and

:24:46. > :24:52.then Hattie Dean, surprisingly, still running strongly but has lost

:24:52. > :24:56.a few places. Gemma Steel finished second to Hattie Dean at the trials,

:24:56. > :25:00.there was not much between them on that occasion. You would have

:25:00. > :25:05.expected Hattie Dean to be up here. She targeted eight finish in the

:25:05. > :25:08.top five or six at the least. Disappointing so far from her.

:25:08. > :25:14.Steeplechase is her main forte on the track. Gemma Steel has now got

:25:14. > :25:17.a medal within her site. Because gradually, she is starting to close

:25:17. > :25:22.up the group, and as that is happening, some pressure was

:25:22. > :25:27.applied with Ejjafini. That has put paid to Ana Dulce Felix, who is

:25:27. > :25:31.just starting to struggle. Gemma Steel will be coming up on her

:25:31. > :25:35.shortly, I'm sure. Gemma is picking them off here. The top two are

:25:35. > :25:44.still going well. Gemma Steel is moving nicely. Roxana Barca share

:25:44. > :25:49.coming through the picture. Freya Murray is behind them, about 11 or

:25:49. > :25:52.12 place. Good morning from Gemma Steel. There is still 10 or 11

:25:52. > :25:58.minutes of running left. When you see yourself reading through, you

:25:58. > :26:02.are catching people, you see the leaders are not moving away, that

:26:02. > :26:06.for a five-second lead, it is probably about three seconds now.

:26:06. > :26:10.She has got to keep pushing on, Fionnulla Britton has realised that.

:26:10. > :26:14.Really good. She looks relaxed, doesn't she? She has got two very

:26:14. > :26:19.good athlete ahead of her, Gemma Steel, but if Fionnulla Britton can

:26:19. > :26:24.break Ejjafini, she can have someone else to aim at. Impressive

:26:25. > :26:29.running so far from Manila Britain. She has come up here to try and run

:26:30. > :26:34.away from everyone else. Ejjafini ran a very good marathon recently,

:26:34. > :26:41.she is looking strong as the race goes on. You would not expect her

:26:41. > :26:45.to tire too much. Fionnulla Britton, who is powerful in the finished,

:26:45. > :26:49.she has got a lot of equipment. Now Gemma Steel is moving away from Ana

:26:49. > :26:53.Dulce Felix into third place. Can she forget about third and look

:26:53. > :26:57.ahead of her? Instead of thinking about the bronze-medal, can Gemma

:26:57. > :27:01.Steel, for the first time in a major championships, start thinking

:27:01. > :27:06.about a higher metal? Her endurance is there, we have seen that

:27:06. > :27:10.recently. She finished second in the trials. Many people thought she

:27:10. > :27:17.could have won that. But Fionnulla Britton looks a picture of

:27:17. > :27:22.concentration as she Rams those corners. -- rounds the corners. She

:27:22. > :27:28.has got a few yards ahead of her. Gemma Steel is closing Lee Gap,

:27:28. > :27:37.definitely opening a gap on Ana Dulce Felix. Four athlete there and

:27:37. > :27:43.then a big gap. Ejjafini is hanging on to Fionnulla Britton, but she

:27:43. > :27:50.looks determined to win this one. Two laps to go. Four minutes 50

:27:50. > :27:54.seconds for the previous lap, that is another nine minutes of running.

:27:54. > :27:58.That is really interesting for Gemma Steel. As soon as Ejjafini

:27:58. > :28:01.sought Fionnulla Britton put the foot down, she is starting to

:28:01. > :28:05.struggle. The stride length has shortened, the knees are not coming

:28:05. > :28:11.up anywhere near as much as they were, and Gemma Steel is looking a

:28:11. > :28:16.big threat to the by Irish athlete. Fionnulla Britton is looking

:28:16. > :28:20.comfortable, but Gemma Steel has got time here. At the end of the

:28:20. > :28:25.previous lap, Great Britain were leading the team race. Really good

:28:25. > :28:29.packing behind their point The next three are all together, Freya

:28:29. > :28:34.Murray, Elle Baker and Julia Bleasdale. Julia is looking as if

:28:34. > :28:38.she is struggling a little. Hattie Dean behind her is their testing

:28:38. > :28:43.case he starts to falter. The silver medal for the team over the

:28:43. > :28:46.last four years could be turned to gold today, as long as they remain

:28:46. > :28:52.solid. With the experience in that team, the likes of Freya Murray,

:28:52. > :28:55.you are not going to see them fall apart. With Hattie Dean, you have

:28:55. > :29:01.got five counters in a pretty good position. Hats off to Fionnulla

:29:01. > :29:07.Britton, head down, higher elbows, just like Gemma Steel. She carries

:29:07. > :29:13.her arms very high. It is effective, and now in second place is the

:29:13. > :29:18.Italian, starting to struggle. Gemma Steel did forget about third

:29:18. > :29:24.place and went straight past the Italian. She got rid of Ana Dulce

:29:24. > :29:27.Felix and she is now settling down in second place. As I've said, her

:29:27. > :29:32.endurance, he is Ana Dulce Felix coming through, her insurance is

:29:32. > :29:35.her strength. Fionnulla Britton is sharper, quicker on the track and

:29:35. > :29:40.better at 1500 metres than Gemma Steel, but look at how working hard

:29:40. > :29:43.now. The gap is not very much at all. There is still a lot of

:29:43. > :29:48.running to happen here. Fionnulla Britton is clear and the pressure

:29:48. > :29:51.is now on have. It looked as if it was a winning lead, but Gemma Steel

:29:51. > :29:55.is not giving up the chase. She looks across to her left

:29:55. > :29:59.occasionally, she is getting good encouragement and information from

:29:59. > :30:04.the insurance team, led by the manager, Ian Stewart, who is

:30:04. > :30:07.looking after these athletes and got them prepared for this event.

:30:07. > :30:09.Gemma Steel is running the international race of her life.

:30:10. > :30:16.Fionnulla Britton, more accomplished on the track and more

:30:16. > :30:18.accomplished at with speed, has she got the endurance of this last lap?

:30:18. > :30:22.She is still a picture of concentration. Gemma Steel is

:30:22. > :30:32.building up a good distance behind her into 4th place. The British

:30:32. > :30:34.

:30:34. > :30:38.team, as you said earlier, are plenty of time and I think the

:30:38. > :30:47.British team, the completion of that lap, the position through,

:30:47. > :30:52.there is only five points actually. Four counters. Top four finishers,

:30:52. > :30:57.that's what counts. Gemma Steel Along with Freya Murray and Elle

:30:57. > :31:01.Baker, but Portugal still close enough to be a threat, so they have

:31:01. > :31:11.got to hold those positions and keep working hard in these latter

:31:11. > :31:16.

:31:16. > :31:26.stages as they head along there before. Back in 1999. Bash hosted.

:31:26. > :31:37.

:31:37. > :31:42.-- hosted. It was pretty good -- sitting Britain. This does it

:31:42. > :31:48.them, this type of course. Making sure she doesn't give any

:31:48. > :31:53.encouragement to Gemma Steel Here. Trying to follow in the footsteps

:31:53. > :31:59.of the only other Irish winner of this women's race here. Felix

:31:59. > :32:05.moving into third place. That gap is not getting any bigger. If

:32:05. > :32:10.anything, it's just closing slightly. It may be two and a half

:32:10. > :32:15.seconds now. Gemma Steel. It she could just put her under some

:32:15. > :32:18.pressure there, entering the last lap, it she could make Britain

:32:18. > :32:24.think she is catching her, put some doubt in her mind, to get close

:32:24. > :32:32.enough, you are right, she can finish well. But she is close

:32:32. > :32:38.enough to be a threat. On the last lap now. Fionnualla Britton,

:32:38. > :32:42.setting off with will determination. She finished 16th in the world

:32:42. > :32:46.cross-country championships. Gemma Steel Has had a terrific year,

:32:46. > :32:52.building towards this. Her confidence has been increasing.

