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Good afternoon and thanks for joining us. It's the last athletics | :00:46. | :00:48. | |
coverage of 2011 and we will be reviewing the last year but the | :00:48. | :00:51. | |
main focus is the European Cross Country Championships and while it | :00:51. | :00:54. | |
may be the last event of the year, for the athletes it's the start of | :00:55. | :00:57. | |
the new season and for British athletes, the most important one of | :00:57. | :01:07. | |
:01:07. | :01:08. | ||
This is the King of the European Cross Country Championships this | :01:08. | :01:17. | |
afternoon and he goes for title number 10. Andy Baddeley is hoping | :01:17. | :01:25. | |
a winter in the mud will set him up for the summer of a lifetime. 2006 | :01:25. | :01:33. | |
saw Mo win this title and we won't see in this afternoon but we will | :01:33. | :01:40. | |
look back at his fantastic 2011. Steph Twell is on the comeback | :01:40. | :01:44. | |
trail after her horrific ankle fracture or after she fell over in | :01:45. | :01:50. | |
a cross-country race back in February. This Championship is | :01:50. | :01:55. | |
being held in Velenje in central Slovenia. 30,000 people, lovely | :01:55. | :01:59. | |
castle and some strange local inhabitants. The European Cross | :02:00. | :02:04. | |
Country Championships was held back in 1999 it when no Farrar, 16 years | :02:04. | :02:14. | |
old, finished in 5th place. Mo Farah. There are six races in total | :02:14. | :02:24. | |
:02:24. | :02:37. | ||
Lots to look forward to. Brendan Foster is a long psych me. In one | :02:37. | :02:40. | |
sense, you are the founding father other European Cross Country | :02:40. | :02:46. | |
Championships. Going back to 1994 and 1995. Many years ago, we | :02:46. | :02:51. | |
thought the European distance runners were being overwhelmed in | :02:51. | :02:53. | |
the world championships by the Africans and we felt there was a | :02:54. | :02:58. | |
need for the Europeans to have a staging post, and we figured the | :02:58. | :03:00. | |
European Cross Country Championships would be that | :03:00. | :03:06. | |
staging-post. It has had a long and healthy life and all of Britain's | :03:06. | :03:09. | |
top distance runners including Paula Radcliffe have excelled | :03:09. | :03:14. | |
themselves at this event. It has fulfilled his potential and has | :03:14. | :03:20. | |
record entries this year. It's quite early in the air, almost part | :03:20. | :03:27. | |
of the 2012 season. How do athletes that is into their schedule? It is | :03:27. | :03:31. | |
part of 2012. You look at results from December, January and February, | :03:31. | :03:34. | |
and compare them with the track events and the distance races from | :03:34. | :03:39. | |
the summer, you will see an immense Coronation. All the middle distance | :03:39. | :03:43. | |
runners have used Cross-Country as part of their training but the | :03:43. | :03:47. | |
competition it brings is tough, it is enduring, a necessary | :03:47. | :03:52. | |
competition and I feel if you look at the greatest ones, they have | :03:52. | :03:59. | |
always been in the cross-country. You name them, he or she has used | :03:59. | :04:03. | |
cross-country races as well as training as part of their Formula. | :04:03. | :04:06. | |
It's generally been a very successful championships for the | :04:06. | :04:11. | |
British team, hasn't it? We've always figured that Britain should | :04:11. | :04:14. | |
be the strongest distance running nation in the world any more, but | :04:14. | :04:17. | |
we always think it should be amongst the top distance running | :04:17. | :04:21. | |
nations in Europe and we are thrilled we have now got the King | :04:21. | :04:26. | |
of the castle, in the British team. Paula Radcliffe was a delightfully | :04:26. | :04:29. | |
selected for a 5th Olympics the other day, so we have had major | :04:30. | :04:34. | |
players but we have dominated this event and won more medals in the | :04:34. | :04:35. | |
European cross-country championships than any other | :04:35. | :04:39. | |
country, and that's what the youngsters need because it takes an | :04:39. | :04:49. | |
:04:49. | :04:49. | ||
awful long time to go from a young runner Mo Farah, and this event | :04:49. | :04:55. | |
help that journey. Paula Radcliffe has won this title back in 1998. | :04:55. | :05:03. | |
Just selected for 2012. A very different stage of her career now. | :05:03. | :05:07. | |
How do you think she will react to that selection and how do you see | :05:07. | :05:12. | |
the year going for her towards the marathon? Is it did fantastic? Her | :05:12. | :05:18. | |
5th Olympic Games. -- isn't it fantastic? I, member anybody who | :05:18. | :05:23. | |
has done five Olympic Games. -- I can't remember anybody who has done | :05:23. | :05:26. | |
five Olympic Games. She did well in Berlin and qualified quite rightly | :05:26. | :05:32. | |
for the team. What a boost for her training in Kenya. Nothing more to | :05:32. | :05:37. | |
do, selected for 2012, and how much is she going to enjoy that? The | :05:37. | :05:42. | |
London Marathon has been a major stage. She has got a bigger stage, | :05:42. | :05:48. | |
the Olympic Games, on the London Marathon course. That's in a few | :05:48. | :05:52. | |
months' time and with Paula Radcliffe, it will be a great story, | :05:52. | :06:00. | |
a great story. Andy Baddeley, a 1,500 metre specialist. You | :06:00. | :06:03. | |
flattered to deceive with major championships, I think it is fair | :06:03. | :06:09. | |
to say. How important is this in the build-up to the Olympics? | :06:09. | :06:12. | |
important and I'm pleased to see him doing it because strength and | :06:12. | :06:15. | |
endurance is what he needs for the track. I spoke to Steve Cram this | :06:16. | :06:20. | |
morning. I asked him if he was still competing, would this figure | :06:20. | :06:26. | |
in your armoury? He said he would certainly be using up Cross-Country. | :06:26. | :06:30. | |
I think it's right that Andy Baddeley should do that because | :06:30. | :06:35. | |
endurance is what you need in the 1,500 metres to put up a earlier | :06:35. | :06:39. | |
today the first race was the women's junior race. It turned out | :06:39. | :06:44. | |
to be pretty successful for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It | :06:44. | :06:54. | |
:06:54. | :06:56. | ||
Emilia Gorecka bided her time a little bit. Last year's silver- | :06:56. | :07:03. | |
medallist set the pace. She has moved away to the front and has had | :07:03. | :07:11. | |
to work hard to break the Romanian. She was hoping to move up from a | :07:11. | :07:19. | |
bronze medal last year to the gold this year. She did it in fine style. | :07:19. | :07:26. | |
Charlotte Purdue, she won it last year. Emilia Gorecka getting a gold | :07:26. | :07:30. | |
medal and a great start for the British team. It's a title which | :07:30. | :07:33. | |
not only they were aiming for individually but the team as well, | :07:33. | :07:40. | |
so she has backed up behind her. Annabel Gummow, crossing the line | :07:40. | :07:45. | |
in 6th place. Last year she got into the top 10, which gave us a | :07:45. | :07:54. | |
really good base for which we went on to win the gold medal with Gemma | :07:54. | :07:59. | |
Kersey and Katie Holt behind her. Annabel Gummow, a huge talent. The | :07:59. | :08:03. | |
British team has really dominated this team in terms of team and | :08:03. | :08:07. | |
individual. Russia did well, just three points away. Watch out for | :08:07. | :08:16. | |
A great performance there from Emilia Gorecka and the British team. | :08:16. | :08:20. | |
It's a great development stage, isn't it? A gold medal for Emilia | :08:20. | :08:24. | |
Gorecka and a team. In a week which has been dominated by Europe, it's | :08:24. | :08:29. | |
nice to hear the Union Jack being displayed. We had the senior | :08:29. | :08:33. | |
women's race next. Patti Deano won the British trials for the Powell | :08:33. | :08:41. | |
do you see her chances? -- Hattie I think she would have featured in | :08:41. | :08:45. | |
the team championships and I am thrilled she is coming back. She | :08:45. | :08:50. | |
should give it a good run for her money today. You have got your | :08:50. | :09:00. | |
marching orders to go alongside You consider Portuguese team are | :09:00. | :09:09. | |
just getting ready. They would have had high hopes are. She is trying | :09:09. | :09:13. | |
to move up to that event for next year in the Olympic Games but | :09:13. | :09:18. | |
dropped out of the cross-country trials so no Jessica Augusta for | :09:18. | :09:22. | |
the Portuguese team which gives Great Britain high hopes once more | :09:22. | :09:32. | |
:09:32. | :09:32. | ||
doing very well here. They have won the the silver medal here but Hatti | :09:32. | :09:36. | |
Dean won the trials in fine style, some good experience in there. They | :09:36. | :09:41. | |
you can see Freya Murray and Gemma Steel And has been in good form all | :09:41. | :09:50. | |
year. They will have to go well to follow on behind Hatti Dean. It's | :09:50. | :10:00. | |
:10:00. | :10:03. | ||
hard to pick out too many away so really good competition in | :10:04. | :10:13. | |
:10:14. | :10:15. | ||
prospect. The favourite I would suggest could well come from Italy. | :10:15. | :10:23. | |
And that is Nadia Ejjafini wearing sunglasses. I think she will go | :10:23. | :10:29. | |
well today. Another one who has moved up into the marathon, a great | :10:29. | :10:33. | |
mix of a track specialist, the 1,500 metre runners are right up to | :10:33. | :10:40. | |
the marathon runners coming together in Cross-Country. 8,000 | :10:40. | :10:48. | |
metres in Velenje. As we have a flat course. 1,300 metres. And a | :10:48. | :10:54. | |
short lap of 500. Five of along a laps and won a short one to add up | :10:54. | :11:01. | |
to 8,000 metres. The weather is cold but find and drive. This | :11:01. | :11:07. | |
course is proving to be not too much of a test in terms of | :11:07. | :11:11. | |
traditional cross-country courses, if you like -- the weather is fine | :11:11. | :11:18. | |
and dry. Nothing for the track specialists to worry about, though. | :11:18. | :11:23. | |
The women's race under way. It's always a big sprint at the | :11:23. | :11:28. | |
beginning to settle down and find yourself a place. And then settle | :11:28. | :11:32. | |
down into a bit of a rhythm. We expect the British women to take | :11:33. | :11:38. | |
their time a little bit. We saw Emilia Gorecka do that in the | :11:38. | :11:42. | |
junior race. She ran smartly in the first three or four minutes of the | :11:42. | :11:49. | |
race and then moved her way through and timed her effort perfectly. | :11:49. | :11:58. | |
Nadia Ejjafini For Italy in the beginning. The Dutch athlete in the | :11:58. | :12:03. | |
beginning there. Hatti Dean just tucked in the behind at the leading | :12:03. | :12:10. | |
group. They are just settling down around this first of. Ancuta | :12:10. | :12:14. | |
Bobocel. I apologise give it to the will to work out exactly where they | :12:15. | :12:19. | |
are because there's a lot of turns and you can see they give a little | :12:19. | :12:24. | |
bit at an impression. It will eventually be the finishing | :12:24. | :12:29. | |
straight. And then they will head doubt on the first of five large | :12:29. | :12:38. | |
laps. -- head out. Ireland had a good championships last year with | :12:38. | :12:45. | |
Fionnualla Britton with a couple of surprise medals. The Great Britain | :12:45. | :12:51. | |
team, before we started here today, 80 medals, 30 more than any other | :12:51. | :12:55. | |
nation in these European Cross Country Championships. It just | :12:55. | :12:59. | |
shows the dominance. When you think of the Portuguese and Spanish and a | :12:59. | :13:05. | |
great pedigree in distance running, it highlights how well the last few | :13:05. | :13:09. | |
years Great Britain has been doing in their endurance programme. It is | :13:09. | :13:14. | |
