On a poor day for the Irish team, Denmark's Carsten Jorgensen took the men's European cross country title in Lisbon yesterday. It was a miracle he won considering the organisers kept changing the 9.3 kilometre course because they were still constructing it a few minutes before the first race. But then he is better known as an orienteer.
On a real cross country course, knee deep in clinging mud and containing several challenging climbs, Jorgensen led from the gun, but was passed with 100 metres to go by Claes Nyberg of Sweden only to rally to claim victory.
Portugal won the senior men's team event, with France second and Spain third. Ireland could only manage eighth. With Seamus Power struggling with a hip injury, it was left to Peter Matthews to show the way home home for the Irish. He finished in 16th place. Behind him, Power faded to 30th, with Tom McGrath (52nd), Noel Cullen (53rd) and Colm De Burca (59th) completing a disappointing performance.
It meant that Ireland finished just behind seventh-placed Holland, with Britain a point further away in sixth place.
Britain took only one medal in the championships from their four teams. Dominic Bannister was their highest finisher in the senior race in 17th.
Britain's main hope, Keith Cullen, dropped out for a third successive major championship.
The women's race was a runaway victory for France's Josianne Llado, who won the 5.45 km race by 13 seconds from Romania's Elena Fidatov.
The Irish team, bronze medallists in the world championship at Turin last March, could finish only 10th of 11 in the team placings on this occasion. Valerie Vaughan, a member of the Turin squad, was 42nd yesterday, 13 placings worse than Teresa Duffy. The other Irish finishers were Maureen Harrington (48th) and Annette Kealy (49th).
The best Irish performance of the day was that of Belfast's Gareth Turnbull in the men's junior race. He finished seventh, well clear of team-mates Enda Johnson (20th), Barry Harron (52nd) and Simon Ward (57th).
Gert-Jan Liefers of the Netherlands won the race in 15 minutes 45 seconds, and Spain won the team event.
Anne Marie Larkin was the highest placed Irish runner in the women's junior race in 20th position. The other Irish placings in this race were Carolyn Daly (49th), Maria Lynch (50th) and Kathryn Casserley 54th.
Sonia Stolic of Yugoslavia won the race in nine minutes nine seconds, with Monica Rose a of Portugal second (9:15) and Larissa Kleinmann of Germany third (9:19).
Germany won the team event, and Yugoslavia were second. Rebecca Wade led the British team to third place, coming in 12th herself.
"That was the toughest race of my life. It really was hard work out there," said the 17-year-old, who covered the 2.85 km course in 9:34, well down on Stolic's winning time.