:32:52. > :32:56.That's the most important thing about this. She has had ability. We

:32:56. > :33:02.have seen some performances from air over the years but this has

:33:02. > :33:09.been so good for her. She won in Yorkshire earlier this year which

:33:09. > :33:17.gave her confidence and then one the Birmingham race and having her

:33:17. > :33:23.photograph taken with Gebrselassie. She can believe it. Italy in 4th

:33:23. > :33:29.place now. It looks as though they will be the four. Will there be any

:33:29. > :33:35.changes? The only might be in second and third place but

:33:35. > :33:41.Fionnualla Britton, she looks powerful. She doesn't look over her

:33:41. > :33:49.shoulder. Proper preparation for this event. Knowing what she was

:33:49. > :33:52.doing. She is running strongly now. Gemma Steel Is in second place. The

:33:52. > :33:58.best international race she has ever run and this will be another

:33:58. > :34:05.step forward for her. Here is a Felix. Roadrunner extraordinary on

:34:05. > :34:11.occasion. Fionnualla Britton, surely she's not going to give up

:34:11. > :34:17.this one? Gemma Steel, for the first time, looks tired. Of Felix

:34:17. > :34:27.has got her with in her sights now. No signs of weakness now from

:34:27. > :34:35.Fionnualla Britton, stride length moving nicely across the ground.

:34:35. > :34:39.Gemma Steel Is under pressure now. Felix has got it the look of

:34:40. > :34:45.someone of struggling on the last lap. Gemma Steel Has a personal

:34:45. > :34:51.bests on the track. A medal here would be really good for her. A

:34:51. > :34:56.really good performance. I'm just watching the Portuguese go through

:34:56. > :35:02.as they head round this last lap or so it will be close for the team

:35:02. > :35:12.race. If it Felix get ahead of Gemma Steel, it's almost a two

:35:12. > :35:16.

:35:16. > :35:20.point so winner, isn't it? -- swing. Fionnualla Britton, she is racing

:35:20. > :35:26.around there now. Gemma Steel Needs to keep going now. She is not going

:35:26. > :35:34.to give this one up now. She has been in second place for long

:35:34. > :35:40.enough. Ireland, a great tradition in this race. Gemma Steel Coming

:35:40. > :35:46.under pressure from Felix. Their team at race is an issue.

:35:46. > :35:54.Fionnualla Britton, she looks brilliant. The team score is that

:35:54. > :36:00.it's extremely close. Even at this finish between them it could be the

:36:00. > :36:05.determining factor but there goes Fionnualla Britton, a fantastic

:36:05. > :36:12.performance by the Irish lady. Here is the race for second place.

:36:12. > :36:19.are level on 44. At the end of the penultimate lap, so that would put

:36:19. > :36:29.Portuguese ahead. -- 44 points. They haven't dropped places, and

:36:29. > :36:34.the Portuguese athlete has been a moving through. Fionnualla Britton,

:36:34. > :36:43.now approaching the finish. This area is a sticky to negotiate but

:36:43. > :36:49.the competition have been no match for the Irish athlete. Back in 1994,

:36:50. > :36:54.the Irish won the gold medal individually. Fionnualla Britton, a

:36:54. > :37:01.little glance at the camera there. She can now relax. There is the

:37:01. > :37:05.finish, 150 metres ahead also. Felix, the silver medal, and Gemma

:37:05. > :37:13.Steel Has done well for bronze. And that could be a significant as far

:37:13. > :37:20.as the team race is concerned. The champion will come from Ireland.

:37:20. > :37:25.4th last year, gold this time for Ireland. Fionnualla Britton, a

:37:25. > :37:30.dominant victory. Felix, improves to the silver this year and Gemma

:37:30. > :37:36.Steel, the best one of her career so far, taking the individual

:37:36. > :37:41.bronze and how happy is Fionnualla Britton? The Irish don't need any

:37:41. > :37:46.excuse to celebrate, do they? Gemma Steel Should be proud of her

:37:46. > :37:53.performance there. So the question is, let's watch the athletes coming

:37:53. > :38:03.through. Italy, we knew she was in 4th place. Germany coming through.

:38:03. > :38:11.I'm watching now for the other canter for Portugal. She has lost a

:38:11. > :38:17.couple of places. Dropped from 6th to 8th. Freya Murray, second across

:38:17. > :38:24.the line for Great Britain and then it will be Bleasdale. Will that be

:38:24. > :38:28.enough? It could well be. Elle Baker crossing the line as well.

:38:28. > :38:35.That's the third canter for Portugal coming in. I'm going to

:38:35. > :38:44.look at Brendan. He is brilliant at maths. Better than a computer.

:38:44. > :38:49.go to the computer and I will do the mental arithmetic. Fionnualla

:38:49. > :38:54.Britton, a victory like this gives you so much confidence. You win a

:38:54. > :38:58.European title and then you can translated into next year. A big

:38:58. > :39:01.year, of course, for all of the distance athletes but this might

:39:02. > :39:08.just give her the lift she can translate into something on the

:39:08. > :39:18.track as well. Fionnualla Britton Wins the individual race and Great

:39:18. > :39:25.

:39:25. > :39:29.and it looks like it will be enough to hold off Portugal but Fionnualla

:39:29. > :39:33.Britton and Gemma Steel Were terrific and Great Britain ran well

:39:33. > :39:40.as a team. The athletes still finishing. I think there's an

:39:40. > :39:42.opportunity to go from the national stage into the international stage

:39:42. > :39:52.in be European Cross Country Championships, which validates this

:39:52. > :39:52.

:39:53. > :39:55.event. Fionnualla Britton Will gain an awful lot from this. So that was

:39:55. > :40:04.a really, really good race and a good performance by the British

:40:04. > :40:10.team. And a good overall day here. A good course. Good conditions.

:40:10. > :40:15.There is the other four counters. They're just crossed the line and

:40:15. > :40:19.find out that their team mate has won the individual gold. They will

:40:19. > :40:26.be absolutely delighted with that. Just to confirm the other positions

:40:26. > :40:33.for the British athletes. Julia pleased a, their team. Elle Baker,

:40:33. > :40:41.14, Hatti Dean, 18th place. Emily works dropped out at the beginning.

:40:41. > :40:48.She was struggling with breathing problems. She actually dropped out.

:40:48. > :40:55.All five counters finished in the top 18. Nobody able to contest that.

:40:55. > :41:05.Finally a gold. That's right. Formula One start statistics coming

:41:05. > :41:08.

:41:08. > :41:13.from the computer by Steve Cram, now at these cross-country events.

:41:13. > :41:17.It helps cover the story of the race. Good news for Great Britain

:41:17. > :41:20.and and individual bronze medal, and we will wait for official

:41:20. > :41:30.confirmation. As far as we're concerned, it is gold in the team

:41:30. > :41:31.

:41:31. > :41:36.JONATHAN EDWARDS: Congratulations to Fionnualla Britton other come

:41:36. > :41:42.back of Steph Twell is where the big stories. In February she had a

:41:42. > :41:51.triple fracture of her ankle. Today she ran in the under 23 race. We

:41:51. > :42:00.can join them as they just about to pushing on. She has got her team-

:42:00. > :42:04.mates there with her. Naomi Taschimowitz. And Beth Potter.

:42:04. > :42:14.Great Britain have dominated this would have not Walker not far

:42:14. > :42:22.

:42:22. > :42:28.behind. Who is going to win? -- Jews on the comeback trail. Running

:42:28. > :42:33.with three plates in her ankle. -- but she is on the comeback trail.

:42:33. > :42:41.Emma Pallant, a silver-medallist last year. We had been expecting

:42:41. > :42:46.the three medallists from asked it to can be here. Christina Jordan

:42:46. > :42:51.from Spain a late withdrawal. That us that the way open for the

:42:51. > :42:57.British athletes. They have dominated the race so far. Behind

:42:57. > :43:02.them, Germany trying to get involved. What a story for Steph

:43:02. > :43:07.Twell. She has worked so hard, put all of the same dedication she

:43:07. > :43:12.normally puts into her training into her rehabilitation, left no

:43:12. > :43:19.stone unturned, and this is certainly not hurt completely back,

:43:19. > :43:23.but it's very, very encouraging from her so far. No question about

:43:23. > :43:32.the team race here. For the first time, Emma Pallant pushing on a

:43:32. > :43:37.little bit. They know each other so well. Mick Woods coaching both of

:43:37. > :43:41.them. It's a very good performance from Naomi Taschimowitz, the

:43:41. > :43:49.Cambridge University student, mixing it here with the two of them.

:43:49. > :43:54.She was ahead of Emma Pallant in the trials but all the sudden, Emma

:43:54. > :44:01.Pallant has stretched out. She's hoping this will convert do

:44:01. > :44:05.something in the summer for her, but look behind. Steph Twell. Naomi

:44:05. > :44:10.Taschimowitz coming under pressure from behind. Can they hang on to

:44:10. > :44:14.second and third and make it a British clean sweep here?