certainly bearing fruit. They are all wearing chips on that there | :13:14. | :13:20. | |
spikes, and it's working pretty well today. You can see on the | :13:20. | :13:23. | |
screen of their exactly where they are at the end of each lap. The | :13:23. | :13:31. | |
first 500 metres completed. Gemma Steel. Hatti Dean at leading up. | :13:31. | :13:41. | |
:13:41. | :13:42. | ||
Brendan has joined me now. minutes. A personal best, I think. | :13:42. | :13:45. | |
The you could see the way the athletes set of and I think their | :13:45. | :13:51. | |
team manager said to them, don't go too quickly in the early stages. | :13:51. | :13:55. | |
Hatti Dean at leading the British team were the Freya Murray | :13:55. | :14:02. | |
alongside her. The British team is a good one. Julia Bleasdale, Freya | :14:02. | :14:07. | |
Murray, Gemma Steel. The second order, away from the very fast | :14:08. | :14:12. | |
opening park. The interesting thing is, gauging the effort. The course | :14:12. | :14:18. | |
looks pretty favourable. We could only see what you can see. The | :14:18. | :14:23. | |
course is not too heavy. It looks like a run has caused a rather than | :14:23. | :14:27. | |
a real endurance test. Britain and Ireland is where we expect to find | :14:27. | :14:34. | |
them, at the beginning. She could and a real chance in this one today. | :14:34. | :14:40. | |
The Irish have done well in cross- country running well. Especially in | :14:40. | :14:47. | |
the early races. Irish athletes have figured strongly over the | :14:47. | :14:57. | |
:14:57. | :14:57. | ||
years. The first one was held a few years ago and it's a great | :14:57. | :15:04. | |
tradition of cross-country running there. It's good to see Fionnualla | :15:05. | :15:09. | |
Britton up there at the beginning. He plenty of for medalists in this | :15:09. | :15:14. | |
race, of different age groups. As a Jonathan was alluding to, of course, | :15:14. | :15:19. | |
we have seen the junior women's race already so six races | :15:19. | :15:25. | |
altogether. Plenty of medals up for grabs. And the British team third | :15:25. | :15:28. | |
league target every single one of those races individually and in the | :15:28. | :15:33. | |
team event, as well, but this one in particular is, given the | :15:33. | :15:36. | |
pedigree of Britain's women's distance running in the last 10 | :15:36. | :15:41. | |
years, it is one they really would like to wrestle back, if you like, | :15:41. | :15:43. | |
because the silver medal in the last four years, I'm sure they | :15:43. | :15:48. | |
would love to convert into gold. It's a good team. As I said, it's | :15:48. | :15:54. | |
good to see Freya Murray and Gemma Steel Already in the front at ready. | :15:54. | :15:59. | |
Elle Baker going through their already. The Italians will be good. | :15:59. | :16:04. | |
The Portuguese, as I said, seriously, they have had their | :16:04. | :16:14. | |
:16:14. | :16:15. | ||
chances dented. A good opportunity the British team through, closing | :16:15. | :16:20. | |
up the pack. The early tactics, they have discussed this, it makes | :16:20. | :16:26. | |
a lot of sense. There is Baker of UK running through. Back in about | :16:26. | :16:31. | |
10 per place is the diminutive figure, the Scottish athlete who | :16:31. | :16:36. | |
ran the few -- the Commonwealth Games a few years ago, she has been | :16:36. | :16:45. | |
running well recently on the roads. In the leading group, Ejjafini in | :16:45. | :16:50. | |
second place, Fionnulla Britton alongside her. Ana Dulce Felix in | :16:50. | :16:54. | |
5th place. On the wide outside, the first of the British athletes. It | :16:54. | :16:59. | |
is an open race, you would not want to predict the winner. You did not | :16:59. | :17:03. | |
know who is coming into the race confident they can win it. You will | :17:03. | :17:07. | |
get a run for your money from the British team. They are doing that. | :17:07. | :17:13. | |
Looking back there, Hattie Dean is in about 15th place. Julia | :17:13. | :17:17. | |
Bleasdale just behind her. It is looking good for the team events. | :17:18. | :17:25. | |
Fionnulla Britton is looking strong in the individual event. Fionnulla | :17:25. | :17:31. | |
Britton trying to push things on at a very early stage of the race. | :17:31. | :17:35. | |
Ejjafini an interesting athlete, born in Morocco and went to compete | :17:35. | :17:42. | |
for borrowing. By marriage, she now runs for Italy, she has been clear | :17:42. | :17:47. | |
to run for Italy for two years now. She is having a very good year, in | :17:47. | :17:51. | |
the yacht -- longer distances, she has run a very fast marathon and | :17:51. | :17:58. | |
half marathon, she has improved her personal best which is a good sign. | :17:58. | :18:02. | |
She has picked up a few scalps on the cross-country circuit as well. | :18:02. | :18:08. | |
She will be a very good to danger today. One of two people are there | :18:08. | :18:11. | |
not being able to compete here, Freya Murray is just watching those | :18:11. | :18:16. | |
go through. It is good packing from the British team. It is for inside | :18:16. | :18:21. | |
the top 15, and that would be gold medal if they were able to maintain | :18:21. | :18:30. | |
his position as. It is a hot pace being set here -- it's a hard place. | :18:31. | :18:35. | |
She is taking it to them, the new- look Britain, she has broken the | :18:35. | :18:45. | |
:18:45. | :18:45. | ||
field up Britain -- broken up the field. They are all well strung out | :18:45. | :18:54. | |
behind this fast pace being set early on. You can see slowing-down | :18:54. | :18:58. | |
-- lower down the field, the rest of the Irish team, but there is the | :18:58. | :19:04. | |
leader, Fionnulla Britton, really head-down, determined. Clearly | :19:04. | :19:08. | |
running to plan here. She is not holding back or running practically. | :19:08. | :19:14. | |
She is saying, she is a very good steeplechase runner, nine minutes | :19:14. | :19:18. | |
37 seconds, she ran the European Championships and finished 4th. The | :19:18. | :19:23. | |
race is on the second lap now. Similar Britain is leading. Freya | :19:23. | :19:26. | |
Murray being overtaken by Gemma Steel -- Fionnulla Britton is | :19:26. | :19:32. | |
leading. Hattie Dean who won the British trials for this event, now | :19:32. | :19:39. | |
the group is beginning to open up a little. Fionnulla Britton, Ejjafini | :19:39. | :19:42. | |
and Ana Dulce Felix, all three names you would have put in a long | :19:43. | :19:47. | |
list among the early part, but he would not have been able to pick a | :19:47. | :19:50. | |
winner. You still cannot pick a winner. There are three of them | :19:50. | :19:57. | |
starting to settle down with a gap. Fionnulla Britton ran really well a | :19:57. | :20:02. | |
few weeks ago, which was in essentially the French trials. | :20:02. | :20:07. | |
There were some Eva Prince -- Ethiopians running in the men's | :20:07. | :20:17. | |
:20:17. | :20:18. | ||
race. Fionnulla Britton was only 10 or 11 seconds behind the winner, | :20:18. | :20:24. | |
and was a long way ahead of the Turkish athletes who is in 5th | :20:24. | :20:29. | |
place, Binniz Uslu, she is bringing that confident into the | :20:29. | :20:34. | |
championships. She knows that Ejjafini is in great shape. Ana | :20:34. | :20:38. | |
Felix, we would expect her to be in there or thereabouts. This is brave | :20:38. | :20:44. | |
running from Fionnulla Britton, she looks comfortable. Gemma Steel, who | :20:44. | :20:51. | |
beat Ana Felix, early on it, she is living through nicely. She set off | :20:52. | :20:56. | |
comfortably and is moving through. Gemma Steel, the first of the | :20:56. | :21:00. | |
British athlete, into 6th place. Fionnulla Britton is running | :21:00. | :21:04. | |
powerfully and confidently. When an athlete tells -- get their head | :21:04. | :21:10. | |
down and starts to drive, you can tell. Gemma Steel in six place. | :21:10. | :21:16. | |
Freya Murray is in 10th place. So the team, the event is being blown | :21:16. | :21:19. | |
apart. The gaps are being widened by the consistent pace of Fionnulla | :21:19. | :21:24. | |
Britton, Ejjafini and Ana Dulce Felix, all three of them have | :21:24. | :21:28. | |
distinguished themselves on the roads, in the country and on the | :21:28. | :21:32. | |
track. But Fionnulla Britton, for the moment, concentration, you can | :21:32. | :21:38. | |
see it in a map -- in her eyes. She is trying to break the field. She | :21:38. | :21:41. | |
does not want two athlete sitting on her shoulder for nine much | :21:41. | :21:45. | |
longer. This is the battle for the individual medals at the moment. | :21:45. | :21:49. | |
Plenty of running left here. After the first two kilometres, Great | :21:49. | :21:52. | |
Britain were in the lead in the team race but only just, from | :21:52. | :21:58. | |
Portugal, by four points. Rest assured, those positions will | :21:58. | :22:02. | |
change. Gemma Steel has moved up. She was in 11th place at that | :22:02. | :22:07. | |
measurement, so she has obviously improved her position. Just | :22:07. | :22:12. | |
watching behind, Freya Murray, the next, then Julia Bleasdale. Hattie | :22:12. | :22:16. | |
Dean is the one I would have expected to have been further up, | :22:16. | :22:22. | |
not quite sure what is going on with her. She had a great race at | :22:22. | :22:31. | |
the trials. She is unable to replicate that today. That is our | :22:31. | :22:34. | |
first athlete to drop out. The course is not actually that's tough. | :22:35. | :22:40. | |
In terms of the Test. There is this one sticky area. Just look at Gemma | :22:40. | :22:50. | |
:22:50. | :22:54. | ||
Steel there. That burst -- fast pace has put paid to a few athletes. | :22:54. | :23:00. | |
Here comes Roxana Barca from Romania. The counters will be very | :23:00. | :23:05. | |
important here. Julia Bleasdale coming through, Baker will be the | :23:05. | :23:11. | |
4th accountable to operate Britain looking good for the team race. | :23:11. | :23:15. | |
This is the thing about cross- country running. You have got the | :23:15. | :23:20. | |
track specialists, 3000 metres, Fionnulla Britton, Ana Dulce Felix | :23:20. | :23:25. | |
finished second in the Great North Run a few years ago. She is a half | :23:25. | :23:29. | |
marathon specialist. And Ejjafini ran a good marathon recently. You | :23:29. | :23:33. | |
have got the track runners, the cross-country runners, the road | :23:33. | :23:36. | |
runners and the marathon runners all competing against each other. A | :23:36. | :23:40. | |
good position now is being gathered by Gemma Steel of Great Britain. | :23:40. | :23:45. | |
She is the leading candidate there, she is in 4th place. A little bit | :23:45. | :23:49. | |
or adapt to the leading group, but she is an endurance athlete, Gemma | :23:49. | :23:54. | |
Steel. -- a little bit of a gap until the leading group. But track | :23:54. | :24:01. | |
specialist Fionnulla Britton, the marathon specialist Nadia Ejjafini, | :24:01. | :24:04. | |
the Road runner Ana Dulce Felix, and Gemma Steel who have | :24:04. | :24:09. | |
distinguished herself on the roads recently. She won the replay -- | :24:09. | :24:15. | |
women's race recently at the grey Birmingham run, that is when highly | :24:15. | :24:24. | |
Gebrselassie won the man's race. Ana Dulce Felix is falling off the | :24:24. | :24:28. | |
leading group. She has got a good gap into 5th and 6th place, as we | :24:28. | :24:32. | |
look at the chasing group coming through. We are looking for the | :24:32. | :24:37. | |
next British athlete, and there she is, Freya Murray. There are two of | :24:38. | :24:41. | |
the other British athletes. That is Julia Bleasdale, and Baker, and | :24:41. | :24:46. | |
then Hattie Dean, surprisingly, still running strongly but has lost | :24:46. | :24:52. | |
a few places. Gemma Steel finished second to Hattie Dean at the trials, | :24:52. | :24:56. | |
there was not much between them on that occasion. You would have | :24:56. | :25:00. | |
