July 09

MOUNTAIN RUNNING EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019 AT ZERMATT: MAUDE MATHYS AND JACOB ADKIN WIN GOLD

Posted by adefrutos on July 9, 2019 in Carreras de montaña, european mountain running championship, iaaf, IAAF trail running, trail running, trail running spain, wmra, world mountain running association | Leave a comment

The 18th European Mountain Championships by IAAF is over! Switzerland’s Maude Mathys won the women title again for a third year in a row on the European Mountain Running Championships. On the men side, Jakob Adkin produced a tremendous display to become the first Brit to win a senior men’s title in event history. There was not success for the spanish army who normally moves better in longer distances.

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18th EUROPEAN MOUNTAIN RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIPS AT ZERMATT (10k/D+1025m)

In a race where the senior women and men run for 10.1 km course with 1030 meters of ascent and 45 meters of descent. Italy was the gold medal winning women’s team with Elisa Sortini (5th), Valentina Belotti (7th), Alessia Scaini (10th) and Erica Ghelfi (25th). France and Switzerland took the silver and bronze team medals. There were 15 full teams in the women’s race.

Mathys triumphed in Zermatt on the lower part of the Matterhorn as she beat Austria’s Andrea Mayr, who had created history herself by becoming the first woman to win this title three years in a row, between 2013 and 2015. With four kilometres left, it was Mayr, who also won the crown in 2005, leading by around 10 seconds but Mathys has a preference for uphill courses – and this year’s course had a climb of 1020 metres – and she made the most of it, powering home to win in 1:00:18 by just over a minute from Mayr in 1:01:19 and France’s Christel Dewalle in 1:02:48.

The finish in Riffelberg came at a 45-metre descent when it is all about balance and Mathys knew what a tough morning it had been and the challenge she faced against Mayr. “It was a very close race,” acknowledged Mathys, who also won team bronze. “She (Mayr) came back on me in the climbs. It’s on the flat parts that I could make the difference and I am relieved to have held to the end. I wanted so much to bring back this gold medal in front of this Swiss public. It’s a great pride.”

There was gold success for Italy in the team event as Elisa Sortini led the nation home in fifth in 1:04:13 as they won the title with 22 points from France with 26 and Switzerland with 31.

Hands raised in celebration with a few strides to go and punching the air with his right arm as he crossed the line, Jakob Adkin produced a tremendous display to become the first Brit to win a senior men’s title in event history – and spearhead his squad to team gold. As the crowd gathered at the finish, Adkin came into view looking sharp and in control and with a big lead on his way to the biggest success of his career.

His victory over the 10.1km distance in 53:21 from Norway’s Stian Overgaard Aarvik in 53.46 saw the pair beat some of the biggest names in the sport. Italy’s 2017 champion Xavier Chevrier was third in 54:02.7 and his teammate Martin Dematteis, the 2016 gold medallist, wasn’t a factor in tenth in 55:06.

In the men’s U20 junior event, Joseph Dugdale (GBR) won the race followed by Alain Cavagna (Italy) and Ramazan Yorulmaz (TUR). In the women’s U20 junior event, Barbora Havlickova (CZE) took gold followed by Angela Mattevi (ITA) and Ruken Tek (YUR).

Great Britain won the U20 men’s team event followed by Turkey and Italy. Italy won the U20 women’s team event followed by Turkey and Romania.
The U20 juniors ran a 5.9 km course with 440 meters of ascent and 75 meters of descent.