:44:14. > :44:18.Individual medals in their hands at the moment. Team medal, certainly

:44:18. > :44:21.gold for Great Britain. Emma Pallant stretching out at the front

:44:21. > :44:28.and she comes into the twisty section as they approached the

:44:28. > :44:32.finish. It's a pretty deceptive ending. Normally you expect 300

:44:32. > :44:36.metres straight run into the finish line, but you have got to turn

:44:36. > :44:39.right and then left and then left and then right. And suddenly the

:44:39. > :44:45.finish appears out of nowhere. A sticky section through this area

:44:45. > :44:49.here, not as bad as some think it could be. They have managed to cope

:44:49. > :44:53.pretty well and Emma Pallant looking so Greene here. Just

:44:53. > :44:58.putting a bit of acceleration, and now Steph Twell trying to hang on

:44:58. > :45:05.to second place here. Naomi Taschimowitz with company behind

:45:05. > :45:11.her. Walker coming through for 4th for Great Britain. Good support

:45:11. > :45:16.from the British crowd. Scottish flags in the background. A big

:45:16. > :45:19.Scottish contingent in the British team this year. Emma Pallant, not

:45:19. > :45:22.looking behind, concentrating on her own of form and now she's got

:45:22. > :45:32.to hold it together all these last couple of hundred metres and the

:45:32. > :45:38.

:45:38. > :45:43.all the time. Behind them, Taschimowitz rallying a little bit,

:45:43. > :45:51.going past Steph Twell. She is lacking a bit of pace at this stage

:45:51. > :45:58.of her comeback. Kanti hang on for a Middle? -- can she hang on for a

:45:58. > :46:03.medal? British distance women's running his in such good hand. It

:46:03. > :46:06.is a bit like being strength and depth, the likes of Emma Pallant

:46:06. > :46:12.and Steph Twell at her best would be more than capable of contesting

:46:12. > :46:20.the senior race as well. They have taken the decision to go into the

:46:20. > :46:23.23 and under race. It is there to the one, and why not target it? The

:46:23. > :46:27.British team choose to contest all of the age groups, they have been

:46:27. > :46:30.totally dominant in this one. They have won the gold medal in the team

:46:30. > :46:35.race for the last four years in this race. Steph Twell is now

:46:35. > :46:42.trying really hard, she has got to put on some pressure in the last

:46:43. > :46:52.150 yards. Gold medal goes to Emma Pallant. Will it be acclaimed -- a

:46:52. > :46:56.clean sweep? Taschimowitz take the silver, Steph Twell is just run out,

:46:56. > :47:00.the German athlete gets the bronze. A great performance for the British

:47:00. > :47:09.team, backed up by Hannah Walker coming through in 7th place to

:47:09. > :47:19.insure the Goldberg will. -- the gold medal.

:47:19. > :47:22.A good run from Steph Twell on the comeback train. A great performance.

:47:22. > :47:30.They will be back in the summer, Emma Pallant in particular on the

:47:30. > :47:35.track, and hope the Steph Twell as Double gold for Britain there and

:47:35. > :47:41.Emma Pullen looked very good. was a very good performance, that

:47:41. > :47:44.is a fantastic group that Mick Woods has gone, she -- she has got

:47:44. > :47:48.athletes coming through all the time. Steph Twell coming back from

:47:48. > :47:52.horrific injury and she is part of it. He will be thrilled, it is

:47:52. > :47:55.great to get the individual medal, but in cross-country it is nice to

:47:55. > :48:01.get gold individually and in the team race. She has had a great day

:48:01. > :48:06.but the British team have had a terrific day. Gold in the women's

:48:06. > :48:10.race in the women's race for Britain as well. Some good

:48:10. > :48:13.performances, and will step up from Gemma Steel who has been promising

:48:13. > :48:20.and running well on the roads. She has got great stamina, she is not

:48:20. > :48:24.so much of a track runner. Longer distances will really be have 40. -

:48:24. > :48:28.- her forte. A great performance from Fionnulla Britton from Ireland,

:48:28. > :48:32.she is a great athlete, there have been some great athletes from

:48:32. > :48:36.Ireland in the past, she has been in their shadow, Sonia O'Sullivan,

:48:36. > :48:41.but now she has stepped up with a gold medal. They will be

:48:41. > :48:46.celebrating in Ireland. Ireland support these championships

:48:46. > :48:50.extremely well. It is great to see her win a gold medal. We used to

:48:51. > :48:58.seem sunnier or Catrina, about is a great one for Fionnulla Britton.

:48:58. > :49:03.Crate full confidence as well, -- great for confident as well. It is

:49:03. > :49:06.good to stand on the podium. Yes, she was 16 in the world cross

:49:06. > :49:10.country, she was the first European in that, but you do not get any

:49:10. > :49:14.medals for that. When they take out the Africans, which are dominating

:49:14. > :49:18.cross-country running, this gives her a chance of. She steps on to

:49:18. > :49:22.the rostrum in first place, and the confidence you get from that is in

:49:22. > :49:26.Perth -- incredible. It is really good, I am very pleased for her.

:49:26. > :49:33.She has been in the steeplechase, 1500 metres, she has been working

:49:33. > :49:39.well, running well on the words. Some good news from France

:49:39. > :49:42.yesterday, Holly Bleasdale breaking the British record. She jumped for

:49:42. > :49:47.me to 71 in the pole vault, a great start. The Olympic season is

:49:47. > :49:51.starting already! We will take a pause from cross-

:49:51. > :49:59.country and look back at the 2011 season, and there is only one place

:49:59. > :50:06.to start and one man to look at, and that is Mo Farah.

:50:06. > :50:10.Mo Farah begins 2011 in winning style again.

:50:10. > :50:18.Mo Farah finds something extra! This will be a superb performance

:50:18. > :50:28.from Mo Farah! Mo Farah defending his title, it

:50:28. > :50:43.

:50:43. > :50:47.will be gold for Great Britain! It is Mo Farah! He is tying up in

:50:47. > :50:57.the closing stages, and he gets there in the dying strides! He

:50:57. > :50:57.

:50:57. > :51:02.denies Mo Farah the medal that he Into was the home straight, he

:51:02. > :51:10.relinquished the lead in the 10,000 metres, is he going to do it again?

:51:10. > :51:15.Mo Farah starts to draw away! It was only silver in the crust --

:51:15. > :51:20.10,000, it is gold this time for Mo Farah! This time he got it right!

:51:20. > :51:28.This time he found the strength to hold on! What a performance from Mo

:51:28. > :51:32.You can't watch that without smiling. It really was an amazing

:51:32. > :51:39.year for Mo Farah, couldn't have happened to a nicer Dyke -- die.

:51:39. > :51:43.What did he make of it? -- it couldn't of happened to a nicer man.

:51:43. > :51:50.It has been a great year for me, unbelievable in what I have

:51:50. > :51:54.achieved in such a short time. It was in the last two world

:51:54. > :51:59.championships, I had been outside medals. Early on this year, I moved

:51:59. > :52:06.to America, to be coached by Alberto Salas our commander said,

:52:06. > :52:11.if I can have any chance of getting a medal, something needed to change.

:52:11. > :52:16.I am glad I made that choice. If you would have said to me six or

:52:16. > :52:22.seven months ago, you will be, you what can have won world medal, I

:52:22. > :52:26.would have grabbed that. But to come away with two, that was

:52:26. > :52:31.amazing. Started of the the 10,000 metres, having run a decent time at

:52:31. > :52:35.the beginning of the year. I knew I was capable of getting a medal and

:52:35. > :52:40.I just had to get out there and give it 110%. Fortunately came

:52:40. > :52:43.close but not close enough. I was disappointed, really. I thought as

:52:43. > :52:51.capable of winning the gold but did not quite have it. I learnt a lot

:52:51. > :52:56.from that race. I just had to be strong, and go home, get in that

:52:56. > :53:02.ice bath, eat well and come back two days later and get through to

:53:02. > :53:07.the five K. To be world champion, it means so much to me. It did not

:53:07. > :53:13.quite sink in, but over time, it is sinking in. As an athlete, it is

:53:13. > :53:19.something you dream of, something you train for. It is just hard work

:53:19. > :53:24.and grafting. But it means a lot. It does not stop there. As an

:53:25. > :53:30.athlete, you know you want to do what you can, and be the best. You

:53:30. > :53:35.just keep training, keep focused and stay injury-free. Being a world

:53:35. > :53:43.champion means so much to me. It pays off, that hard work. Once you

:53:43. > :53:49.get a taste of it, you just more. - - you just want more.