expected Hattie Dean to be up here. She targeted eight finish in the | :25:00. | :25:05. | |
top five or six at the least. Disappointing so far from her. | :25:05. | :25:08. | |
Steeplechase is her main forte on the track. Gemma Steel has now got | :25:08. | :25:14. | |
a medal within her site. Because gradually, she is starting to close | :25:14. | :25:17. | |
up the group, and as that is happening, some pressure was | :25:17. | :25:22. | |
applied with Ejjafini. That has put paid to Ana Dulce Felix, who is | :25:22. | :25:27. | |
just starting to struggle. Gemma Steel will be coming up on her | :25:27. | :25:31. | |
shortly, I'm sure. Gemma is picking them off here. The top two are | :25:31. | :25:35. | |
still going well. Gemma Steel is moving nicely. Roxana Barca share | :25:35. | :25:44. | |
coming through the picture. Freya Murray is behind them, about 11 or | :25:44. | :25:49. | |
12 place. Good morning from Gemma Steel. There is still 10 or 11 | :25:49. | :25:52. | |
minutes of running left. When you see yourself reading through, you | :25:52. | :25:58. | |
are catching people, you see the leaders are not moving away, that | :25:58. | :26:02. | |
for a five-second lead, it is probably about three seconds now. | :26:02. | :26:06. | |
She has got to keep pushing on, Fionnulla Britton has realised that. | :26:06. | :26:10. | |
Really good. She looks relaxed, doesn't she? She has got two very | :26:10. | :26:14. | |
good athlete ahead of her, Gemma Steel, but if Fionnulla Britton can | :26:14. | :26:19. | |
break Ejjafini, she can have someone else to aim at. Impressive | :26:19. | :26:24. | |
running so far from Manila Britain. She has come up here to try and run | :26:25. | :26:29. | |
away from everyone else. Ejjafini ran a very good marathon recently, | :26:30. | :26:34. | |
she is looking strong as the race goes on. You would not expect her | :26:34. | :26:41. | |
to tire too much. Fionnulla Britton, who is powerful in the finished, | :26:41. | :26:45. | |
she has got a lot of equipment. Now Gemma Steel is moving away from Ana | :26:45. | :26:49. | |
Dulce Felix into third place. Can she forget about third and look | :26:49. | :26:53. | |
ahead of her? Instead of thinking about the bronze-medal, can Gemma | :26:53. | :26:57. | |
Steel, for the first time in a major championships, start thinking | :26:57. | :27:01. | |
about a higher metal? Her endurance is there, we have seen that | :27:01. | :27:06. | |
recently. She finished second in the trials. Many people thought she | :27:06. | :27:10. | |
could have won that. But Fionnulla Britton looks a picture of | :27:10. | :27:17. | |
concentration as she Rams those corners. -- rounds the corners. She | :27:17. | :27:22. | |
has got a few yards ahead of her. Gemma Steel is closing Lee Gap, | :27:22. | :27:28. | |
definitely opening a gap on Ana Dulce Felix. Four athlete there and | :27:28. | :27:37. | |
then a big gap. Ejjafini is hanging on to Fionnulla Britton, but she | :27:37. | :27:43. | |
looks determined to win this one. Two laps to go. Four minutes 50 | :27:43. | :27:50. | |
seconds for the previous lap, that is another nine minutes of running. | :27:50. | :27:54. | |
That is really interesting for Gemma Steel. As soon as Ejjafini | :27:54. | :27:58. | |
sought Fionnulla Britton put the foot down, she is starting to | :27:58. | :28:01. | |
struggle. The stride length has shortened, the knees are not coming | :28:01. | :28:05. | |
up anywhere near as much as they were, and Gemma Steel is looking a | :28:05. | :28:11. | |
big threat to the by Irish athlete. Fionnulla Britton is looking | :28:11. | :28:16. | |
comfortable, but Gemma Steel has got time here. At the end of the | :28:16. | :28:20. | |
previous lap, Great Britain were leading the team race. Really good | :28:20. | :28:25. | |
packing behind their point The next three are all together, Freya | :28:25. | :28:29. | |
Murray, Elle Baker and Julia Bleasdale. Julia is looking as if | :28:29. | :28:34. | |
she is struggling a little. Hattie Dean behind her is their testing | :28:34. | :28:38. | |
case he starts to falter. The silver medal for the team over the | :28:38. | :28:43. | |
last four years could be turned to gold today, as long as they remain | :28:43. | :28:46. | |
solid. With the experience in that team, the likes of Freya Murray, | :28:46. | :28:52. | |
you are not going to see them fall apart. With Hattie Dean, you have | :28:52. | :28:55. | |
got five counters in a pretty good position. Hats off to Fionnulla | :28:55. | :29:01. | |
Britton, head down, higher elbows, just like Gemma Steel. She carries | :29:01. | :29:07. | |
her arms very high. It is effective, and now in second place is the | :29:07. | :29:13. | |
Italian, starting to struggle. Gemma Steel did forget about third | :29:13. | :29:18. | |
place and went straight past the Italian. She got rid of Ana Dulce | :29:18. | :29:24. | |
Felix and she is now settling down in second place. As I've said, her | :29:24. | :29:27. | |
endurance, he is Ana Dulce Felix coming through, her insurance is | :29:27. | :29:32. | |
her strength. Fionnulla Britton is sharper, quicker on the track and | :29:32. | :29:35. | |
better at 1500 metres than Gemma Steel, but look at how working hard | :29:35. | :29:40. | |
now. The gap is not very much at all. There is still a lot of | :29:40. | :29:43. | |
running to happen here. Fionnulla Britton is clear and the pressure | :29:43. | :29:48. | |
is now on have. It looked as if it was a winning lead, but Gemma Steel | :29:48. | :29:51. | |
is not giving up the chase. She looks across to her left | :29:51. | :29:55. | |
occasionally, she is getting good encouragement and information from | :29:55. | :29:59. | |
the insurance team, led by the manager, Ian Stewart, who is | :29:59. | :30:04. | |
looking after these athletes and got them prepared for this event. | :30:04. | :30:07. | |
Gemma Steel is running the international race of her life. | :30:07. | :30:09. | |
Fionnulla Britton, more accomplished on the track and more | :30:10. | :30:16. | |
accomplished at with speed, has she got the endurance of this last lap? | :30:16. | :30:18. | |
She is still a picture of concentration. Gemma Steel is | :30:18. | :30:22. | |
building up a good distance behind her into 4th place. The British | :30:22. | :30:32. | |
:30:32. | :30:34. | ||
team, as you said earlier, are plenty of time and I think the | :30:34. | :30:38. | |
British team, the completion of that lap, the position through, | :30:38. | :30:47. | |
there is only five points actually. Four counters. Top four finishers, | :30:47. | :30:52. | |
that's what counts. Gemma Steel Along with Freya Murray and Elle | :30:52. | :30:57. | |
Baker, but Portugal still close enough to be a threat, so they have | :30:57. | :31:01. | |
got to hold those positions and keep working hard in these latter | :31:01. | :31:11. | |
:31:11. | :31:16. | ||
stages as they head along there before. Back in 1999. Bash hosted. | :31:16. | :31:26. | |
:31:26. | :31:37. | ||
-- hosted. It was pretty good -- sitting Britain. This does it | :31:37. | :31:42. | |
them, this type of course. Making sure she doesn't give any | :31:42. | :31:48. | |
encouragement to Gemma Steel Here. Trying to follow in the footsteps | :31:48. | :31:53. | |
of the only other Irish winner of this women's race here. Felix | :31:53. | :31:59. | |
moving into third place. That gap is not getting any bigger. If | :31:59. | :32:05. | |
anything, it's just closing slightly. It may be two and a half | :32:05. | :32:10. | |
seconds now. Gemma Steel. It she could just put her under some | :32:10. | :32:15. | |
pressure there, entering the last lap, it she could make Britain | :32:15. | :32:18. | |
think she is catching her, put some doubt in her mind, to get close | :32:18. | :32:24. | |
enough, you are right, she can finish well. But she is close | :32:24. | :32:32. | |
enough to be a threat. On the last lap now. Fionnualla Britton, | :32:32. | :32:38. | |
setting off with will determination. She finished 16th in the world | :32:38. | :32:42. | |
cross-country championships. Gemma Steel Has had a terrific year, | :32:42. | :32:46. | |
building towards this. Her confidence has been increasing. | :32:46. | :32:52. | |
That's the most important thing about this. She has had ability. We | :32:52. | :32:56. | |
have seen some performances from air over the years but this has | :32:56. | :33:02. | |
been so good for her. She won in Yorkshire earlier this year which | :33:02. | :33:09. | |
gave her confidence and then one the Birmingham race and having her | :33:09. | :33:17. | |
photograph taken with Gebrselassie. She can believe it. Italy in 4th | :33:17. | :33:23. | |
place now. It looks as though they will be the four. Will there be any | :33:23. | :33:29. | |
changes? The only might be in second and third place but | :33:29. | :33:35. | |
Fionnualla Britton, she looks powerful. She doesn't look over her | :33:35. | :33:41. | |
shoulder. Proper preparation for this event. Knowing what she was | :33:41. | :33:49. | |
doing. She is running strongly now. Gemma Steel Is in second place. The | :33:49. | :33:52. | |
best international race she has ever run and this will be another | :33:52. | :33:58. | |
step forward for her. Here is a Felix. Roadrunner extraordinary on | :33:58. | :34:05. | |
occasion. Fionnualla Britton, surely she's not going to give up | :34:05. | :34:11. | |
this one? Gemma Steel, for the first time, looks tired. Of Felix | :34:11. | :34:17. | |
has got her with in her sights now. No signs of weakness now from | :34:17. | :34:27. | |
Fionnualla Britton, stride length moving nicely across the ground. | :34:27. | :34:35. | |
Gemma Steel Is under pressure now. Felix has got it the look of | :34:35. | :34:39. | |
someone of struggling on the last lap. Gemma Steel Has a personal | :34:40. | :34:45. | |
bests on the track. A medal here would be really good for her. A | :34:45. | :34:51. | |
really good performance. I'm just watching the Portuguese go through | :34:51. | :34:56. | |
as they head round this last lap or so it will be close for the team | :34:56. | :35:02. | |
race. If it Felix get ahead of Gemma Steel, it's almost a two | :35:02. | :35:12. | |
:35:12. | :35:16. | ||
point so winner, isn't it? -- swing. Fionnualla Britton, she is racing | :35:16. | :35:20. | |
around there now. Gemma Steel Needs to keep going now. She is not going | :35:20. | :35:26. | |
to give this one up now. She has been in second place for long | :35:26. | :35:34. | |
enough. Ireland, a great tradition in this race. Gemma Steel Coming | :35:34. | :35:40. | |
under pressure from Felix. Their team at race is an issue. | :35:40. | :35:46. | |
Fionnualla Britton, she looks brilliant. The team score is that | :35:46. | :35:54. | |
it's extremely close. Even at this finish between them it could be the | :35:54. | :36:00. | |
determining factor but there goes Fionnualla Britton, a fantastic | :36:00. | :36:05. | |
performance by the Irish lady. Here is the race for second place. | :36:05. | :36:12. | |
are level on 44. At the end of the penultimate lap, so that would put | :36:12. | :36:19. | |
Portuguese ahead. -- 44 points. They haven't dropped places, and | :36:19. | :36:29. | |
the Portuguese athlete has been a moving through. Fionnualla Britton, | :36:29. | :36:34. | |
now approaching the finish. This area is a sticky to negotiate but | :36:34. | :36:43. | |
the competition have been no match for the Irish athlete. Back in 1994, | :36:43. | :36:49. | |
the Irish won the gold medal individually. Fionnualla Britton, a | :36:50. | :36:54. | |
little glance at the camera there. She can now relax. There is the | :36:54. | :37:01. | |
finish, 150 metres ahead also. Felix, the silver medal, and Gemma | :37:01. | :37:05. | |
Steel Has done well for bronze. And that could be a significant as far | :37:05. | :37:13. | |
as the team race is concerned. The champion will come from Ireland. | :37:13. | :37:20. | |
4th last year, gold this time for Ireland. Fionnualla Britton, a | :37:20. | :37:25. | |
