Spain achieved the best European cross-country in its history in Lagoa (Portugal) with eight medals, three of them in gold with the individual victories of Thierry Ndikumwenayo in the absolute gentlemenwhich also promoted the national team to the country rankings, and that of María Forero to the women’s under-23 team.
Ndikumwenayo, individual bronze at Antalya 2024, once again led Spain to first place on the European cross-country continental podium. He did it after completing a perfect 7,410 kilometer race which was decided during a face-to-face between the main favorite, the Frenchman Jimmy Gressier, who stopped a few meters from the finish line, and him, who stopped the clock at 10:05 p.m., only three seconds less than his rival.
The victory of Ndikumwenayo, as well as the sixth place of Abdessamad Oukhelfen (22:27) and the ninth place of Aaron Las Heras (22:30), This allowed Spain to revalidate the continental title in the discipline. The team was completed by Ilias Fifa, who finished twelfth (22:38), Said Mechaal in 47th place (23:38) and Dani Arce in 54th (23:51).
“I’m very happy to have won the individual gold. I’ve been suffering for three days because I caught the flu, but when I arrived here, Captain Dani Arce told us that we had to fight until the end for the team. “That’s what I did,” declared Thierry, supported by Arce, who, although last, ended up “dead like everyone else”.
Ndikumwenayo’s victory is the first in the absolute men’s category since Alemayehu Bezabeh won it for the second and last time in Belgrade 2013.
In the absolute female category Spain had no chance of getting on the podium which were won by Belgium (gold), Great Britain (silver) and France (bronze).
Idaira Prieto, the best Spaniard, finished seventeenth, Angela Viciosa finished eighteenth, Carolina Robles finished in 33rd place, Carla Gallardo in 34th, Majida Maayouf in 37th and Isabel Barreiro in 51st. By country, Spain is in seventh place.
In the mixed relay, Spain had high hopes but ultimately finished seventh with a time of 17:34. Marta Mitjans took the first post and gave way in eighth position to Mariano García, the same relay which then passed to Esther Guerrero. The Catalan lost a place to ninth and, during the last race, Mohamed Attaoui managed to reduce seventh place by two positions.
Portugal, led by 1,500m world champion Isaac Nader, finished second with 17:16a second faster than third-placed Great Britain (17:17).
In the men’s under 20 category, at the individual level, Oscar Gaitán took silver after clocking 10.23only behind the Belgian Willem Renders (10.20). This time, with the fourteenth of Alejandro Ibáñez (13:36) and the twenty-ninth of Ander Aramendi (13:55), they gave bronze by country to Spain.
In the same women’s under-20 category, Spain also reached the team podium and won silver thanks to good performance from María Viciosa, (11th. 3:30 p.m.), Mara Rolli (13th. 3:31 p.m.) and Claudia Gutiérrez (14. 15:33). The gold went to Britain.
In a higher category, under 23, María Forero from Huelva, European champion in the 5,000 meters and individual silver medalist last year at the European cross-country event in Antalya, demonstrated her status as favorite with an exceptional race which led her to cross the finish line alone with 19:59. The Finnish Ilona Mononen finished second (20:04) and the German Pia Shlattmann third (20:23).
“I had been waiting for this championship all year. It welcomed me near Huelva, all the family and all my friends came. I’ve been cooking it on fire for three months and it was a dream to achieve it with two medals,” said Forero.
France won the team title, tied with Germany on 21 points, ahead of Spain who, with 25 points, took bronze.
The U23 boys also produced top performances with a bronze medal per team led by the second place of Jaime Migallón, fifth with 18:05. Ciro Martín finished seventeenth (18.23), Martín Segurola twentieth (18:27) and Rubén Leonardo twenty-second (18:28).
In the general medal ranking Spain finished first with these eight medals (3 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze). Belgium was second with three metals (3,0,0) and Great Britain third with 6 (2,3,1).
This result is Spain’s best in European cross-country competitions. Until now The most successful championship was that of Albufeira (Portugal) in 2010, during which six medals were won.
“We couldn’t do better with this magnificent result which places us first in the medal table, for the first time in history. The athletes performed wonderfully and I congratulate everyone. I am convinced that 2026 will continue to bring us excellent results,” said the president of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation, Raúl Chapado.
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