:53:49. > :53:54.We mentioned at the start of the programme, that he ran in Velenje

:53:54. > :53:59.in 1999 as a 16 year-old. It has been some journey. A fantastic

:53:59. > :54:03.journey. It has been such a pleasure, because in 2007, 2009, to

:54:03. > :54:09.me, he was becoming the best distance runner in Europe. He was

:54:09. > :54:12.not able to give it on the world stage, he was not even able to win

:54:12. > :54:17.the 2006 European's. I have always felt frustrated because I know how

:54:17. > :54:22.good he has been. He changed things in the last few years, the British

:54:22. > :54:26.Insurance system that Ian Stewart has revamped, he got him a link

:54:26. > :54:31.with Alberto in America. This formula he has now got his

:54:31. > :54:38.brilliant. He is such a nice guy. He has worked so hard. Even in that

:54:38. > :54:42.conversation, he is not reflecting on the glory, he -- he is

:54:42. > :54:48.reflecting on the hard work, he even mentioned the 10,000 metres

:54:48. > :54:51.and his eyes Bath. He lost the 10,000 marginally, but he had the

:54:51. > :54:56.strength to come back and win the 5000. Those races were so

:54:56. > :55:00.competitive, he came back competitively and still won it. He

:55:00. > :55:04.has always had speed and stamina, he has always been a great kid, he

:55:04. > :55:09.is now a great athlete. It is such a pleasure to be able to talk about

:55:09. > :55:14.Mo Farah, a British world champion at 5000 metres. Did you ever think

:55:14. > :55:18.he would be as good as this? It is a surprise that he has done what he

:55:18. > :55:22.has done? I always thought he was as good as this, but I thought he

:55:22. > :55:25.would never get there. He has got such a lot of speed, more speed

:55:25. > :55:30.than most British endurance runners have ever had, and he has never

:55:30. > :55:38.been in a position to use it. Tactically he grew up in the last

:55:38. > :55:42.years. Ben to get, European 50101000. -- don't forget. He is

:55:42. > :55:46.such an inspiration, he is such a nice guy. He has worked for every

:55:46. > :55:51.single thing he has got. That is what I believed distance running is

:55:51. > :55:55.all about, and he epitomises it. was a great year. If there was one

:55:55. > :56:00.dark cloud on the horizon, it happened in Brussels, where

:56:00. > :56:04.Kenenisa Bekele only came back after a terrible world

:56:04. > :56:08.championships and produced this performance. I think it took us all

:56:08. > :56:12.by surprise. We were in the north- east watching this with Mo Farah,

:56:12. > :56:19.and we knew that Kenenisa Bekele Ali, who dropped out of the 10,000

:56:19. > :56:24.metres, double Olympic champion in 2008, he suddenly comes back and

:56:24. > :56:29.runs the fastest time in the world, on basically a poor training

:56:30. > :56:35.preparation. You know, this ban is probably the greatest distance

:56:35. > :56:39.runner. He is going to do more things in the future. For me, it

:56:39. > :56:44.was like, Mo Farah is going to win the Olympics, and then suddenly, it

:56:44. > :56:54.is a big Reminder, don't forget the champion, Kennelly Siddiqui, don't

:56:54. > :56:57.forget his power and strength. -- Kenenisa Bekele early. He will be

:56:58. > :57:04.significant in London, and him and Mo Farah together in a race will

:57:04. > :57:08.make it a bit highlight. All that do to Mo Farah's mindset? He had

:57:08. > :57:10.looked upon him as almost a god- like figure, had as he cycled to

:57:10. > :57:14.the deal with him doing that and then going through the winter

:57:14. > :57:22.season? -- how does he psychologically deal with him doing

:57:22. > :57:25.that? Well, he has gone on to become a champion. He is starting

:57:25. > :57:34.to get used to being the world champion, the idea that he was back

:57:34. > :57:39.on the scene, the idea that it was a disappointment from Mo Farah.'s

:57:40. > :57:46.point of view. But in January, cannily set the Keighley will run

:57:46. > :57:50.in the Edinburgh run. People start his year in Edinburgh. When he was

:57:50. > :57:54.doing his press conference, he said, what I am really looking forward to

:57:54. > :58:02.his taking on Mo Farah in London in front of his home crowd because I

:58:02. > :58:05.want to make the 10,000 metres one of the big races of the Games. That

:58:05. > :58:10.sounded the bells for me, he is not only going to run the Olympics, he

:58:10. > :58:16.is actually singling out Mo Farah to go head-to-head. It will make it

:58:16. > :58:19.a good race. That is all I can say, it will be a great race. Let's face

:58:19. > :58:24.it, this man, three-times Olympic champion, he is not going to give

:58:24. > :58:31.his title of weight easily. mentioned it there, Edinburgh

:58:31. > :58:41.cross-country, that is coming up in January. You can watch it on BBC

:58:41. > :58:46.

:58:46. > :58:56.That is just the start of a son -- and stunningly of athletics on the

:58:56. > :58:56.

:58:56. > :59:36.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

:59:36. > :59:40.BBC. -- a stunning view of It's going to be incredible. I

:59:40. > :59:49.can't wait. Now back to catch up with the rest of the action from

:59:49. > :59:56.more success for Great Britain in the junior race. It was a runaway

:59:56. > :00:00.win for that tall Russia and added a cross country title to the junior

:00:00. > :00:05.steeplechase title he won on the track but what a good run from

:00:05. > :00:10.Richard Goodman behind him. He really fought hard to come through

:00:10. > :00:15.for the silver medal. Jonny Hay was more fancied to get among the

:00:15. > :00:19.medallists. He has finished 5th in this junior race two years ago but

:00:19. > :00:26.this time, winning a medal and that was good enough to lead at the

:00:26. > :00:35.British team to the gold medal overall. Jonny Hay, 8th. Kieron

:00:35. > :00:41.Clement, in 11th place. -- 9th place. It was Great Britain, who

:00:41. > :00:47.stood on top of the rostrum. Ian Stewart Grand and a surprise gold

:00:47. > :00:52.Another gold medal for the British junior men which means there's one

:00:52. > :01:02.more race to catch up with, the men's under 23 is and once again,

:01:02. > :01:06.

:01:06. > :01:13.second and 4th in his last two attempts. No doubt about the winner.

:01:13. > :01:17.He won it at ease. Up at 200-metre, great season for this man last year.

:01:17. > :01:22.Showing that he has got the strength as well but again, another

:01:22. > :01:27.good performance. James Wilkinson, after a disappointing run in the

:01:27. > :01:34.trials, only just scraped into the British team, and came through

:01:34. > :01:38.really, real well, ahead of Norway. James Wilkinson coming ahead of of

:01:38. > :01:44.the rest of his team-mates when, at the trials, he was last of those

:01:44. > :01:47.who got selected. Silver medal for him adding to Britain's tally, in

:01:47. > :01:50.what is proving to be a very, very a successful at the been in

:01:51. > :02:00.Slovenia and that is good enough for the team to take the silver

:02:01. > :02:16.

:02:16. > :02:26.That up to date. Of course, Sergiy Irish team will be happy, of course,

:02:26. > :02:38.

:02:38. > :02:45.after their win. Can he won 10 think they will be hoping to do

:02:45. > :02:52.well there. Spain it could be the favoured, the man who Sergiy Lebid

:02:52. > :02:58.struggles with her. Plenty have got chances in this. Sergiy Lebid, who

:02:58. > :03:04.I think surprise everyone to come back and win a game last year

:03:04. > :03:06.unbelievable performance. The only athlete to have completed every

:03:06. > :03:14.single European cross-country Championships going all the way

:03:14. > :03:24.back to 1994. Almost a false start there. One or two keen to get away

:03:24. > :03:24.

:03:24. > :03:29.there. Always a bit of a sprint. It inevitably settles down. In the

:03:30. > :03:39.world cross country, you have to do this because they don't slow down.

:03:40. > :03:40.