dominant victory. Felix, improves to the silver this year and Gemma | :37:25. | :37:30. | |
Steel, the best one of her career so far, taking the individual | :37:30. | :37:36. | |
bronze and how happy is Fionnualla Britton? The Irish don't need any | :37:36. | :37:41. | |
excuse to celebrate, do they? Gemma Steel Should be proud of her | :37:41. | :37:46. | |
performance there. So the question is, let's watch the athletes coming | :37:46. | :37:53. | |
through. Italy, we knew she was in 4th place. Germany coming through. | :37:53. | :38:03. | |
I'm watching now for the other canter for Portugal. She has lost a | :38:03. | :38:11. | |
couple of places. Dropped from 6th to 8th. Freya Murray, second across | :38:11. | :38:17. | |
the line for Great Britain and then it will be Bleasdale. Will that be | :38:17. | :38:24. | |
enough? It could well be. Elle Baker crossing the line as well. | :38:24. | :38:28. | |
That's the third canter for Portugal coming in. I'm going to | :38:28. | :38:35. | |
look at Brendan. He is brilliant at maths. Better than a computer. | :38:35. | :38:44. | |
go to the computer and I will do the mental arithmetic. Fionnualla | :38:44. | :38:49. | |
Britton, a victory like this gives you so much confidence. You win a | :38:49. | :38:54. | |
European title and then you can translated into next year. A big | :38:54. | :38:58. | |
year, of course, for all of the distance athletes but this might | :38:58. | :39:01. | |
just give her the lift she can translate into something on the | :39:02. | :39:08. | |
track as well. Fionnualla Britton Wins the individual race and Great | :39:08. | :39:18. | |
:39:18. | :39:25. | ||
and it looks like it will be enough to hold off Portugal but Fionnualla | :39:25. | :39:29. | |
Britton and Gemma Steel Were terrific and Great Britain ran well | :39:29. | :39:33. | |
as a team. The athletes still finishing. I think there's an | :39:33. | :39:40. | |
opportunity to go from the national stage into the international stage | :39:40. | :39:42. | |
in be European Cross Country Championships, which validates this | :39:42. | :39:52. | |
:39:52. | :39:52. | ||
event. Fionnualla Britton Will gain an awful lot from this. So that was | :39:53. | :39:55. | |
a really, really good race and a good performance by the British | :39:55. | :40:04. | |
team. And a good overall day here. A good course. Good conditions. | :40:04. | :40:10. | |
There is the other four counters. They're just crossed the line and | :40:10. | :40:15. | |
find out that their team mate has won the individual gold. They will | :40:15. | :40:19. | |
be absolutely delighted with that. Just to confirm the other positions | :40:19. | :40:26. | |
for the British athletes. Julia pleased a, their team. Elle Baker, | :40:26. | :40:33. | |
14, Hatti Dean, 18th place. Emily works dropped out at the beginning. | :40:33. | :40:41. | |
She was struggling with breathing problems. She actually dropped out. | :40:41. | :40:48. | |
All five counters finished in the top 18. Nobody able to contest that. | :40:48. | :40:55. | |
Finally a gold. That's right. Formula One start statistics coming | :40:55. | :41:05. | |
:41:05. | :41:08. | ||
from the computer by Steve Cram, now at these cross-country events. | :41:08. | :41:13. | |
It helps cover the story of the race. Good news for Great Britain | :41:13. | :41:17. | |
and and individual bronze medal, and we will wait for official | :41:17. | :41:20. | |
confirmation. As far as we're concerned, it is gold in the team | :41:20. | :41:30. | |
:41:30. | :41:31. | ||
JONATHAN EDWARDS: Congratulations to Fionnualla Britton other come | :41:31. | :41:36. | |
back of Steph Twell is where the big stories. In February she had a | :41:36. | :41:42. | |
triple fracture of her ankle. Today she ran in the under 23 race. We | :41:42. | :41:51. | |
can join them as they just about to pushing on. She has got her team- | :41:51. | :42:00. | |
mates there with her. Naomi Taschimowitz. And Beth Potter. | :42:00. | :42:04. | |
Great Britain have dominated this would have not Walker not far | :42:04. | :42:14. | |
:42:14. | :42:22. | ||
behind. Who is going to win? -- Jews on the comeback trail. Running | :42:22. | :42:28. | |
with three plates in her ankle. -- but she is on the comeback trail. | :42:28. | :42:33. | |
Emma Pallant, a silver-medallist last year. We had been expecting | :42:33. | :42:41. | |
the three medallists from asked it to can be here. Christina Jordan | :42:41. | :42:46. | |
from Spain a late withdrawal. That us that the way open for the | :42:46. | :42:51. | |
British athletes. They have dominated the race so far. Behind | :42:51. | :42:57. | |
them, Germany trying to get involved. What a story for Steph | :42:57. | :43:02. | |
Twell. She has worked so hard, put all of the same dedication she | :43:02. | :43:07. | |
normally puts into her training into her rehabilitation, left no | :43:07. | :43:12. | |
stone unturned, and this is certainly not hurt completely back, | :43:12. | :43:19. | |
but it's very, very encouraging from her so far. No question about | :43:19. | :43:23. | |
the team race here. For the first time, Emma Pallant pushing on a | :43:23. | :43:32. | |
little bit. They know each other so well. Mick Woods coaching both of | :43:32. | :43:37. | |
them. It's a very good performance from Naomi Taschimowitz, the | :43:37. | :43:41. | |
Cambridge University student, mixing it here with the two of them. | :43:41. | :43:49. | |
She was ahead of Emma Pallant in the trials but all the sudden, Emma | :43:49. | :43:54. | |
Pallant has stretched out. She's hoping this will convert do | :43:54. | :44:01. | |
something in the summer for her, but look behind. Steph Twell. Naomi | :44:01. | :44:05. | |
Taschimowitz coming under pressure from behind. Can they hang on to | :44:05. | :44:10. | |
second and third and make it a British clean sweep here? | :44:10. | :44:14. | |
Individual medals in their hands at the moment. Team medal, certainly | :44:14. | :44:18. | |
gold for Great Britain. Emma Pallant stretching out at the front | :44:18. | :44:21. | |
and she comes into the twisty section as they approached the | :44:21. | :44:28. | |
finish. It's a pretty deceptive ending. Normally you expect 300 | :44:28. | :44:32. | |
metres straight run into the finish line, but you have got to turn | :44:32. | :44:36. | |
right and then left and then left and then right. And suddenly the | :44:36. | :44:39. | |
finish appears out of nowhere. A sticky section through this area | :44:39. | :44:45. | |
here, not as bad as some think it could be. They have managed to cope | :44:45. | :44:49. | |
pretty well and Emma Pallant looking so Greene here. Just | :44:49. | :44:53. | |
putting a bit of acceleration, and now Steph Twell trying to hang on | :44:53. | :44:58. | |
to second place here. Naomi Taschimowitz with company behind | :44:58. | :45:05. | |
her. Walker coming through for 4th for Great Britain. Good support | :45:05. | :45:11. | |
from the British crowd. Scottish flags in the background. A big | :45:11. | :45:16. | |
Scottish contingent in the British team this year. Emma Pallant, not | :45:16. | :45:19. | |
looking behind, concentrating on her own of form and now she's got | :45:19. | :45:22. | |
to hold it together all these last couple of hundred metres and the | :45:22. | :45:32. | |
:45:32. | :45:38. | ||
all the time. Behind them, Taschimowitz rallying a little bit, | :45:38. | :45:43. | |
going past Steph Twell. She is lacking a bit of pace at this stage | :45:43. | :45:51. | |
of her comeback. Kanti hang on for a Middle? -- can she hang on for a | :45:51. | :45:58. | |
medal? British distance women's running his in such good hand. It | :45:58. | :46:03. | |
is a bit like being strength and depth, the likes of Emma Pallant | :46:03. | :46:06. | |
and Steph Twell at her best would be more than capable of contesting | :46:06. | :46:12. | |
the senior race as well. They have taken the decision to go into the | :46:12. | :46:20. | |
23 and under race. It is there to the one, and why not target it? The | :46:20. | :46:23. | |
British team choose to contest all of the age groups, they have been | :46:23. | :46:27. | |
totally dominant in this one. They have won the gold medal in the team | :46:27. | :46:30. | |
race for the last four years in this race. Steph Twell is now | :46:30. | :46:35. | |
trying really hard, she has got to put on some pressure in the last | :46:35. | :46:42. | |
150 yards. Gold medal goes to Emma Pallant. Will it be acclaimed -- a | :46:43. | :46:52. | |
clean sweep? Taschimowitz take the silver, Steph Twell is just run out, | :46:52. | :46:56. | |
the German athlete gets the bronze. A great performance for the British | :46:56. | :47:00. | |
team, backed up by Hannah Walker coming through in 7th place to | :47:00. | :47:09. | |
insure the Goldberg will. -- the gold medal. | :47:09. | :47:19. | |
A good run from Steph Twell on the comeback train. A great performance. | :47:19. | :47:22. | |
They will be back in the summer, Emma Pallant in particular on the | :47:22. | :47:30. | |
track, and hope the Steph Twell as Double gold for Britain there and | :47:30. | :47:35. | |
Emma Pullen looked very good. was a very good performance, that | :47:35. | :47:41. | |
is a fantastic group that Mick Woods has gone, she -- she has got | :47:41. | :47:44. | |
athletes coming through all the time. Steph Twell coming back from | :47:44. | :47:48. | |
horrific injury and she is part of it. He will be thrilled, it is | :47:48. | :47:52. | |
great to get the individual medal, but in cross-country it is nice to | :47:52. | :47:55. | |
get gold individually and in the team race. She has had a great day | :47:55. | :48:01. | |
but the British team have had a terrific day. Gold in the women's | :48:01. | :48:06. | |
race in the women's race for Britain as well. Some good | :48:06. | :48:10. | |
performances, and will step up from Gemma Steel who has been promising | :48:10. | :48:13. | |
and running well on the roads. She has got great stamina, she is not | :48:13. | :48:20. | |
so much of a track runner. Longer distances will really be have 40. - | :48:20. | :48:24. | |
- her forte. A great performance from Fionnulla Britton from Ireland, | :48:24. | :48:28. | |
she is a great athlete, there have been some great athletes from | :48:28. | :48:32. | |
Ireland in the past, she has been in their shadow, Sonia O'Sullivan, | :48:32. | :48:36. | |
but now she has stepped up with a gold medal. They will be | :48:36. | :48:41. | |
celebrating in Ireland. Ireland support these championships | :48:41. | :48:46. | |
extremely well. It is great to see her win a gold medal. We used to | :48:46. | :48:50. | |
seem sunnier or Catrina, about is a great one for Fionnulla Britton. | :48:51. | :48:58. | |
Crate full confidence as well, -- great for confident as well. It is | :48:58. | :49:03. | |
good to stand on the podium. Yes, she was 16 in the world cross | :49:03. | :49:06. | |
country, she was the first European in that, but you do not get any | :49:06. | :49:10. | |
medals for that. When they take out the Africans, which are dominating | :49:10. | :49:14. | |
cross-country running, this gives her a chance of. She steps on to | :49:14. | :49:18. | |
the rostrum in first place, and the confidence you get from that is in | :49:18. | :49:22. | |
Perth -- incredible. It is really good, I am very pleased for her. | :49:22. | :49:26. | |
She has been in the steeplechase, 1500 metres, she has been working | :49:26. | :49:33. | |
well, running well on the words. Some good news from France | :49:33. | :49:39. | |
yesterday, Holly Bleasdale breaking the British record. She jumped for | :49:39. | :49:42. | |
me to 71 in the pole vault, a great start. The Olympic season is | :49:42. | :49:47. | |
starting already! We will take a pause from cross- | :49:47. | :49:51. | |
country and look back at the 2011 season, and there is only one place | :49:51. | :49:59. | |
to start and one man to look at, and that is Mo Farah. | :49:59. | :50:06. | |
Mo Farah begins 2011 in winning style again. | :50:06. | :50:10. | |
Mo Farah finds something extra! This will be a superb performance | :50:10. | :50:18. | |
