Three days to go! Countdown on for Lagoa 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships
11th December 2025There are now just three days to go until the Lagoa 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships on Sunday 14 December featuring world 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier (FRA), Olympic and world 10,000m silver medallist Nadia Battocletti (ITA), world 1500m champion Isaac Nader (POR) and European U20 3000m/5000m champion Innes FitzGerald (GBR).
Lagoa 2025 will be streamed live on the European Athletics website via the Eurovision Sport platform and will be available with English, French and German language commentary from 09:55 CET. Plus there will also be highlights from Lagoa 2025 posted on the European Athletics YouTube channel.
It will also be screened by 17 national broadcasters across Europe.
In total, 644 athletes from 36 Member Federations are due to compete at Lagoa 2025 across seven races. It will be the fourth time Portugal has staged the championships. Here's a look ahead to each race:
SENIOR MEN
World 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier is making his first apperance at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships since 2021.
A three-time winner of the men's U23 race, he will be seeking a unique title triple for 2025, to add to his 10,000m gold from the Tokyo World Athletics Championships and half marathon victory at the European Running Championships in Brussels-Leuven.
Switzerland's European 10,000m champion Dominic Lobalu and Spain's Thierry Ndikumwenayo, who won bronze at the event last year in Antalya, Türkiye, are also likely to contend.
SENIOR WOMEN
Nadia Battocletti will be aiming for back-to-back titles twelve months after becoming the first woman in SPAR European Cross Country Championships history to win individual U20, U23 and senior titles.
Her opposition includes Diane Van Es from the Netherlands and Great Britain’s Megan Keith, the silver and bronze medallists behind Battocletti in the 10,000m at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships, and former four-time European cross country champion Yasemin Can from Türkiye.
MIXED RELAY
Reigning champions Italy will face strong opposition from hosts Portugal featuring world 1500m champion Isaac Nader and double European indoor medallist Salome Afonso, plus former winners France, Great Britain and Spain.
U23 RACES
Great Britain's Will Barnicoat will be targeting a hat-trick of individual men's U23 titles in a stacked field and Spain's European U23 5000m champion Maria Forero will start favourite in the women's race.
U20 RACES
European U20 1500m and 3000m champion Hakon Moe Berg will be spearheading Norway's push for individual and team medals in the men's race. In the woen's race, Great Britain’s Innes FitzGerald will be aiming for her third successive individual and team titles.
There will be comprehensive coverage of Lagoa 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships on the European Athletics’ website and European Athletics and EA Running social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.