The 2011 European Cross Country Championships was the 18th edition of the cross country running competition for European athletes which was held in Velenje, Slovenia on 11 December.

Atelaw Yeshetela of Belgium won the men's title to become the country's first ever champion at the competition. The French men's team retained their title from 2010.SENIOR MEN’S FINAL: Bekele from gun to tape . European Athletics (11 December 2011). Retrieved 11 December 2011. Fionnuala Britton was the winner in the senior women's race, becoming Ireland's second champion in the history of the event after Catherina McKiernan (who won the inaugural race in 1994). The senior women's team race was won by Great Britain.SENIOR WOMEN'S FINAL: Fabulous Fionnuala . European Athletics (11 December 2011). Retrieved 11 December 2011.

Preparation The city won the rights to the event at the 120th meeting of the European Athletics Council in 2007. It was the second time that Velenje hosted the event, following its hosting of the 1999 edition.. European Athletics (2007). Retrieved 8 December 2011. The event mascot, Ligi (an anthropomorphic black mole), returned after its introduction in 1999. In the intervening years, the mascot was used for a number of events in the city and represents the importance of lignite (brown coal) in the city's economy.Ligi the mole unveiled as SPAR European Cross Country Championships mascot . European Athletics (10 July 2011). Retrieved 8 December 2011.

Alongside international television broadcasts, European Athletics broadcast the event live on the governing body's official website.European Athletics to stream live SPAR European Cross Country Championships . European Athletics (5 December 2011). Retrieved 8 December 2011.

The championships featured six races: there were senior, under-23, and under-20 junior categories for each of the sexes. The men's senior race had a 9870-metre distance, while the women's senior and men's under-23 races were held over 8040 m. The men's junior race and women's under-23 contests were over 6070 m. The junior women had a 3970 m distance to cover.Timetable EXCCH Velenje 2011. Velenje 2011 (21 November 2011). Retrieved 8 December 2011. The course for the competition was based near the grounds of the Atletski Klub Velenje (Velenje Athletics Club). It had a relatively flat race profile with no significant inclines and comprised two loops (a 1500 m loop and a shorter 300 m circuit).Competition Venue. Velenje 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2011.

Five European Athletics permit meetings preceded the championships on the weekend of 26–27 November: the Skanzen meeting in Budapest, the Cross de l'Acier in Leffrinckoucke, the Warandecross in Tilburg, the Lotto CrossCup van West-Vlaanderen in Roeselare, and the Cross Internacional Valle de Llodio in Llodio.Calendar 2012 – Cross Country . European Athletics (2011). Retrieved 8 December 2011. These races and national-level trial events were the primary means of athletes gaining selection for the championships.

Ukraine's Serhiy Lebid returned to defend his 2010 title and the nine-time champion was the pre-race favourite. The 2010 women's champion, Jéssica Augusto, did not enter the competition as she was still recovering from her outing at the 2011 New York City Marathon.Ramsak, Bob (9 December 2011). Lebid looking to add to his continental legend in Velenje – European XC champs preview. IAAF. Retrieved 10 December 2011. The other leading finishers from 2010 – Binnaz Uslu, Ana Dulce Félix and Fionnuala Britton – were among the favourites for the women's race.Senior women's preview: Who will succeed Augusto in Velenje? . European Athletics (7 December 2011). Retrieved 8 December 2011.

Race results

Senior men +Individual race Rank Athlete Country Time (m:s) Atelaw Yeshetela29:15 Ayad Lamdassem29:20 José Rocha29:21 4Hassan Chahdi29:22 5Joseph Sweeney29:23 6Javier Guerra29:24 7 Morhad Amdouni29:26 8Khalid Choukoud29:27 9Andy Vernon29:39 10Morten Toft Munkholm29:42 11Mohktar Benhari29:43 12Benjamin Malaty29:44

+Teams Rank Team Points ChahdiAmdouniMokhtariMalaty34 VernonRyan McLeodJames WalshMark Draper59 LamdassemGuerraRicardo SerranoYousseff Aakaou 67 476 584 6116 7 135 8160 Totals: 76 entrants, 76 starters, 73 finishers, 10 teams.2011 European XC Championships – Senior Men's Final. European Athletics (2011). Retrieved 11 December 2011.