from Mo Farah! Mo Farah defending his title, it | :50:18. | :50:28. | |
:50:28. | :50:43. | ||
will be gold for Great Britain! It is Mo Farah! He is tying up in | :50:43. | :50:47. | |
the closing stages, and he gets there in the dying strides! He | :50:47. | :50:57. | |
:50:57. | :50:57. | ||
denies Mo Farah the medal that he Into was the home straight, he | :50:57. | :51:02. | |
relinquished the lead in the 10,000 metres, is he going to do it again? | :51:02. | :51:10. | |
Mo Farah starts to draw away! It was only silver in the crust -- | :51:10. | :51:15. | |
10,000, it is gold this time for Mo Farah! This time he got it right! | :51:15. | :51:20. | |
This time he found the strength to hold on! What a performance from Mo | :51:20. | :51:28. | |
You can't watch that without smiling. It really was an amazing | :51:28. | :51:32. | |
year for Mo Farah, couldn't have happened to a nicer Dyke -- die. | :51:32. | :51:39. | |
What did he make of it? -- it couldn't of happened to a nicer man. | :51:39. | :51:43. | |
It has been a great year for me, unbelievable in what I have | :51:43. | :51:50. | |
achieved in such a short time. It was in the last two world | :51:50. | :51:54. | |
championships, I had been outside medals. Early on this year, I moved | :51:54. | :51:59. | |
to America, to be coached by Alberto Salas our commander said, | :51:59. | :52:06. | |
if I can have any chance of getting a medal, something needed to change. | :52:06. | :52:11. | |
I am glad I made that choice. If you would have said to me six or | :52:11. | :52:16. | |
seven months ago, you will be, you what can have won world medal, I | :52:16. | :52:22. | |
would have grabbed that. But to come away with two, that was | :52:22. | :52:26. | |
amazing. Started of the the 10,000 metres, having run a decent time at | :52:26. | :52:31. | |
the beginning of the year. I knew I was capable of getting a medal and | :52:31. | :52:35. | |
I just had to get out there and give it 110%. Fortunately came | :52:35. | :52:40. | |
close but not close enough. I was disappointed, really. I thought as | :52:40. | :52:43. | |
capable of winning the gold but did not quite have it. I learnt a lot | :52:43. | :52:51. | |
from that race. I just had to be strong, and go home, get in that | :52:51. | :52:56. | |
ice bath, eat well and come back two days later and get through to | :52:56. | :53:02. | |
the five K. To be world champion, it means so much to me. It did not | :53:02. | :53:07. | |
quite sink in, but over time, it is sinking in. As an athlete, it is | :53:07. | :53:13. | |
something you dream of, something you train for. It is just hard work | :53:13. | :53:19. | |
and grafting. But it means a lot. It does not stop there. As an | :53:19. | :53:24. | |
athlete, you know you want to do what you can, and be the best. You | :53:25. | :53:30. | |
just keep training, keep focused and stay injury-free. Being a world | :53:30. | :53:35. | |
champion means so much to me. It pays off, that hard work. Once you | :53:35. | :53:43. | |
get a taste of it, you just more. - - you just want more. | :53:43. | :53:49. | |
We mentioned at the start of the programme, that he ran in Velenje | :53:49. | :53:54. | |
in 1999 as a 16 year-old. It has been some journey. A fantastic | :53:54. | :53:59. | |
journey. It has been such a pleasure, because in 2007, 2009, to | :53:59. | :54:03. | |
me, he was becoming the best distance runner in Europe. He was | :54:03. | :54:09. | |
not able to give it on the world stage, he was not even able to win | :54:09. | :54:12. | |
the 2006 European's. I have always felt frustrated because I know how | :54:12. | :54:17. | |
good he has been. He changed things in the last few years, the British | :54:17. | :54:22. | |
Insurance system that Ian Stewart has revamped, he got him a link | :54:22. | :54:26. | |
with Alberto in America. This formula he has now got his | :54:26. | :54:31. | |
brilliant. He is such a nice guy. He has worked so hard. Even in that | :54:31. | :54:38. | |
conversation, he is not reflecting on the glory, he -- he is | :54:38. | :54:42. | |
reflecting on the hard work, he even mentioned the 10,000 metres | :54:42. | :54:48. | |
and his eyes Bath. He lost the 10,000 marginally, but he had the | :54:48. | :54:51. | |
strength to come back and win the 5000. Those races were so | :54:51. | :54:56. | |
competitive, he came back competitively and still won it. He | :54:56. | :55:00. | |
has always had speed and stamina, he has always been a great kid, he | :55:00. | :55:04. | |
is now a great athlete. It is such a pleasure to be able to talk about | :55:04. | :55:09. | |
Mo Farah, a British world champion at 5000 metres. Did you ever think | :55:09. | :55:14. | |
he would be as good as this? It is a surprise that he has done what he | :55:14. | :55:18. | |
has done? I always thought he was as good as this, but I thought he | :55:18. | :55:22. | |
would never get there. He has got such a lot of speed, more speed | :55:22. | :55:25. | |
than most British endurance runners have ever had, and he has never | :55:25. | :55:30. | |
been in a position to use it. Tactically he grew up in the last | :55:30. | :55:38. | |
years. Ben to get, European 50101000. -- don't forget. He is | :55:38. | :55:42. | |
such an inspiration, he is such a nice guy. He has worked for every | :55:42. | :55:46. | |
single thing he has got. That is what I believed distance running is | :55:46. | :55:51. | |
all about, and he epitomises it. was a great year. If there was one | :55:51. | :55:55. | |
dark cloud on the horizon, it happened in Brussels, where | :55:55. | :56:00. | |
Kenenisa Bekele only came back after a terrible world | :56:00. | :56:04. | |
championships and produced this performance. I think it took us all | :56:04. | :56:08. | |
by surprise. We were in the north- east watching this with Mo Farah, | :56:08. | :56:12. | |
and we knew that Kenenisa Bekele Ali, who dropped out of the 10,000 | :56:12. | :56:19. | |
metres, double Olympic champion in 2008, he suddenly comes back and | :56:19. | :56:24. | |
runs the fastest time in the world, on basically a poor training | :56:24. | :56:29. | |
preparation. You know, this ban is probably the greatest distance | :56:30. | :56:35. | |
runner. He is going to do more things in the future. For me, it | :56:35. | :56:39. | |
was like, Mo Farah is going to win the Olympics, and then suddenly, it | :56:39. | :56:44. | |
is a big Reminder, don't forget the champion, Kennelly Siddiqui, don't | :56:44. | :56:54. | |
forget his power and strength. -- Kenenisa Bekele early. He will be | :56:54. | :56:57. | |
significant in London, and him and Mo Farah together in a race will | :56:58. | :57:04. | |
make it a bit highlight. All that do to Mo Farah's mindset? He had | :57:04. | :57:08. | |
looked upon him as almost a god- like figure, had as he cycled to | :57:08. | :57:10. | |
the deal with him doing that and then going through the winter | :57:10. | :57:14. | |
season? -- how does he psychologically deal with him doing | :57:14. | :57:22. | |
that? Well, he has gone on to become a champion. He is starting | :57:22. | :57:25. | |
to get used to being the world champion, the idea that he was back | :57:25. | :57:34. | |
on the scene, the idea that it was a disappointment from Mo Farah.'s | :57:34. | :57:39. | |
point of view. But in January, cannily set the Keighley will run | :57:40. | :57:46. | |
in the Edinburgh run. People start his year in Edinburgh. When he was | :57:46. | :57:50. | |
doing his press conference, he said, what I am really looking forward to | :57:50. | :57:54. | |
his taking on Mo Farah in London in front of his home crowd because I | :57:54. | :58:02. | |
want to make the 10,000 metres one of the big races of the Games. That | :58:02. | :58:05. | |
sounded the bells for me, he is not only going to run the Olympics, he | :58:05. | :58:10. | |
is actually singling out Mo Farah to go head-to-head. It will make it | :58:10. | :58:16. | |
a good race. That is all I can say, it will be a great race. Let's face | :58:16. | :58:19. | |
it, this man, three-times Olympic champion, he is not going to give | :58:19. | :58:24. | |
his title of weight easily. mentioned it there, Edinburgh | :58:24. | :58:31. | |
cross-country, that is coming up in January. You can watch it on BBC | :58:31. | :58:41. | |
:58:41. | :58:46. | ||
That is just the start of a son -- and stunningly of athletics on the | :58:46. | :58:56. | |
:58:56. | :58:56. | ||
Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds | :58:56. | :59:36. | |
BBC. -- a stunning view of It's going to be incredible. I | :59:36. | :59:40. | |
can't wait. Now back to catch up with the rest of the action from | :59:40. | :59:49. | |
more success for Great Britain in the junior race. It was a runaway | :59:49. | :59:56. | |
win for that tall Russia and added a cross country title to the junior | :59:56. | :00:00. | |
steeplechase title he won on the track but what a good run from | :00:00. | :00:05. | |
Richard Goodman behind him. He really fought hard to come through | :00:05. | :00:10. | |
for the silver medal. Jonny Hay was more fancied to get among the | :00:10. | :00:15. | |
medallists. He has finished 5th in this junior race two years ago but | :00:15. | :00:19. | |
this time, winning a medal and that was good enough to lead at the | :00:19. | :00:26. | |
British team to the gold medal overall. Jonny Hay, 8th. Kieron | :00:26. | :00:35. | |
Clement, in 11th place. -- 9th place. It was Great Britain, who | :00:35. | :00:41. | |
stood on top of the rostrum. Ian Stewart Grand and a surprise gold | :00:41. | :00:47. | |
Another gold medal for the British junior men which means there's one | :00:47. | :00:52. | |
more race to catch up with, the men's under 23 is and once again, | :00:52. | :01:02. | |
:01:02. | :01:06. | ||
second and 4th in his last two attempts. No doubt about the winner. | :01:06. | :01:13. | |
He won it at ease. Up at 200-metre, great season for this man last year. | :01:13. | :01:17. | |
Showing that he has got the strength as well but again, another | :01:17. | :01:22. | |
good performance. James Wilkinson, after a disappointing run in the | :01:22. | :01:27. | |
trials, only just scraped into the British team, and came through | :01:27. | :01:34. | |
really, real well, ahead of Norway. James Wilkinson coming ahead of of | :01:34. | :01:38. | |
the rest of his team-mates when, at the trials, he was last of those | :01:38. | :01:44. | |
who got selected. Silver medal for him adding to Britain's tally, in | :01:44. | :01:47. | |
what is proving to be a very, very a successful at the been in | :01:47. | :01:50. | |
Slovenia and that is good enough for the team to take the silver | :01:51. | :02:00. | |
:02:01. | :02:16. | ||
That up to date. Of course, Sergiy Irish team will be happy, of course, | :02:16. | :02:26. | |
:02:26. | :02:38. | ||
after their win. Can he won 10 think they will be hoping to do | :02:38. | :02:45. | |
well there. Spain it could be the favoured, the man who Sergiy Lebid | :02:45. | :02:52. | |
struggles with her. Plenty have got chances in this. Sergiy Lebid, who | :02:52. | :02:58. | |
I think surprise everyone to come back and win a game last year | :02:58. | :03:04. | |
unbelievable performance. The only athlete to have completed every | :03:04. | :03:06. | |
single European cross-country Championships going all the way | :03:06. | :03:14. | |
back to 1994. Almost a false start there. One or two keen to get away | :03:14. | :03:24. | |
:03:24. | :03:24. | ||
there. Always a bit of a sprint. It inevitably settles down. In the | :03:24. | :03:29. | |
world cross country, you have to do this because they don't slow down. | :03:30. | :03:39. | |
:03:40. | :03:40. | ||
The under 23 winner, you can see him doing well already, Chadhi. The | :03:40. | :03:49. | |
athletes settled further back. At these very, very early stages. La | :03:49. | :03:57. | |
Roser, of Italy. Ayad Lamdassem, he has been in such good form, the | :03:57. | :04:05. | |
Spanish athlete. I'm pretty sure he is somebody I think we'll watched. | :04:05. | :04:13. | |