:03:40. > :03:49.The under 23 winner, you can see him doing well already, Chadhi. The

:03:49. > :03:57.athletes settled further back. At these very, very early stages. La

:03:57. > :04:05.Roser, of Italy. Ayad Lamdassem, he has been in such good form, the

:04:05. > :04:13.Spanish athlete. I'm pretty sure he is somebody I think we'll watched.

:04:13. > :04:23.He is a wily old character, a radio. It's just gone under one minute.

:04:23. > :04:25.

:04:25. > :04:27.He's made it in 52 seconds. We talk a Sergiy Lebid, his nine titles.

:04:27. > :04:32.European Cross Country Championships, the men's, lots of

:04:32. > :04:42.good athletes have tried to win this. Of for Sergiy Lebid to come

:04:42. > :04:44.

:04:44. > :04:51.back year after year... Took time to win this title. -- Mo Farah took

:04:51. > :04:58.time to win this title. Just because he doesn't perform quite as

:04:58. > :05:03.well on the track... There he is in the picture, in the blue and yellow.

:05:03. > :05:10.Quite a long way back on Sergiy Lebid. It doesn't mean his prowess

:05:10. > :05:15.should be diminished in any way. He has been playing games. He said

:05:15. > :05:20.there was too much snow in Russia to go training. I'm not sure I

:05:20. > :05:24.believe that. There probably was no but I don't think he would not go

:05:24. > :05:34.running just because it's snowing. He probably knew it was going to

:05:34. > :05:40.

:05:40. > :05:43.every single race, both individually and in their team a.

:05:44. > :05:50.They have one four of the team raised is out of the five so far,

:05:50. > :05:53.so the men have got something to lift up to -- live up to here. This

:05:53. > :06:01.could be our best performance at the European Cross Country

:06:01. > :06:10.Championships. James will come sun, 22nd in the trials. -- James

:06:10. > :06:16.Wilkinson. He comes here and finishes second. Behind a world

:06:16. > :06:22.class 1,500 metre winner. Richard Goodman, a surprise silver, as well.

:06:22. > :06:27.The confidence the team get. A lot of the training camps, a way in

:06:27. > :06:31.Kenya, training together, working together. They all work of each

:06:31. > :06:35.other, if you like, and they come into these races full of confidence.

:06:35. > :06:45.I would like to see the men taking this conference on to the world

:06:45. > :06:46.

:06:46. > :06:49.stage. It it took Mo Farah to show confident on the world stage.

:06:49. > :06:52.you need the European stage as a stepping stone because these days

:06:52. > :06:57.you can't go from the British championships to the World

:06:57. > :07:07.Championships, because of Africa, their dominance and talent, it's

:07:07. > :07:10.

:07:10. > :07:16.extremely difficult task. No has taken years. Mark Draper there.

:07:16. > :07:20.Great Britain in that strong team. The interesting thing, for me, the

:07:20. > :07:29.confidence in athletes. Training is necessary. You have got to do it,

:07:29. > :07:35.but conference takes an athlete through the stages. Bekele. Ireland

:07:35. > :07:39.also in that leading group. The interesting thing here, this race,

:07:39. > :07:44.unlike the World Cross-Country Championships, it goes at a steady

:07:44. > :07:48.pace. In the world championships, they go quickly and never slow down

:07:48. > :07:51.for for the British team are running to orders. Ian Stewart has

:07:51. > :07:55.done a really good job bringing them together, the strength of

:07:55. > :08:04.British distance running. Today, it's been a fantastic day through

:08:04. > :08:09.the group's. Cannot the British men's team -- can at the British

:08:09. > :08:14.men's team, particularly the top team, you would like to see how

:08:14. > :08:20.well they can do without Mo Farah. And de Vernon making his way

:08:20. > :08:26.through the field. He won the trials earlier this month. -- Andy.

:08:26. > :08:31.I expect him to run well. I notice they are doing it cagily. I'm

:08:31. > :08:36.looking at the yellow and blue of Sergiy Lebid of the Ukraine. He's

:08:36. > :08:40.in about 10th place there, picking his way through. He will take it

:08:40. > :08:47.easy early on and then move forward. He has been a phenomenal cross-

:08:47. > :08:52.country runner. Could he win a 10th time? In the modern day spot, you

:08:52. > :09:02.don't get many achievements in the modern-day sport where any athlete

:09:02. > :09:07.

:09:07. > :09:12.10, does. We have had two short laps, 500 metres each. Twisting and

:09:12. > :09:18.turning. Settling down. Most of the British athletes are halfway down

:09:18. > :09:23.the field. Well done, he's come all the way from Monaco. The problem

:09:24. > :09:32.with Monaco, there's not much cross country. You have got to run up and

:09:32. > :09:36.down the beach at or on the roads. There are hills, mind you.

:09:36. > :09:43.fastest 10,000-metre runner in at 2011 in this race today is one of

:09:43. > :09:53.the British athletes. James Walsh. Trained by Mike Baxter, who I used

:09:53. > :10:10.

:10:10. > :10:20.coach in Leeds. James Walsh ran run this year. That's an

:10:20. > :10:26.

:10:26. > :10:32.move up. Andy Burnham of. A tough year for him. -- Andy Vernon. He

:10:32. > :10:37.didn't get selected for the European Championships. Then he

:10:37. > :10:42.came to these cross-country championships last year. He had

:10:42. > :10:47.high hopes of doing well here. He dropped out with breathing problems.

:10:47. > :10:51.So it is very much looking to put the record straight here today. I

:10:51. > :11:00.certainly don't think anyone would say he's a real contender for a

:11:00. > :11:08.medal. He himself has targeted top five of. After that, this man here,

:11:08. > :11:13.Bekele, running for Belgium, now. He moved to Belgium when he was 16.

:11:13. > :11:20.He's having a very good year as well. He has been training in

:11:20. > :11:24.Ethiopia training for this. He felt those first three, does work a

:11:24. > :11:30.little bit slow for his liking so he is pushing things on it a little.

:11:30. > :11:37.Plenty of good run as back there. There is Andy Vernon. 31st place in

:11:37. > :11:42.the British team. Content to run together. That's one criticism of

:11:43. > :11:49.the men. Taking a Mo Farah out of it, the rest of them can be took

:11:49. > :11:55.circumspect. Sergiy Lebid was behind but has moved himself into

:11:55. > :12:00.the race. Look where Sergiy Lebid was now. It Andy Burnham wants to

:12:00. > :12:05.come in the top five, he should get into that group now. The course is

:12:05. > :12:11.not proving an obstacle. It's the kind of course you would have

:12:11. > :12:16.enjoyed running, Steve of. It is flat, decent grass. Are you trying

:12:16. > :12:26.to say I was not very good on the mud? He you were not very good on

:12:26. > :12:30.

:12:30. > :12:40.track runners, you should feel very much at home, feeling that

:12:40. > :12:45.confident. It's flat, no hills, that's right. Sergiy Lebid. 8th

:12:45. > :12:51.place. Just at the back of that chasing group. Bekele is making an

:12:51. > :12:56.effort now. He should take a closer look here. I think he's doing that,

:12:56. > :13:02.moving to the outside. Andy Vernon moving through the field now,

:13:02. > :13:06.deciding it's time to get on with the race. The team are in 7th place

:13:06. > :13:12.at the moment, in terms of teams, because they are all outside the

:13:12. > :13:17.top 30 at the end of a previous lap up towards the end of the next one.

:13:17. > :13:20.As a pack, they need to move through, but individually, as well,

:13:20. > :13:28.particularly I would have liked to have seen an de Vernon moving

:13:28. > :13:38.closer. -- Andy Vernon. They can't afford to let Bekele go ahead too

:13:38. > :13:39.

:13:39. > :13:49.much. There he is. His squad went a little bit after the hundred metres.

:13:49. > :13:50.

:13:50. > :13:55.-- quarter -- quad. 34 countries at least taking part and most of them

:13:55. > :13:58.supporting the event across the age groups. The French, doing

:13:58. > :14:05.incredibly well there. They are all looking at each other and letting

:14:05. > :14:12.this man build a sizable lead. Yes, it's early. His lead is getting

:14:12. > :14:16.bigger. You've got to start thinking about it now. He ran a

:14:16. > :14:21.good cross-country race in Ireland. He's a bit surprised to see the gap

:14:21. > :14:27.as wide as it is. He knows he's not running excessively quickly. Safety

:14:27. > :14:34.in numbers there. If the man at down the track is not very good. If

:14:34. > :14:38.that the man at down the track has the pedigree that Bekele has, he's

:14:38. > :14:42.also got the pedigree of this, and you would not let him go so much

:14:42. > :14:46.and have this gap, because he could suddenly start running off that

:14:46. > :14:54.front and accelerating. Representing Belgium now where he

:14:54. > :14:58.has lived since he was 16. The field at stretching up behind him.