Senior women

+Individual race Rank Athlete Country Time (m:s) Fionnuala Britton25:55 Ana Dulce Félix26:02 Gemma Steel26:04 4Nadia Ejjafini26:13 5Adriënne Herzog26:34 6Sophie Duarte26:36 7 Roxana Bârcă26:39 8Leonor Carneiro26:39 9Simret Restle26:40 10Valeria Straneo26:42 11Christine Bardelle26:50 12Freya Murray26:51

+Teams Rank Team Points SteelMurrayJulia BleasdaleElle Baker42 FélixCarneiroAnália RosaAna Dias51 RestleSabrina MockenhauptVerena DreierSusanne Hahn 83 483 588 6101 7 116 8133 Totals: 54 entrants, 54 starters, 49 finishers, 8 teams.2011 European XC Championships – Senior Women's Final . European Athletics (2011). Retrieved 11 December 2011.

Under-23 men +Individual race Rank Athlete Country Time (m:s) Florian Carvalho23:44 James Wilkinson23:47 Sondre Nordstad Moen23:48 4Richard Ringer23:48 5Siarhei Platonau23:51 6Abdi Nageeye23:54 7 Simon Denissel23:56 8Mitch Goose23:57 9Sindre Buraas24:02 10Cihat Ulus24:03 11Patrick Nasti24:04 12Jesper Van Der Wielen24:04

+Teams Rank Team Points MoenBuraasHenrik IngebrigtsenHans Kristian Fløystad58 WilkinsonGooseDerek HawkinsPhillip Berntsen76 CarvalhoDenisselMattheiu GarelBryan Cantero 94 497 5107 6128 7 131 8141 Totals: 99 entrants, 98 starters, 97 finishers, 15 teams.2011 European XC Championships – Under-23 Men's Final. European Athletics (2011). Retrieved 11 December 2011.

Under-23 women +Individual race Rank Athlete Country Time (m:s) Emma Pallant19:57 Naomi Taschimowitz20:02 Corrina Harrer20:03 4Stephanie Twell20:03 5Anna Hahner20:05 6Viktoriya Pohoryelska20:08 7 Hannah Walker20:12 8Clémence Calvin20:16 9Carla Salomé Rocha20:20 10Jennifer Wenth20:26 11Laura Suur20:28 12Lisa Hahner20:31

+Teams Rank Team Points PallantTaschimowitzTwellWalker14 HarrerAnna HahnerLisa HahnerJana Soethout41 RochaCatarina RibeiroDaniela CunhaSónia Catarina Lima 77 499 5101 6102 Totals: 43 entrants, 43 starters, 42 finishers, 6 teams.2011 European XC Championships – Under-23 women's Final. European Athletics (2011). Retrieved 11 December 2011.

Junior men +Individual race Rank Athlete Country Time (m:s) Ilgizar Safiullin17:49 Richard Goodman17:51 Vladimir Nikitin17:51 4Roman Collenot-Spiret17:53 5Pieter-Jan Hannes17:58 6Rui Pinto18:01 7 Andrey Rusakov18:07 8Jonathan Hay18:09 9Kieren Clements18:10 10Yehor Zhukov18:10 11Niall Fleming18:18 12Daniel Arce18:20

+Teams Rank Team Points GoodmanHayClementsFleming30 SafiulinNikitinRusakovMikhail Strelkov60 Collenot-SpiretDjilali BedraniJulien DetreFrancois Barrer 103 4109 5118 6120 7 127 8134 Totals: 114 entrants, 112 starters, 109 finishers, 19 teams.2011 European XC Championships – Junior men's Final . European Athletics (2011). Retrieved 11 December 2011.

Junior women +Individual race Rank Athlete Country Time (m:s) Emelia Gorecka13:13 Ioana Doaga13:14 Amela Terzić13:22 4Gulshat Fazlitdinova13:24 5Zenobie Vangansbeke13:32 6Annabel Gummow13:34 7 Svetlana Ryazantseva13:37 8Esma Aydemir13:41 9Gesa-Felicitas Krause13:42 10Maya Rehberg13:47 11Elena Burkard13:50 12Mariya Hodakyvska13:51

+Teams Rank Team Points GoreckaGummowGemma KerseyKatie Holt40 FazlitdinovaRyazantsevaAlexandra GulyaevaVera Vasilyeva43 KrauseRehbergBurkardJannika John 50 475 5117 6122 7 126 8132 Totals: 93 entrants, 93 starters, 92 finishers, 16 teams.2011 European XC Championships – Junior women's Final . European Athletics (2011). Retrieved 11 December 2011.

Total medal table

Note: Totals include both individual and team medals, with medals in the team competition counting as one medal.Medal Table . European Athletics (2011). Retrieved 11 December 2011.

References

External links Official website Competition site on European Athletics