He is a wily old character, a radio. It's just gone under one minute. | :04:13. | :04:23. | |
:04:23. | :04:25. | ||
He's made it in 52 seconds. We talk a Sergiy Lebid, his nine titles. | :04:25. | :04:27. | |
European Cross Country Championships, the men's, lots of | :04:27. | :04:32. | |
good athletes have tried to win this. Of for Sergiy Lebid to come | :04:32. | :04:42. | |
:04:42. | :04:44. | ||
back year after year... Took time to win this title. -- Mo Farah took | :04:44. | :04:51. | |
time to win this title. Just because he doesn't perform quite as | :04:51. | :04:58. | |
well on the track... There he is in the picture, in the blue and yellow. | :04:58. | :05:03. | |
Quite a long way back on Sergiy Lebid. It doesn't mean his prowess | :05:03. | :05:10. | |
should be diminished in any way. He has been playing games. He said | :05:10. | :05:15. | |
there was too much snow in Russia to go training. I'm not sure I | :05:15. | :05:20. | |
believe that. There probably was no but I don't think he would not go | :05:20. | :05:24. | |
running just because it's snowing. He probably knew it was going to | :05:24. | :05:34. | |
:05:34. | :05:40. | ||
every single race, both individually and in their team a. | :05:40. | :05:43. | |
They have one four of the team raised is out of the five so far, | :05:44. | :05:50. | |
so the men have got something to lift up to -- live up to here. This | :05:50. | :05:53. | |
could be our best performance at the European Cross Country | :05:53. | :06:01. | |
Championships. James will come sun, 22nd in the trials. -- James | :06:01. | :06:10. | |
Wilkinson. He comes here and finishes second. Behind a world | :06:10. | :06:16. | |
class 1,500 metre winner. Richard Goodman, a surprise silver, as well. | :06:16. | :06:22. | |
The confidence the team get. A lot of the training camps, a way in | :06:22. | :06:27. | |
Kenya, training together, working together. They all work of each | :06:27. | :06:31. | |
other, if you like, and they come into these races full of confidence. | :06:31. | :06:35. | |
I would like to see the men taking this conference on to the world | :06:35. | :06:45. | |
:06:45. | :06:46. | ||
stage. It it took Mo Farah to show confident on the world stage. | :06:46. | :06:49. | |
you need the European stage as a stepping stone because these days | :06:49. | :06:52. | |
you can't go from the British championships to the World | :06:52. | :06:57. | |
Championships, because of Africa, their dominance and talent, it's | :06:57. | :07:07. | |
:07:07. | :07:10. | ||
extremely difficult task. No has taken years. Mark Draper there. | :07:10. | :07:16. | |
Great Britain in that strong team. The interesting thing, for me, the | :07:16. | :07:20. | |
confidence in athletes. Training is necessary. You have got to do it, | :07:20. | :07:29. | |
but conference takes an athlete through the stages. Bekele. Ireland | :07:29. | :07:35. | |
also in that leading group. The interesting thing here, this race, | :07:35. | :07:39. | |
unlike the World Cross-Country Championships, it goes at a steady | :07:39. | :07:44. | |
pace. In the world championships, they go quickly and never slow down | :07:44. | :07:48. | |
for for the British team are running to orders. Ian Stewart has | :07:48. | :07:51. | |
done a really good job bringing them together, the strength of | :07:51. | :07:55. | |
British distance running. Today, it's been a fantastic day through | :07:55. | :08:04. | |
the group's. Cannot the British men's team -- can at the British | :08:04. | :08:09. | |
men's team, particularly the top team, you would like to see how | :08:09. | :08:14. | |
well they can do without Mo Farah. And de Vernon making his way | :08:14. | :08:20. | |
through the field. He won the trials earlier this month. -- Andy. | :08:20. | :08:26. | |
I expect him to run well. I notice they are doing it cagily. I'm | :08:26. | :08:31. | |
looking at the yellow and blue of Sergiy Lebid of the Ukraine. He's | :08:31. | :08:36. | |
in about 10th place there, picking his way through. He will take it | :08:36. | :08:40. | |
easy early on and then move forward. He has been a phenomenal cross- | :08:40. | :08:47. | |
country runner. Could he win a 10th time? In the modern day spot, you | :08:47. | :08:52. | |
don't get many achievements in the modern-day sport where any athlete | :08:52. | :09:02. | |
:09:02. | :09:07. | ||
10, does. We have had two short laps, 500 metres each. Twisting and | :09:07. | :09:12. | |
turning. Settling down. Most of the British athletes are halfway down | :09:12. | :09:18. | |
the field. Well done, he's come all the way from Monaco. The problem | :09:18. | :09:23. | |
with Monaco, there's not much cross country. You have got to run up and | :09:24. | :09:32. | |
down the beach at or on the roads. There are hills, mind you. | :09:32. | :09:36. | |
fastest 10,000-metre runner in at 2011 in this race today is one of | :09:36. | :09:43. | |
the British athletes. James Walsh. Trained by Mike Baxter, who I used | :09:43. | :09:53. | |
:09:53. | :10:10. | ||
coach in Leeds. James Walsh ran run this year. That's an | :10:10. | :10:20. | |
:10:20. | :10:26. | ||
move up. Andy Burnham of. A tough year for him. -- Andy Vernon. He | :10:26. | :10:32. | |
didn't get selected for the European Championships. Then he | :10:32. | :10:37. | |
came to these cross-country championships last year. He had | :10:37. | :10:42. | |
high hopes of doing well here. He dropped out with breathing problems. | :10:42. | :10:47. | |
So it is very much looking to put the record straight here today. I | :10:47. | :10:51. | |
certainly don't think anyone would say he's a real contender for a | :10:51. | :11:00. | |
medal. He himself has targeted top five of. After that, this man here, | :11:00. | :11:08. | |
Bekele, running for Belgium, now. He moved to Belgium when he was 16. | :11:08. | :11:13. | |
He's having a very good year as well. He has been training in | :11:13. | :11:20. | |
Ethiopia training for this. He felt those first three, does work a | :11:20. | :11:24. | |
little bit slow for his liking so he is pushing things on it a little. | :11:24. | :11:30. | |
Plenty of good run as back there. There is Andy Vernon. 31st place in | :11:30. | :11:37. | |
the British team. Content to run together. That's one criticism of | :11:37. | :11:42. | |
the men. Taking a Mo Farah out of it, the rest of them can be took | :11:43. | :11:49. | |
circumspect. Sergiy Lebid was behind but has moved himself into | :11:49. | :11:55. | |
the race. Look where Sergiy Lebid was now. It Andy Burnham wants to | :11:55. | :12:00. | |
come in the top five, he should get into that group now. The course is | :12:00. | :12:05. | |
not proving an obstacle. It's the kind of course you would have | :12:05. | :12:11. | |
enjoyed running, Steve of. It is flat, decent grass. Are you trying | :12:11. | :12:16. | |
to say I was not very good on the mud? He you were not very good on | :12:16. | :12:26. | |
:12:26. | :12:30. | ||
track runners, you should feel very much at home, feeling that | :12:30. | :12:40. | |
confident. It's flat, no hills, that's right. Sergiy Lebid. 8th | :12:40. | :12:45. | |
place. Just at the back of that chasing group. Bekele is making an | :12:45. | :12:51. | |
effort now. He should take a closer look here. I think he's doing that, | :12:51. | :12:56. | |
moving to the outside. Andy Vernon moving through the field now, | :12:56. | :13:02. | |
deciding it's time to get on with the race. The team are in 7th place | :13:02. | :13:06. | |
at the moment, in terms of teams, because they are all outside the | :13:06. | :13:12. | |
top 30 at the end of a previous lap up towards the end of the next one. | :13:12. | :13:17. | |
As a pack, they need to move through, but individually, as well, | :13:17. | :13:20. | |
particularly I would have liked to have seen an de Vernon moving | :13:20. | :13:28. | |
closer. -- Andy Vernon. They can't afford to let Bekele go ahead too | :13:28. | :13:38. | |
:13:38. | :13:39. | ||
much. There he is. His squad went a little bit after the hundred metres. | :13:39. | :13:49. | |
:13:49. | :13:50. | ||
-- quarter -- quad. 34 countries at least taking part and most of them | :13:50. | :13:55. | |
supporting the event across the age groups. The French, doing | :13:55. | :13:58. | |
incredibly well there. They are all looking at each other and letting | :13:58. | :14:05. | |
this man build a sizable lead. Yes, it's early. His lead is getting | :14:05. | :14:12. | |
bigger. You've got to start thinking about it now. He ran a | :14:12. | :14:16. | |
good cross-country race in Ireland. He's a bit surprised to see the gap | :14:16. | :14:21. | |
as wide as it is. He knows he's not running excessively quickly. Safety | :14:21. | :14:27. | |
in numbers there. If the man at down the track is not very good. If | :14:27. | :14:34. | |
that the man at down the track has the pedigree that Bekele has, he's | :14:34. | :14:38. | |
also got the pedigree of this, and you would not let him go so much | :14:38. | :14:42. | |
and have this gap, because he could suddenly start running off that | :14:42. | :14:46. | |
front and accelerating. Representing Belgium now where he | :14:46. | :14:54. | |
has lived since he was 16. The field at stretching up behind him. | :14:54. | :14:58. | |
There is Andy Burnham, the first British man coming up behind Sergiy | :14:58. | :15:03. | |
Lebid. Running a sensible, tactical race. That's the right thing to do. | :15:03. | :15:06. | |
Further down the field for the rest of the British athletes. Look at | :15:06. | :15:16. | |
:15:16. | :15:23. | ||
Baddeley, there's Mark Draper. Our computer expert Steve Cram will | :15:23. | :15:27. | |
tell us the positions and have used guest -- second. Or you could watch | :15:27. | :15:34. | |
the screen, which are think you will prefer! It is good to see Andy | :15:34. | :15:41. | |
Vernon. He has taken advantage of the slow pack, he has not had to go | :15:41. | :15:48. | |
too fast. Lamdassem needs to start worrying, he cannot let Bekele keep | :15:48. | :15:55. | |
running away. And a recent race he won, it was a good field, Ethiopia | :15:55. | :16:01. | |
and and Eritreans. Have you seen James March go through -- James | :16:01. | :16:08. | |
Walsh? Yes, I have seen him. Andy Baddeley is in 37th place. Team | :16:08. | :16:14. | |
Wise, Great Britain have some work to do to get amongst the Ruddles. - | :16:14. | :16:22. | |
- the medals. Belgium is leading, Bekele, he is not overcooking this. | :16:22. | :16:26. | |
Things are starting to break up a little bit. Lebid is struggling, | :16:26. | :16:32. | |
interesting. The chasing group has just started to put their foot down | :16:32. | :16:40. | |
a little. And Lebid is not at the front of that group. But he is | :16:40. | :16:50. | |
:16:50. | :16:51. | ||
moving well. They are not halfway yet. It is ringing some danger | :16:51. | :16:56. | |
bells, that lead, they do not want to see it getting any bigger. Seven | :16:56. | :17:00. | |
or eight seconds, when it becomes 10 to 15 seconds, you're in trouble. | :17:00. | :17:07. | |
Finally, the chase is on. Initially, Brendan O'Connor at this point... | :17:07. | :17:13. | |
Let's look at the team standings. France, Spain, Portugal. It will | :17:13. | :17:21. | |
change. Britain were lying 7th, they have improved. To mega-bid | :17:21. | :17:31. | |
:17:31. | :17:33. | ||
laps completed, four more to go, they are almost at the third. I | :17:33. | :17:36. | |
really thought Lamdassem would come here and dominate this race, he is | :17:36. | :17:40. | |
in third. If he is going to have a good summer next year, it is the | :17:40. | :17:50. | |
:17:50. | :17:57. | ||
sort of race he would want to win. right next to each other, and Lebid | :17:57. | :18:03. | |
are struggling. James Walsh just behind Lebid and Andy Vernon. | :18:03. | :18:11. | |
Remember this face, 10,000 metre race, too short lapse and six long | :18:11. | :18:20. | |
lapse. The Lapps are about 600 metres. Bekele is approaching the | :18:20. | :18:24. | |
