12/09/07

After his runner-up performance one year ago, Serhiy Lebid of Ukraine returned to the top step of the podium after claiming his seventh European Cross Country title today in Toro, Spain.

The 32-year-old Ukrainian, the only man to have competed at each edition of the 14 continental championships, kicked away from Swede Mustafa Mohamed with about 400m to go to win by a comfortable nine second margin in 31:47 over the 10.7 kilometer course. Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Rui Silva of Portugal finished third, two seconds behind Mohamed, Sweden’s national record in the 3000m steeplechase.

Marta Dominguez, the European 5000m champion and a somewhat reluctant competitor in cross country, kicked to the women’s title with 500m to go. She clocked 26:58 over the 8.2 kilometer course, finishing three seconds clear of Frenchwoman Julie Coulaud. Hungary’s Aniko Kalovics, one of the continent’s better competitors in international races in recent years, missed the podium yet again, finishing fifth, 12 seconds behind Dominguez.