:14:58. > :15:03.There is Andy Burnham, the first British man coming up behind Sergiy

:15:03. > :15:06.Lebid. Running a sensible, tactical race. That's the right thing to do.

:15:06. > :15:16.Further down the field for the rest of the British athletes. Look at

:15:16. > :15:23.

:15:23. > :15:27.Baddeley, there's Mark Draper. Our computer expert Steve Cram will

:15:27. > :15:34.tell us the positions and have used guest -- second. Or you could watch

:15:34. > :15:41.the screen, which are think you will prefer! It is good to see Andy

:15:41. > :15:48.Vernon. He has taken advantage of the slow pack, he has not had to go

:15:48. > :15:55.too fast. Lamdassem needs to start worrying, he cannot let Bekele keep

:15:55. > :16:01.running away. And a recent race he won, it was a good field, Ethiopia

:16:01. > :16:08.and and Eritreans. Have you seen James March go through -- James

:16:08. > :16:14.Walsh? Yes, I have seen him. Andy Baddeley is in 37th place. Team

:16:14. > :16:22.Wise, Great Britain have some work to do to get amongst the Ruddles. -

:16:22. > :16:26.- the medals. Belgium is leading, Bekele, he is not overcooking this.

:16:26. > :16:32.Things are starting to break up a little bit. Lebid is struggling,

:16:32. > :16:40.interesting. The chasing group has just started to put their foot down

:16:40. > :16:50.a little. And Lebid is not at the front of that group. But he is

:16:50. > :16:51.

:16:51. > :16:56.moving well. They are not halfway yet. It is ringing some danger

:16:56. > :17:00.bells, that lead, they do not want to see it getting any bigger. Seven

:17:00. > :17:07.or eight seconds, when it becomes 10 to 15 seconds, you're in trouble.

:17:07. > :17:13.Finally, the chase is on. Initially, Brendan O'Connor at this point...

:17:13. > :17:21.Let's look at the team standings. France, Spain, Portugal. It will

:17:21. > :17:31.change. Britain were lying 7th, they have improved. To mega-bid

:17:31. > :17:33.

:17:33. > :17:36.laps completed, four more to go, they are almost at the third. I

:17:36. > :17:40.really thought Lamdassem would come here and dominate this race, he is

:17:40. > :17:50.in third. If he is going to have a good summer next year, it is the

:17:50. > :17:57.

:17:57. > :18:03.sort of race he would want to win. right next to each other, and Lebid

:18:03. > :18:11.are struggling. James Walsh just behind Lebid and Andy Vernon.

:18:11. > :18:20.Remember this face, 10,000 metre race, too short lapse and six long

:18:20. > :18:24.lapse. The Lapps are about 600 metres. Bekele is approaching the

:18:24. > :18:34.halfway point, he has not run too quickly, but suddenly the gaps are

:18:34. > :18:34.

:18:34. > :18:40.beginning to open. There is Nigel Lebed, away -- Serhiy Lebid, next

:18:40. > :18:45.Andy Vernon. The dominance that he has built up in these championships,

:18:45. > :18:49.Lebid, it looks like that is over today. You do not win a race from

:18:49. > :18:58.that far back, especially when there is some talent as there is in

:18:58. > :19:05.front of him. The French have been trying to keep the chase going. Now

:19:06. > :19:10.Amdouni, former junior champion. Chahdi has joined that group, the

:19:10. > :19:18.other Frenchmen. They wanted to get some help, he was looking for

:19:18. > :19:25.Chahdi to try and move things on. Also, J Sweeney is going rate for

:19:25. > :19:34.Ireland, on the back of Fionnulla Britton's performance. He has put

:19:34. > :19:39.himself right in the next. -- right in the mix. He was 21st in that

:19:39. > :19:45.race last year, that was a disappointment. There is Ryan

:19:45. > :19:50.McLeod, it was one of his best races in the trials, it looked

:19:51. > :19:54.really good and was not far away from the sprint but she -- sprint

:19:54. > :19:58.finish that took place between Mark Draper and Annie Vernon. Nine and

:19:58. > :20:08.is trying to pick his way through. There is a big gap, Lebid is trying

:20:08. > :20:10.

:20:10. > :20:13.to rally a little bit in that no- man's land. He wants to be in the

:20:13. > :20:17.Forward group, and Andy Vernon, the effort he has made to get up there,

:20:17. > :20:21.it might be troubling him as well because he is not able to pick

:20:21. > :20:24.things up. It looks as if it is going to be a tough run for the

:20:24. > :20:28.British team. They are going to have to really improve their

:20:28. > :20:35.positions, if they are to get amongst the team of medals. We have

:20:35. > :20:39.had such a good play for Great Britain, six gold medals already.

:20:39. > :20:43.This is starting to look like a bit of a disappointing end to the day

:20:43. > :20:46.for Great Britain. Week expected more from Andy Vernon. Hopefully he

:20:46. > :20:51.can turn it on in the second half of the race. The team supporting

:20:51. > :21:00.him, allowing those gaps to open. There is Andy Vernon coming through.

:21:00. > :21:09.James Walsh was there, Ryan McLeod. Mark Draper was there, but they are

:21:09. > :21:15.a fairly long way back. There is one of the top men in the French

:21:15. > :21:21.team, it looks as though he is limping. He would have been amongst

:21:21. > :21:23.their counters. He's finished 4th individually last year, dropping

:21:23. > :21:30.out would not put paid to their chances because they are still

:21:30. > :21:34.going pretty well. In fact, they have got four others inside the top

:21:34. > :21:38.20 at the moment. Hopefully for them, it is not going to affect

:21:38. > :21:44.their chances too much. But Bekele's League is, they were

:21:44. > :21:47.catching him, there was some effort but they have backed off again. It

:21:47. > :21:52.went from eight seconds to six seconds, I suspect it has got

:21:52. > :21:59.bigger again. I do not think the group is doing as well. I would

:21:59. > :22:03.suggest that the gap is at least the same all has got bigger. He has

:22:03. > :22:07.been very lucky, he has found himself with a lead without having

:22:07. > :22:11.to run hard to gain it. They have let him go off, the pace was not

:22:11. > :22:16.difficult in the early part. There is Joe Sweeney, running a great

:22:16. > :22:23.race. Andy Vernon just ahead of Serhiy Lebid, whose long reign he

:22:23. > :22:27.has come to an end here. There is James Walsh, and Ryan McLeod just

:22:27. > :22:32.behind Lebid. They have almost played into the hands of Bekele,

:22:32. > :22:36.they have let him go away. He had not had to start running hard yet.

:22:36. > :22:41.They are watching each other, sometimes when you are in a group

:22:41. > :22:44.you get a false hope that they know what they are doing. Nobody is

:22:45. > :22:48.pushing the pace. Somebody has got to strike out here, and Bekele is

:22:48. > :22:55.going to be handed an opportunity. It is a bit early to say whether he

:22:55. > :22:58.is going to win or not. But you would not swap his position he is

:22:58. > :23:03.in now, with the effort he has made to get there, with any of the

:23:03. > :23:07.chasing group. He has got a chance, it is up to him. He has won

:23:07. > :23:12.recently, you can tell by the All way he is working that he has not

:23:12. > :23:17.had to work too hard yet. He has got this gap, he has got a group

:23:17. > :23:21.behind him who are taking safety in numbers and it is not working out.

:23:21. > :23:24.You could say on a track that this was a pacemaker going too quickly.

:23:24. > :23:34.But here, you have got a man who has got an opportunity to win it,

:23:34. > :23:36.

:23:36. > :23:39.he has ABILITY and talent to win it and it is being handed to him.

:23:39. > :23:48.you are wondering why that man was getting watched, he is running for

:23:49. > :23:54.the Slovenian team. Just two laps to go, for Bekele of Belgium who is

:23:54. > :23:58.looking comfortable and relaxed. He has not in any way changed his form.