halfway point, he has not run too quickly, but suddenly the gaps are | :18:24. | :18:34. | |
:18:34. | :18:34. | ||
beginning to open. There is Nigel Lebed, away -- Serhiy Lebid, next | :18:34. | :18:40. | |
Andy Vernon. The dominance that he has built up in these championships, | :18:40. | :18:45. | |
Lebid, it looks like that is over today. You do not win a race from | :18:45. | :18:49. | |
that far back, especially when there is some talent as there is in | :18:49. | :18:58. | |
front of him. The French have been trying to keep the chase going. Now | :18:58. | :19:05. | |
Amdouni, former junior champion. Chahdi has joined that group, the | :19:06. | :19:10. | |
other Frenchmen. They wanted to get some help, he was looking for | :19:10. | :19:18. | |
Chahdi to try and move things on. Also, J Sweeney is going rate for | :19:18. | :19:25. | |
Ireland, on the back of Fionnulla Britton's performance. He has put | :19:25. | :19:34. | |
himself right in the next. -- right in the mix. He was 21st in that | :19:34. | :19:39. | |
race last year, that was a disappointment. There is Ryan | :19:39. | :19:45. | |
McLeod, it was one of his best races in the trials, it looked | :19:45. | :19:50. | |
really good and was not far away from the sprint but she -- sprint | :19:51. | :19:54. | |
finish that took place between Mark Draper and Annie Vernon. Nine and | :19:54. | :19:58. | |
is trying to pick his way through. There is a big gap, Lebid is trying | :19:58. | :20:08. | |
:20:08. | :20:10. | ||
to rally a little bit in that no- man's land. He wants to be in the | :20:10. | :20:13. | |
Forward group, and Andy Vernon, the effort he has made to get up there, | :20:13. | :20:17. | |
it might be troubling him as well because he is not able to pick | :20:17. | :20:21. | |
things up. It looks as if it is going to be a tough run for the | :20:21. | :20:24. | |
British team. They are going to have to really improve their | :20:24. | :20:28. | |
positions, if they are to get amongst the team of medals. We have | :20:28. | :20:35. | |
had such a good play for Great Britain, six gold medals already. | :20:35. | :20:39. | |
This is starting to look like a bit of a disappointing end to the day | :20:39. | :20:43. | |
for Great Britain. Week expected more from Andy Vernon. Hopefully he | :20:43. | :20:46. | |
can turn it on in the second half of the race. The team supporting | :20:46. | :20:51. | |
him, allowing those gaps to open. There is Andy Vernon coming through. | :20:51. | :21:00. | |
James Walsh was there, Ryan McLeod. Mark Draper was there, but they are | :21:00. | :21:09. | |
a fairly long way back. There is one of the top men in the French | :21:09. | :21:15. | |
team, it looks as though he is limping. He would have been amongst | :21:15. | :21:21. | |
their counters. He's finished 4th individually last year, dropping | :21:21. | :21:23. | |
out would not put paid to their chances because they are still | :21:23. | :21:30. | |
going pretty well. In fact, they have got four others inside the top | :21:30. | :21:34. | |
20 at the moment. Hopefully for them, it is not going to affect | :21:34. | :21:38. | |
their chances too much. But Bekele's League is, they were | :21:38. | :21:44. | |
catching him, there was some effort but they have backed off again. It | :21:44. | :21:47. | |
went from eight seconds to six seconds, I suspect it has got | :21:47. | :21:52. | |
bigger again. I do not think the group is doing as well. I would | :21:52. | :21:59. | |
suggest that the gap is at least the same all has got bigger. He has | :21:59. | :22:03. | |
been very lucky, he has found himself with a lead without having | :22:03. | :22:07. | |
to run hard to gain it. They have let him go off, the pace was not | :22:07. | :22:11. | |
difficult in the early part. There is Joe Sweeney, running a great | :22:11. | :22:16. | |
race. Andy Vernon just ahead of Serhiy Lebid, whose long reign he | :22:16. | :22:23. | |
has come to an end here. There is James Walsh, and Ryan McLeod just | :22:23. | :22:27. | |
behind Lebid. They have almost played into the hands of Bekele, | :22:27. | :22:32. | |
they have let him go away. He had not had to start running hard yet. | :22:32. | :22:36. | |
They are watching each other, sometimes when you are in a group | :22:36. | :22:41. | |
you get a false hope that they know what they are doing. Nobody is | :22:41. | :22:44. | |
pushing the pace. Somebody has got to strike out here, and Bekele is | :22:45. | :22:48. | |
going to be handed an opportunity. It is a bit early to say whether he | :22:48. | :22:55. | |
is going to win or not. But you would not swap his position he is | :22:55. | :22:58. | |
in now, with the effort he has made to get there, with any of the | :22:58. | :23:03. | |
chasing group. He has got a chance, it is up to him. He has won | :23:03. | :23:07. | |
recently, you can tell by the All way he is working that he has not | :23:07. | :23:12. | |
had to work too hard yet. He has got this gap, he has got a group | :23:12. | :23:17. | |
behind him who are taking safety in numbers and it is not working out. | :23:17. | :23:21. | |
You could say on a track that this was a pacemaker going too quickly. | :23:21. | :23:24. | |
But here, you have got a man who has got an opportunity to win it, | :23:24. | :23:34. | |
:23:34. | :23:36. | ||
he has ABILITY and talent to win it and it is being handed to him. | :23:36. | :23:39. | |
you are wondering why that man was getting watched, he is running for | :23:39. | :23:48. | |
the Slovenian team. Just two laps to go, for Bekele of Belgium who is | :23:49. | :23:54. | |
looking comfortable and relaxed. He has not in any way changed his form. | :23:54. | :23:58. | |
Now the chase is really on. They have finally realised they have got | :23:58. | :24:05. | |
to get moving. Andy Vernon is picking some athletes of, he is | :24:05. | :24:11. | |
striding out really well. He has only got another 10 minutes of | :24:11. | :24:17. | |
running, maybe less. It looks like Chahdi has moved into second place, | :24:17. | :24:25. | |
Lamdassem of Spain is in third. Joe Sweeney is at the back of the group, | :24:25. | :24:33. | |
the Dutch athlete has got himself of there as well. Joe Sweeney is | :24:33. | :24:37. | |
starting to struggle, the big tall man from Ireland. It was six | :24:37. | :24:41. | |
seconds, then it went out to nine, almost 10 seconds, and it is down | :24:41. | :24:45. | |
to eight seconds again. Maybe they are playing a bit of cat and mouse | :24:45. | :24:49. | |
here. You have got to really shifted to make up eight seconds in | :24:49. | :24:55. | |
3000 metres. It is double but this man has to get tired. And any man | :24:55. | :25:01. | |
who has broken away from the chasing group, Chahdi. That is the | :25:02. | :25:06. | |
only one who looks like he really wants to have a crack at closing | :25:06. | :25:13. | |
the gap. But Bekele looking strong. Bekele looking strong, and | :25:13. | :25:19. | |
beginning to drive now. Chahdi for France, he has now brought out of | :25:19. | :25:23. | |
the group and he is making an effort. The gap is not too strong, | :25:23. | :25:28. | |
but the gap behind him is growing a little as well. Lamdassem, we | :25:28. | :25:32. | |
thought he would be a real danger, we thought he would have a chance, | :25:32. | :25:39. | |
we thought it would be all set up for Serhiy Lebid to win. But there | :25:39. | :25:42. | |
probably was snow in his training camp, seeing the way he is running, | :25:42. | :25:52. | |
:25:52. | :25:54. | ||
it looks like he has not run like snowshoes! Is it too late? They | :25:54. | :26:01. | |
might catch the leader. Joe Sweeney has moved on, he looked like he was | :26:01. | :26:04. | |
struggled. But this man is still moving really well and is halfway | :26:05. | :26:09. | |
round his penultimate lap, not too far from the finish of that lap. | :26:09. | :26:13. | |
And then he will know that it is not too far to go. Once you are | :26:13. | :26:18. | |
into the last lap, a big, storming finish. He just looks so relaxed. | :26:18. | :26:23. | |
You have got to assume he has got something left. Joe Sweeney of | :26:23. | :26:27. | |
Ireland in third place. A little gap between him and the chasing | :26:27. | :26:30. | |
group. Lamdassem should have been a bigger danger than he has proven to | :26:30. | :26:40. | |
be, in 4th place, then a big gap until Andy Vernon. The first of the | :26:40. | :26:43. | |
British athletes moving into the top 10. That will obviously help | :26:43. | :26:46. | |
the team situation but they have a lot of work to do to get amongst | :26:46. | :26:52. | |
the medals. Alongside the lake, it was created, this was a mining town. | :26:52. | :26:59. | |
These lakes have not been there that long, they closed the minds | :26:59. | :27:03. | |
here and created a valley, a recreational area where the cross- | :27:03. | :27:08. | |
country course is. It has been anything and nice view, not being | :27:08. | :27:14. | |
at enjoyed by the athlete, they are just concentrating and trying to | :27:14. | :27:19. | |
get a medal. Joe Sweeney looks a bit ponderous, he needs to get a | :27:19. | :27:23. | |
gap if he is going to win a medal on this last up. He is certainly | :27:23. | :27:28. | |
making an effort, Joe Sweeney. Magdalen Bridge is getting some | :27:28. | :27:34. | |
information from the inside about what is happening behind him. -- | :27:34. | :27:37. | |
Bekele is getting some good information. It looks like he's got | :27:37. | :27:41. | |
to keep going at this pace, and he is going to win it. But Joe Sweeney | :27:41. | :27:47. | |
is trying to bring the group back into contention. The familiar name | :27:47. | :27:51. | |
of Bekele, looking over his shoulder, he probably can't believe | :27:51. | :27:55. | |
that the gap is as big as it is. He wants information, he is getting it | :27:55. | :28:01. | |
from his coach. There is the bell, 1500 metres to go for the leader. | :28:01. | :28:04. | |
Are they going to rush together, the chasing group? Are they going | :28:04. | :28:09. | |
to close down the gap? Bekele is looking strong and powerful. There | :28:09. | :28:13. | |
is the time, let's have a look at what the gap is. It is down to six | :28:13. | :28:21. | |
seconds. Joe Sweeney and Bekele -- Lamdassem, Chahdi were in that | :28:21. | :28:26. | |
group. Only the first eight of these athletes will be selected to | :28:26. | :28:30. | |
compete for Europe in January in Edinburgh, taking on the USA. There | :28:30. | :28:35. | |
are eight of them there together. You would feel sorry for Bekele if | :28:35. | :28:38. | |
he gave it up, but you also feel that the there is no one in that | :28:38. | :28:43. | |
chasing group who deserves to win this one because of the way they | :28:43. | :28:46. | |
have played this race in terms of Bekele. They have let him get away. | :28:46. | :28:56. | |
:28:56. | :28:57. | ||
And Andy Vernon running well, he could have been a bit closer. | :28:57. | :29:04. | |
Earlier on, they were not going too quickly and he might have found | :29:04. | :29:08. | |
himself in contention for a medal and that really compels you forward. | :29:08. | :29:13. | |
He is night at the moment, it looks like too big a gap to close. Can | :29:13. | :29:20. | |
one of the closing group get towards Bekele? It is still a six | :29:20. | :29:28. | |
second gap. Bekele is running strongly. Jose Russia is running | :29:28. | :29:34. | |
well, or have they given up on chasing him? There is the leading | :29:34. | :29:40. | |
Slovenian athlete, I suggest. He has not got far to go now, Bekele. | :29:40. | :29:46. | |
He can sense that the chase is on. Look at Jose Rocha, who has got | :29:46. | :29:52. | |
such pace. The finish is so twisting and turning, it is not | :29:52. | :29:56. | |
easy to get a rhythm going. You can sense that the threat is now there. | :29:56. | :30:00. | |
The threat is now there and they are racing each other. But is | :30:00. | :30:04. | |
bringing them back into contention. I am hoping now, because of the | :30:04. | :30:07. | |
