from Northern Ireland Athletics Recently crowned European Junior Cross Country bronze medallist Kate Avery will compete in next month’s Antrim IAAF Cross Country International at the Greenmount Campus Antrim on 23rd January. The IAAF event is organised and promoted by Athletics Northern Ireland and sponsored by Antrim Borough Council and McCain.
Durham athlete Avery is currently on a high following her unexpected 3rd place in the Europeans in Dublin behind winner Grovdal of Norway. This helped Britain to silver team medals behind Russia. Kate who has won silver in the 3000m at this year’s European Juniors is still eligible for next year’s European Cross as is the Russian who finished ahead of her in Dublin. Joining Avery at Greenmount is Delilah Dicrescenzo of the US who was 4th in her national championships this year. She also finished a respectable 33rd in the World Cross Country in Amman.
Two of Britain’s top three finishers in the Senior Men’s event in Dublin have also confirmed that they will compete at Antrim. Blackheath’s Mike Skinner was overtaken in the run-in by Aldershot’s Andy Vernon to place 12th and 13th behind Britain’s silver medallist Mo Farah.
Skinner who has already won at Gateshead and Liverpool this season said he was pleased with his run particularly as it helped the team to silver medals behind winners Spain.
23 year old Vernon is equally at home on both cross country and track. In 2008 he took silver in the European U23 in Brussels behind Italian winner Lalli. Then in July he captured the national 10,000m track title to add to his 5000m win from the previous year.
However current Inter Counties champion Vernon knows he will have his work cut out to win at Antrim. The organisers, Athletics Northern Ireland, will shortly be confirming the participation of some African athletes who have invariably dominated the individual awards over the years in the North’s top cross country event.
Previous winners of the Belfast International meeting which started way back in 1977 have included world and Olympic champions. Notable names have included Paula Radcliffe, Paul Tergat, Steve Cram, Steve Ovett, John Tracey, Khalid Skah, Sergey Lebid, Liz McColgan, Brendan Foster plus a host of other world class Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes.
The event is one of the largest and most popular events in the Northern Ireland athletics sporting calendar with more than 1,000 competitors taking part in 12 races throughout the day.
It is one of eleven IAAF permitted cross country races in the world and is part of the UK Cross Challenge Series. The well-established series is the focus of the domestic endurance running scene over the winter months and this year it has been given a huge boost by the support of McCain.