:23:58. > :24:05.Now the chase is really on. They have finally realised they have got

:24:05. > :24:11.to get moving. Andy Vernon is picking some athletes of, he is

:24:11. > :24:17.striding out really well. He has only got another 10 minutes of

:24:17. > :24:25.running, maybe less. It looks like Chahdi has moved into second place,

:24:25. > :24:33.Lamdassem of Spain is in third. Joe Sweeney is at the back of the group,

:24:33. > :24:37.the Dutch athlete has got himself of there as well. Joe Sweeney is

:24:37. > :24:41.starting to struggle, the big tall man from Ireland. It was six

:24:41. > :24:45.seconds, then it went out to nine, almost 10 seconds, and it is down

:24:45. > :24:49.to eight seconds again. Maybe they are playing a bit of cat and mouse

:24:49. > :24:55.here. You have got to really shifted to make up eight seconds in

:24:55. > :25:01.3000 metres. It is double but this man has to get tired. And any man

:25:02. > :25:06.who has broken away from the chasing group, Chahdi. That is the

:25:06. > :25:13.only one who looks like he really wants to have a crack at closing

:25:13. > :25:19.the gap. But Bekele looking strong. Bekele looking strong, and

:25:19. > :25:23.beginning to drive now. Chahdi for France, he has now brought out of

:25:23. > :25:28.the group and he is making an effort. The gap is not too strong,

:25:28. > :25:32.but the gap behind him is growing a little as well. Lamdassem, we

:25:32. > :25:39.thought he would be a real danger, we thought he would have a chance,

:25:39. > :25:42.we thought it would be all set up for Serhiy Lebid to win. But there

:25:42. > :25:52.probably was snow in his training camp, seeing the way he is running,

:25:52. > :25:54.

:25:54. > :26:01.it looks like he has not run like snowshoes! Is it too late? They

:26:01. > :26:04.might catch the leader. Joe Sweeney has moved on, he looked like he was

:26:05. > :26:09.struggled. But this man is still moving really well and is halfway

:26:09. > :26:13.round his penultimate lap, not too far from the finish of that lap.

:26:13. > :26:18.And then he will know that it is not too far to go. Once you are

:26:18. > :26:23.into the last lap, a big, storming finish. He just looks so relaxed.

:26:23. > :26:27.You have got to assume he has got something left. Joe Sweeney of

:26:27. > :26:30.Ireland in third place. A little gap between him and the chasing

:26:30. > :26:40.group. Lamdassem should have been a bigger danger than he has proven to

:26:40. > :26:43.be, in 4th place, then a big gap until Andy Vernon. The first of the

:26:43. > :26:46.British athletes moving into the top 10. That will obviously help

:26:46. > :26:52.the team situation but they have a lot of work to do to get amongst

:26:52. > :26:59.the medals. Alongside the lake, it was created, this was a mining town.

:26:59. > :27:03.These lakes have not been there that long, they closed the minds

:27:03. > :27:08.here and created a valley, a recreational area where the cross-

:27:08. > :27:14.country course is. It has been anything and nice view, not being

:27:14. > :27:19.at enjoyed by the athlete, they are just concentrating and trying to

:27:19. > :27:23.get a medal. Joe Sweeney looks a bit ponderous, he needs to get a

:27:23. > :27:28.gap if he is going to win a medal on this last up. He is certainly

:27:28. > :27:34.making an effort, Joe Sweeney. Magdalen Bridge is getting some

:27:34. > :27:37.information from the inside about what is happening behind him. --

:27:37. > :27:41.Bekele is getting some good information. It looks like he's got

:27:41. > :27:47.to keep going at this pace, and he is going to win it. But Joe Sweeney

:27:47. > :27:51.is trying to bring the group back into contention. The familiar name

:27:51. > :27:55.of Bekele, looking over his shoulder, he probably can't believe

:27:55. > :28:01.that the gap is as big as it is. He wants information, he is getting it

:28:01. > :28:04.from his coach. There is the bell, 1500 metres to go for the leader.

:28:04. > :28:09.Are they going to rush together, the chasing group? Are they going

:28:09. > :28:13.to close down the gap? Bekele is looking strong and powerful. There

:28:13. > :28:21.is the time, let's have a look at what the gap is. It is down to six

:28:21. > :28:26.seconds. Joe Sweeney and Bekele -- Lamdassem, Chahdi were in that

:28:26. > :28:30.group. Only the first eight of these athletes will be selected to

:28:30. > :28:35.compete for Europe in January in Edinburgh, taking on the USA. There

:28:35. > :28:38.are eight of them there together. You would feel sorry for Bekele if

:28:38. > :28:43.he gave it up, but you also feel that the there is no one in that

:28:43. > :28:46.chasing group who deserves to win this one because of the way they

:28:46. > :28:56.have played this race in terms of Bekele. They have let him get away.

:28:56. > :28:57.

:28:57. > :29:04.And Andy Vernon running well, he could have been a bit closer.

:29:04. > :29:08.Earlier on, they were not going too quickly and he might have found

:29:08. > :29:13.himself in contention for a medal and that really compels you forward.

:29:13. > :29:20.He is night at the moment, it looks like too big a gap to close. Can

:29:20. > :29:28.one of the closing group get towards Bekele? It is still a six

:29:28. > :29:34.second gap. Bekele is running strongly. Jose Russia is running

:29:34. > :29:40.well, or have they given up on chasing him? There is the leading

:29:40. > :29:46.Slovenian athlete, I suggest. He has not got far to go now, Bekele.

:29:46. > :29:52.He can sense that the chase is on. Look at Jose Rocha, who has got

:29:52. > :29:56.such pace. The finish is so twisting and turning, it is not

:29:56. > :30:00.easy to get a rhythm going. You can sense that the threat is now there.

:30:00. > :30:04.The threat is now there and they are racing each other. But is

:30:04. > :30:07.bringing them back into contention. I am hoping now, because of the

:30:07. > :30:14.negative approach they have made to this race, I am hoping Bekele can

:30:14. > :30:19.hang on. He got a gap which he did not work too hard for, he tried to

:30:19. > :30:22.hold it, and it is now being closed. I hope he can hang on. The chasing

:30:22. > :30:27.group did not do enough, they did not work together, they did not try

:30:27. > :30:31.to pressure him. Here they are now with a chance of trying to win this

:30:31. > :30:36.race, a race that he deserves to win because of the way he has won.

:30:36. > :30:40.He does not deserve to lose, certainly. The pressure is on. Can

:30:40. > :30:46.they finish? If there were two of them, he could spring, can a

:30:46. > :30:56.sprint? He is looking nervous now. Now it is all for Bekele to win if

:30:56. > :30:57.

:30:58. > :31:03.by the lakeside. And then they will take a couple of right-handers.

:31:03. > :31:08.Some more twists and turns to negotiate but Bekele has picked up

:31:08. > :31:14.his pace and is being cheered on by the crowd. In second place now to

:31:14. > :31:21.Russia and then Portugal. And then Spain. He may come under a threat

:31:21. > :31:25.from behind but look at that gap now. It is 3.5 seconds and Bekele

:31:26. > :31:30.looking leaden-footed for the first time. He is looking over her

:31:30. > :31:36.shoulder as well and wants to concentrate on his running. This

:31:36. > :31:40.would be a blow for Bekele to lose it now. He deserves to win it. Can

:31:40. > :31:48.he keep going? Every corner, a look behind and checks mentally in his

:31:48. > :31:54.head, ticking off the seconds. Russia is looking behind, not ahead.

:31:54. > :31:59.Maybe now, Bekele can sense the victory is his, because of the

:31:59. > :32:04.Russian has given up, looking behind at the Belgian in front,

:32:04. > :32:09.worried about his medal. He's not even think about the gold medal at

:32:09. > :32:13.this front. He has got a good pace but is not going to challenge this

:32:13. > :32:23.man. He can see the finish line. He has led from the beginning, pretty

:32:23. > :32:28.

:32:28. > :32:36.much, and it will be a good victory the European cross-country champion.

:32:36. > :32:40.The Russian get the bronze. Then it Joe Sweeney from Ireland, a good

:32:40. > :32:46.performance getting into the top fine. Andy Burnham will be the

:32:46. > :32:54.first British athlete across the line. It's going to be... There he

:32:54. > :33:03.is. Crossing the line. The team that race is something which, well,

:33:03. > :33:13.as we have just seen Ryan a cloud crossing the line. James Walsh. --

:33:13. > :33:15.

