by Larry Eder
This is the behind the scenes flash backs on SPAR European Athletics Cross-Country, which was held on 14 December 2025. This came from our partner, EME News.
LAGOA FLASHBACKS
LAGOA (POR): Nadia Battocletti’s upcoming targets are to finish her studies (engineering and architecture) and then focus on the indoor season. “Now the expectations are high and I want to be ready for the indoor season. Christmas is around the corner but all I wish is to finish my university exams successfully. I have the last one on 30 December, so my wish is to complete my university career…the last five years have been crazy combining university and athletics,” she said.
LAGOA (POR): Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo recovered from flu in the week and a fall early in the race to win the senior men’s title in Lagoa. “I did not come here in a good shape, I am not at one hundred per cent, I knew that Gressier could win but I was not going to let him get the title easily,” he said.
LAGOA (POR): Jimmy Gressier will refocus on the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee on 10 January when he hopes to challenge for a team medal with France, informs L’Equipe. “I think that running at the Escalade (last Sunday) and then training this week didn’t help me recover better. The European Championships weren’t the primary objective of the season. I don’t have the necessary level to arrive tired against a guy like Thierry. But my objective is to help the team win a medal at the World Championships, even though I’m not ruling anything out individually. Just because I’m behind now doesn’t mean I won’t be at the front in a few weeks,” he said.
LAGOA (POR): After winning European U23 cross country gold, Nick Griggs is targeting a sub-13 minute 5000m in Boston during the indoor season. “Now we are going to be on a [training] camp for a few weeks and then we are going to Boston for the 5000m. It is going to be very tough but I believe I can break the 13 minute-barrier. That is my main goal for the indoor season,” he said.
LAGOA (POR): Hakon Moe Berg explained why he DNF’d in the men’s U20 race despite being in contention for a medal, informs NRK. “I’m pretty pissed at myself. As soon as it gets tough there, I can’t mobilise. I’m irritated, because I know the form is there. When we’re halfway through I feel like I can’t mobilise. I think it’s a mental thing. It’s very strange, because I felt good along the way,” he said. Moe Berg also said he was sick before the race but didn’t use that as an excuse.
LAGOA (POR): With 560 athletes competing, this year’s European Cross Country Championships was the biggest so far, surpassing the previous record of 559 athletes who took part in Šamorín 2017. EA President Dobromir Karamarinov described the championships as “one of the best ever”.
LAGOA (POR): Two record-winning margins were also established at the 2025 European Cross Country Championships. Nick Griggs‘ 12 second-winning margin was the biggest in any men’s U23 race while Innes FitzGerald’s winning margin of 32 seconds was the biggest in any women’s U20 race in championship history.
LAGOA (POR): World 1500m champion Isaac Nader ran the fastest anchor leg by four seconds in the mixed relay at the European Cross Country Championships, taking Portugal from fifth to second. He covered the last leg in 4:16, four seconds faster than Andrew Coscoran who clocked 4:20 for Ireland. Pietro Arese and Callum Elson, who anchored Italy and Great Britain to gold and bronze respectively, clocked 4:25 and 4:26 respectively.