negative approach they have made to this race, I am hoping Bekele can | :30:07. | :30:14. | |
hang on. He got a gap which he did not work too hard for, he tried to | :30:14. | :30:19. | |
hold it, and it is now being closed. I hope he can hang on. The chasing | :30:19. | :30:22. | |
group did not do enough, they did not work together, they did not try | :30:22. | :30:27. | |
to pressure him. Here they are now with a chance of trying to win this | :30:27. | :30:31. | |
race, a race that he deserves to win because of the way he has won. | :30:31. | :30:36. | |
He does not deserve to lose, certainly. The pressure is on. Can | :30:36. | :30:40. | |
they finish? If there were two of them, he could spring, can a | :30:40. | :30:46. | |
sprint? He is looking nervous now. Now it is all for Bekele to win if | :30:46. | :30:56. | |
:30:56. | :30:57. | ||
by the lakeside. And then they will take a couple of right-handers. | :30:58. | :31:03. | |
Some more twists and turns to negotiate but Bekele has picked up | :31:03. | :31:08. | |
his pace and is being cheered on by the crowd. In second place now to | :31:08. | :31:14. | |
Russia and then Portugal. And then Spain. He may come under a threat | :31:14. | :31:21. | |
from behind but look at that gap now. It is 3.5 seconds and Bekele | :31:21. | :31:25. | |
looking leaden-footed for the first time. He is looking over her | :31:26. | :31:30. | |
shoulder as well and wants to concentrate on his running. This | :31:30. | :31:36. | |
would be a blow for Bekele to lose it now. He deserves to win it. Can | :31:36. | :31:40. | |
he keep going? Every corner, a look behind and checks mentally in his | :31:40. | :31:48. | |
head, ticking off the seconds. Russia is looking behind, not ahead. | :31:48. | :31:54. | |
Maybe now, Bekele can sense the victory is his, because of the | :31:54. | :31:59. | |
Russian has given up, looking behind at the Belgian in front, | :31:59. | :32:04. | |
worried about his medal. He's not even think about the gold medal at | :32:04. | :32:09. | |
this front. He has got a good pace but is not going to challenge this | :32:09. | :32:13. | |
man. He can see the finish line. He has led from the beginning, pretty | :32:13. | :32:23. | |
:32:23. | :32:28. | ||
much, and it will be a good victory the European cross-country champion. | :32:28. | :32:36. | |
The Russian get the bronze. Then it Joe Sweeney from Ireland, a good | :32:36. | :32:40. | |
performance getting into the top fine. Andy Burnham will be the | :32:40. | :32:46. | |
first British athlete across the line. It's going to be... There he | :32:46. | :32:54. | |
is. Crossing the line. The team that race is something which, well, | :32:54. | :33:03. | |
as we have just seen Ryan a cloud crossing the line. James Walsh. -- | :33:03. | :33:13. | |
:33:13. | :33:15. | ||
The French will be gold medal favourites. Andy Baddeley crossing | :33:15. | :33:20. | |
the line, as well. Have they done enough to get themselves amongst | :33:20. | :33:26. | |
the medals? Every single British teams are far have done that. Four | :33:26. | :33:32. | |
golds and macro or won silver in the other age groups. -- and one | :33:32. | :33:38. | |
silver in the other age groups. It was an intriguing race, one or two | :33:38. | :33:43. | |
disappointing performances from some of the big names. No 10th | :33:43. | :33:47. | |
victory for Sergiy Lebid from the Ukraine. No British athletes but it | :33:47. | :33:57. | |
:33:57. | :33:59. | ||
was a familiar name, who won the The British team finishing top of | :33:59. | :34:03. | |
the medal table. If that time of year when we hand out a few awards | :34:03. | :34:13. | |
:34:13. | :34:16. | ||
and has none more coveted than this Thank you very much. It's an honour. | :34:16. | :34:24. | |
David Beckham. I'm a truly honoured. So many people to thank. AP McCoy, | :34:24. | :34:33. | |
British Sports personality of the Mark Cavendish has won the world | :34:33. | :34:41. | |
title. Congratulations. 200 in a Test match against Australia. | :34:41. | :34:51. | |
:34:51. | :35:04. | ||
a performance. Champion of the Mo Farah, a leading contender but | :35:04. | :35:09. | |
not the only British world champion. Died Greene won the 400 metres | :35:09. | :35:15. | |
hurdles and his his thoughts on 2011. In 2000 it, I was on the | :35:15. | :35:20. | |
upward curve, everything was going well. Until 2008. I had a few | :35:20. | :35:25. | |
injuries. The next thing I know, I was not running as well. That was | :35:25. | :35:32. | |
the first time I questioned whether or not I could make it, because I | :35:32. | :35:36. | |
thought other athletes, do they have as many injuries as me? Are | :35:36. | :35:41. | |
they more talented, perhaps? Are they working harder? I doubted | :35:41. | :35:47. | |
myself. It made me into a stronger person. I would never have had the | :35:47. | :35:53. | |
success I have had but I didn't have that setback back in 2008. It | :35:53. | :35:57. | |
makes me appreciate the good times. Up until that final, I did | :35:57. | :36:03. | |
everything in my power to be in the best shape possible. I believe I | :36:03. | :36:08. | |
could win that final. But only based on the fact I trained so hard. | :36:08. | :36:11. | |
I wanted to do justice out there and know I had trained hard for | :36:11. | :36:17. | |
this, and I wanted the gold medal and I deserved it after the hills I | :36:17. | :36:21. | |
have run up and the weather I have endured. I don't understand the | :36:22. | :36:27. | |
magnitude of what I have achieved, I think. For me, it's the next step | :36:27. | :36:30. | |
after being in the top 10 last year and win the Commonwealth and | :36:30. | :36:34. | |
European titles. I thought it a natural progression but why look at | :36:34. | :36:41. | |
by medals, I feel pride. I've had so many people telling me | :36:41. | :36:43. | |
congratulations and telling me where they were when they watched | :36:43. | :36:49. | |
the race. We will talk about him in a few | :36:49. | :36:55. | |
moments. How would you says that championships? Top of the medal | :36:55. | :37:00. | |
table. It was great, some really good performances, individually. In | :37:00. | :37:04. | |
the women's race, Gemma Steel, silver medal, a step forward for | :37:04. | :37:08. | |
her. The men's team were disappointing but it won a silver | :37:08. | :37:12. | |
medal. That's pretty good win the silver medal with that, not the | :37:12. | :37:16. | |
best performance. Overall, we have been terrific today and been top of | :37:16. | :37:23. | |
the medal table continuing, so this event fits into our scheme. There | :37:23. | :37:28. | |
are the women getting the medals. Gemma Steel and Freya Murray | :37:28. | :37:35. | |
amongst them. I'm really pleased. The momentum about distance running | :37:35. | :37:39. | |
and cross-country running, it's good to see. It's good to know the | :37:39. | :37:43. | |
athletes are taking this seriously. They will both be supported by | :37:43. | :37:48. | |
Paula Radcliffe, the best cross- country female we have ever had, | :37:48. | :37:55. | |
and Mo Farah. Below that, everyone is coming along nicely. It's been a | :37:55. | :38:00. | |
good event. A good course to run a long. And a good performance by the | :38:00. | :38:06. | |
British team. There has been a revival. You talk about Ian Stewart. | :38:06. | :38:11. | |
Definitely, but it about getting more people doing it, more people | :38:11. | :38:15. | |
going and having the chance. This is the event where they can have | :38:15. | :38:19. | |
the chance, and I think things are looking good. In the Olympics, we | :38:19. | :38:25. | |
can't wait for it. Looking at this event today, it will be nice to see | :38:25. | :38:30. | |
how many can compete in the Olympic Games. The team it ended up with a | :38:31. | :38:36. | |
silver medal in the men's. They did. I was disappointed. It seems to | :38:36. | :38:44. | |
happen year on year. Ryan finished 14th and 15th and 16th. They need | :38:44. | :38:48. | |
to be close up. It's not the World Championships, a crazy pace. More | :38:48. | :38:54. | |
confidence. Everything else, brilliant. The juniors don't mind | :38:54. | :38:58. | |
and get involved. I think we haven't done as well in the senior | :38:58. | :39:03. | |
event over the years in age group, so disappointing. Everything is | :39:03. | :39:12. | |
looking good. And I think the programmes in place, I'm coaching | :39:12. | :39:17. | |
is part of that as well, and the support available, but the | :39:17. | :39:23. | |
competition, dare I say it, if you have a whole bunch of people | :39:23. | :39:28. | |
wearing British vests, seen as top in Europe, in the world, everybody | :39:28. | :39:35. | |
aims high. But what is happening with distance running. Today draws | :39:35. | :39:43. | |
a line under the season. No, this is the start. I except that, OK. | :39:43. | :39:47. | |
the can India, yes. Preparation, winter time, getting ready, being | :39:47. | :39:54. | |
strong, and then finishing it off in the summer. -- yes, the calendar | :39:54. | :40:02. | |
year. What about 2012? Reasons to be cheerful? I think so, yes. If | :40:02. | :40:08. | |
you had said to be back in 2006- seven, looking ahead, I was not | :40:08. | :40:13. | |
sure how well we were going to do. We were never going to win 14 | :40:13. | :40:17. | |
medals in athletics, never. Six medals in the Olympic Games was | :40:17. | :40:22. | |
great. Olympic medals are really, really hard to win. I think Britain | :40:22. | :40:28. | |
are going to go into it with maybe nine genuine chances, of which five | :40:28. | :40:32. | |
or six of very good. The top two or three in the world in their event. | :40:32. | :40:38. | |
Not a bad place to be. Can you remember the British team going | :40:38. | :40:43. | |
into an Olympic cycle with perhaps five serious gold medal chances? | :40:43. | :40:52. | |
Jessica Ennis, die Greene, Mo Farah and Phillips Idowu were. When you | :40:52. | :40:55. | |
look yourself, Steve Backley, Denise Lewis, there were four or | :40:55. | :40:59. | |
five in Sydney we thought could win the gold medal. We ended up with | :40:59. | :41:08. | |
six overall. And I think four 4th places. That's right. The other | :41:08. | :41:12. | |
thing is, the medal table for athletics comes from every corner | :41:12. | :41:17. | |
of the world. Not just certain countries in Europe. It's every | :41:17. | :41:24. | |
single country in the world, Grenada who have won adults in the | :41:24. | :41:27. | |
world champion to this year. It's tough in athletics, because it's a | :41:27. | :41:34. | |
global sport. We are fortunate but the most exciting thing is London. | :41:34. | :41:41. | |
Under we have a bunch of people who made do it. We will have a good run | :41:41. | :41:45. | |
for our money and it will be a fantastic Olympics and I can't wait | :41:45. | :41:49. | |
for it. Michael Johnson said that he thought it might be a | :41:49. | :41:55. | |
disadvantage for our athletes with the pressure. That down to the | :41:55. | :42:03. | |
individual, Jonathan. If you're an team eerie one some tickets, and | :42:03. | :42:08. | |
say, can you popped in before you go to the Games... Let's not talk | :42:08. | :42:13. | |
about tickets. But that can be a ticket but how you do with it is | :42:13. | :42:18. | |
down to the individual. They will be out of the bubble of it, going | :42:18. | :42:23. | |
to Portugal, able to prepare properly. It's not just the medals. | :42:23. | :42:27. | |
I want to see the British athletes in the final sport that I would | :42:27. | :42:30. | |
love to see, in every event, a British athlete getting to the | :42:30. | :42:37. | |
final. That would be a big step up. That's possible for the the message | :42:37. | :42:41. | |
about tickets is one thing we don't forget, you can watch it on the BBC. | :42:41. | :42:48. | |
Thanks, guys. Plenty of sport coming up. After as, the UK snooker | :42:48. | :42:58. | |
:42:58. | :43:19. | ||
championship from Wembley. Mark So that's it for the 2011 athletics | :43:19. | :43:25. |