:33:15. > :33:20.The French will be gold medal favourites. Andy Baddeley crossing

:33:20. > :33:26.the line, as well. Have they done enough to get themselves amongst

:33:26. > :33:32.the medals? Every single British teams are far have done that. Four

:33:32. > :33:38.golds and macro or won silver in the other age groups. -- and one

:33:38. > :33:43.silver in the other age groups. It was an intriguing race, one or two

:33:43. > :33:47.disappointing performances from some of the big names. No 10th

:33:47. > :33:57.victory for Sergiy Lebid from the Ukraine. No British athletes but it

:33:57. > :33:59.

:33:59. > :34:03.was a familiar name, who won the The British team finishing top of

:34:03. > :34:13.the medal table. If that time of year when we hand out a few awards

:34:13. > :34:16.

:34:16. > :34:24.and has none more coveted than this Thank you very much. It's an honour.

:34:24. > :34:33.David Beckham. I'm a truly honoured. So many people to thank. AP McCoy,

:34:33. > :34:41.British Sports personality of the Mark Cavendish has won the world

:34:41. > :34:51.title. Congratulations. 200 in a Test match against Australia.

:34:51. > :35:04.

:35:04. > :35:09.a performance. Champion of the Mo Farah, a leading contender but

:35:09. > :35:15.not the only British world champion. Died Greene won the 400 metres

:35:15. > :35:20.hurdles and his his thoughts on 2011. In 2000 it, I was on the

:35:20. > :35:25.upward curve, everything was going well. Until 2008. I had a few

:35:25. > :35:32.injuries. The next thing I know, I was not running as well. That was

:35:32. > :35:36.the first time I questioned whether or not I could make it, because I

:35:36. > :35:41.thought other athletes, do they have as many injuries as me? Are

:35:41. > :35:47.they more talented, perhaps? Are they working harder? I doubted

:35:47. > :35:53.myself. It made me into a stronger person. I would never have had the

:35:53. > :35:57.success I have had but I didn't have that setback back in 2008. It

:35:57. > :36:03.makes me appreciate the good times. Up until that final, I did

:36:03. > :36:08.everything in my power to be in the best shape possible. I believe I

:36:08. > :36:11.could win that final. But only based on the fact I trained so hard.

:36:11. > :36:17.I wanted to do justice out there and know I had trained hard for

:36:17. > :36:21.this, and I wanted the gold medal and I deserved it after the hills I

:36:22. > :36:27.have run up and the weather I have endured. I don't understand the

:36:27. > :36:30.magnitude of what I have achieved, I think. For me, it's the next step

:36:30. > :36:34.after being in the top 10 last year and win the Commonwealth and

:36:34. > :36:41.European titles. I thought it a natural progression but why look at

:36:41. > :36:43.by medals, I feel pride. I've had so many people telling me

:36:43. > :36:49.congratulations and telling me where they were when they watched

:36:49. > :36:55.the race. We will talk about him in a few

:36:55. > :37:00.moments. How would you says that championships? Top of the medal

:37:00. > :37:04.table. It was great, some really good performances, individually. In

:37:04. > :37:08.the women's race, Gemma Steel, silver medal, a step forward for

:37:08. > :37:12.her. The men's team were disappointing but it won a silver

:37:12. > :37:16.medal. That's pretty good win the silver medal with that, not the

:37:16. > :37:23.best performance. Overall, we have been terrific today and been top of

:37:23. > :37:28.the medal table continuing, so this event fits into our scheme. There

:37:28. > :37:35.are the women getting the medals. Gemma Steel and Freya Murray

:37:35. > :37:39.amongst them. I'm really pleased. The momentum about distance running

:37:39. > :37:43.and cross-country running, it's good to see. It's good to know the

:37:43. > :37:48.athletes are taking this seriously. They will both be supported by

:37:48. > :37:55.Paula Radcliffe, the best cross- country female we have ever had,

:37:55. > :38:00.and Mo Farah. Below that, everyone is coming along nicely. It's been a

:38:00. > :38:06.good event. A good course to run a long. And a good performance by the

:38:06. > :38:11.British team. There has been a revival. You talk about Ian Stewart.

:38:11. > :38:15.Definitely, but it about getting more people doing it, more people

:38:15. > :38:19.going and having the chance. This is the event where they can have

:38:19. > :38:25.the chance, and I think things are looking good. In the Olympics, we

:38:25. > :38:30.can't wait for it. Looking at this event today, it will be nice to see

:38:31. > :38:36.how many can compete in the Olympic Games. The team it ended up with a

:38:36. > :38:44.silver medal in the men's. They did. I was disappointed. It seems to

:38:44. > :38:48.happen year on year. Ryan finished 14th and 15th and 16th. They need

:38:48. > :38:54.to be close up. It's not the World Championships, a crazy pace. More

:38:54. > :38:58.confidence. Everything else, brilliant. The juniors don't mind

:38:58. > :39:03.and get involved. I think we haven't done as well in the senior

:39:03. > :39:12.event over the years in age group, so disappointing. Everything is

:39:12. > :39:17.looking good. And I think the programmes in place, I'm coaching

:39:17. > :39:23.is part of that as well, and the support available, but the

:39:23. > :39:28.competition, dare I say it, if you have a whole bunch of people

:39:28. > :39:35.wearing British vests, seen as top in Europe, in the world, everybody

:39:35. > :39:43.aims high. But what is happening with distance running. Today draws

:39:43. > :39:47.a line under the season. No, this is the start. I except that, OK.

:39:47. > :39:54.the can India, yes. Preparation, winter time, getting ready, being

:39:54. > :40:02.strong, and then finishing it off in the summer. -- yes, the calendar

:40:02. > :40:08.year. What about 2012? Reasons to be cheerful? I think so, yes. If

:40:08. > :40:13.you had said to be back in 2006- seven, looking ahead, I was not

:40:13. > :40:17.sure how well we were going to do. We were never going to win 14

:40:17. > :40:22.medals in athletics, never. Six medals in the Olympic Games was

:40:22. > :40:28.great. Olympic medals are really, really hard to win. I think Britain

:40:28. > :40:32.are going to go into it with maybe nine genuine chances, of which five

:40:32. > :40:38.or six of very good. The top two or three in the world in their event.

:40:38. > :40:43.Not a bad place to be. Can you remember the British team going

:40:43. > :40:52.into an Olympic cycle with perhaps five serious gold medal chances?

:40:52. > :40:55.Jessica Ennis, die Greene, Mo Farah and Phillips Idowu were. When you

:40:55. > :40:59.look yourself, Steve Backley, Denise Lewis, there were four or

:40:59. > :41:08.five in Sydney we thought could win the gold medal. We ended up with

:41:08. > :41:12.six overall. And I think four 4th places. That's right. The other

:41:12. > :41:17.thing is, the medal table for athletics comes from every corner

:41:17. > :41:24.of the world. Not just certain countries in Europe. It's every

:41:24. > :41:27.single country in the world, Grenada who have won adults in the

:41:27. > :41:34.world champion to this year. It's tough in athletics, because it's a

:41:34. > :41:41.global sport. We are fortunate but the most exciting thing is London.

:41:41. > :41:45.Under we have a bunch of people who made do it. We will have a good run

:41:45. > :41:49.for our money and it will be a fantastic Olympics and I can't wait

:41:49. > :41:55.for it. Michael Johnson said that he thought it might be a

:41:55. > :42:03.disadvantage for our athletes with the pressure. That down to the

:42:03. > :42:08.individual, Jonathan. If you're an team eerie one some tickets, and

:42:08. > :42:13.say, can you popped in before you go to the Games... Let's not talk

:42:13. > :42:18.about tickets. But that can be a ticket but how you do with it is

:42:18. > :42:23.down to the individual. They will be out of the bubble of it, going

:42:23. > :42:27.to Portugal, able to prepare properly. It's not just the medals.

:42:27. > :42:30.I want to see the British athletes in the final sport that I would

:42:30. > :42:37.love to see, in every event, a British athlete getting to the

:42:37. > :42:41.final. That would be a big step up. That's possible for the the message

:42:41. > :42:48.about tickets is one thing we don't forget, you can watch it on the BBC.

:42:48. > :42:58.Thanks, guys. Plenty of sport coming up. After as, the UK snooker

:42:58. > :43:19.

:43:19. > :43:25.championship from Wembley. Mark So that's it for the 2011 athletics