Battocletti bids to retain European Cross Country title

Battocletti

Portugal will host the European Cross Country Championships for a fourth time this weekend as its 31st edition heads to Lagos

At last year's event in Turkey, Norway's two-time Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen won his third senior men's title and Nadia Battocletti of Italy took gold in the senior women's race.

Battocletti became the first woman in championship history last year to win individual titles at U20, U23 and senior level. She looks primed to defend her title this year, but will face tough competition from Turkey's Yasemin Can, although the 29-year-old is yet to find her earlier career form that saw her win four successive titles between 2016 and 2019.

Belgian Jana van Lent, Great Britain's Megan Keith and Portugal's Mariana Machado will all pose a threat to the title.