2009 European Cross Country Championships

[3] Prior to the championships, eight-time gold medal winner Serhiy Lebid was the favourite for the men's race, with Great Britain's Mo Farah representing the greatest challenge to him.[9] Bezabeh, competing in only his second European championships, overtook Farah in the fourth lap and began to create a lead for himself.[7] Coming in second place, Farah collapsed after the finish line and missed the medal ceremony as he received medical assistance.Although ahead of the rest of the pack, Lebid was a clear third and was some way off the two frontrunners[9] – an injury two weeks prior to the race had affected his preparations and he was pleased to receive the bronze medal.Spanish runners Sergio Sánchez and Ayad Lamdassem took fourth and fifth places, all but guaranteeing Spain the men's team gold medal.[12] During the second lap, the Portuguese runners, along with Rosa María Morató and Adriënne Herzog, remained in pursuit but Ireland's Mary Cullen had faded behind.[13] Augusto, Monteiro, and Ana Dulce Félix of Portugal filled out the top six finishers; although they had failed to reach the individual podium, the trio and tenth-placed Sara Moreira won the team gold medals by a significant margin.Jessica Sparke took the bronze, and her teammates Charlotte Browning and Hollie Rowland followed shortly after to continue Great Britain's unbeaten run of gold medals in the women's under-23 team competition.[13] The European Junior Champion quickly took control of the women's race and managed to hold off Gulshat Fazlitdinova to win the title.
A brown running track lies within a small, open stadium below a blue sky.
The championship course was next to Morton Stadium .
A woman begins to celebrate at the finish line of a road race.
The reigning women's champion, Hilda Kibet, did not defend her title.
A woman in red runs alongside a group of athletes on a grey road.
Hayley Yelling, the 2004 champion, won the women's senior race.
A slender man raises his arm in victory on a grassy course.
Alemayehu Bezabeh became the first Spanish man to win at the championships.
A man representing Great Britain focuses on running.
The 2008 silver medallist Mo Farah finished again in second place.
A man in a Ukraine vest grimaces while he runs.
Eight-time champion Serhiy Lebid managed only bronze in 2009.
A pale woman runs through a muddy path.
Adriënne Herzog of the Netherlands took the bronze in the senior women's competition.
A woman in blue closes her eyes while running through the streets.
Inês Monteiro helped Portugal to the team gold.
A young man representing France lifts his arms as he breaks the tape at the finishing line of a race.
Noureddine Smaïl of France won his first major U-23 cross country competition.
DublinSantry Demesne2008 Brussels2010 Albufeiracross country runningFingalathleticsSantry DemenseEuropean Cross Country ChampionshipsAlemayehu BezabehSerhiy LebidHayley YellingJessica AugustoInês MonteiroNoureddine SmaïlHassan ChahdiJeroen D'HoedtSultan HaydarKaroline Bjerkeli GrøvdalMorton StadiumAthletics IrelandFingal County CouncilIrish Sports CouncilPolandWorld Cross Country Championshipstrack and fieldClonliffe HarriersMo FarahHilda KibetTetyana HolovchenkoMary CullenAtelaw YeshetelaSergio SánchezAyad Lamdassem2008 European Cross Country ChampionshipsRosa María MoratóAdriënne HerzogAna Dulce FélixSara MoreiraBelgiumTurkeyhome straightEuropean Junior ChampionUnited KingdomUkraineJosé RochaPortugalMark KenneallyIrelandDaniele MeucciSwitzerlandDriss El HimerFranceAndy VernonStefano La RosaAndrea LalliGabriele De NardGianmarco ButtazzoMartin DematteisGermanythe NetherlandsNetherlandsOlivera JevticSerbiaFreya MurrayFionnuala BrittonSonia SamuelsIris María Fuentes-PilaAlessandra AguilarNuria FernándezSwedenFlorian CarvalhoAbdi NageeyeRussiaSandra ErikssonFinlandStephanie TwellNick GoolabSondre Nordstad MoenNorwayCallum HawkinsJonathan HayMichael GrasHenrik IngebrigtsenFerdinand Kvan EdmanGulshat FazlitdinovaKate AveryCorinna HarrerAmela TerzićGreat BritainRunnerSpaceEuropean AthleticsWayback Machine2009 in the sport of athleticsWorld Championships in AthleticsWorld Half Marathon ChampionshipsWorld Mountain Running ChampionshipsLong DistanceWorld Military ChampionshipsWorld Masters ChampionshipsWorld Youth ChampionshipsUniversiadeCentral AmericanCentral American and CaribbeanEuropean IndoorSouth AmericanPolynesianALBA GamesAsian Indoor GamesBolivarian GamesEast Asian GamesGames of the Small States of EuropeIsland GamesJeux de la FrancophonieLusophony GamesMediterranean GamesPacific Mini GamesSoutheast Asian GamesEuropean TeamSuper League10,000 mMountain RunningRace WalkingThrowingCombined EventsAfrican U20Asian Youth GamesArab U18CARIFTA GamesCentral American U20/U18Central American and Caribbean U14European U20European U23European Youth Olympic FestivalPan American U20South American U20World Marathon MajorsBerlinBostonChicagoLondonNew YorkGolden LeagueWorld Athletics TourIAAF Road Race Label EventsBritishItalianUnited StatesAustralianFinnishFrenchGermanLatvianLithuanianNCAA XCNCAA TrackHigh School XCEuropean Athletics AssociationOutdoor ChampionshipsIndoor ChampionshipsTeam ChampionshipsU23 ChampionshipsU20 ChampionshipsU18 ChampionshipsCross Country ChampionshipsMountain Running ChampionshipsOutdoorIndoorUnder-23Under-20Under-18Cross CountryOutdoor recordsoutdoor menoutdoor womenindoor menindoor women