The 46th edition of the International Cross of Amendoeiras em Flor brought together last Sunday, February 26th, more than 800 athletes at the Açoteias cross track, in Albufeira.
Integrated in the World Tour of World Athletics Cross Country Tour, the only Cross Country competition with WA ranking points
national territory, the Cross Internacional das Amendoeiras em Flor is the 4th oldest Cross to integrate the Circuit WA.
José Carlos Rolo, mayor of Albufeira, classifies the event as «strategic for the promotion of the municipality».
It is an «event included in the international calendar of the modality, which in the middle of the low season is extremely positive for promoting the brand abroad, not only as a quality tourist destination, but also as a municipality that has all the conditions to host major international sporting events, which meets the challenge we set ourselves to apply for Albufeira to be a European City of Sport in 2023», says the mayor, highlighting the success of the initiative that he says is the result of the joint work of the Associação de Atletismo do Algarve, Municipality of Albufeira and Clube Desportivo das Areias de S. João.
As for the rankings, in the men's race the victory went to Frenchman Yann Schrub, who finished with 25:17 minutes, ahead of compatriot Valentin Gondouin, with 25:21. The Portuguese Samuel Barata, from Sport Lisboa Benfica, won third place on the podium by finishing the race with 25:21.
In females, the Ethiopian Likina Amebaw led the competition by finishing in first place with 21:35 minutes, followed by Nataliya Strebkova, from Ukraine, with 21:38. Third place went to Elena Burkard, from Germany, who finished the race with 21: 44 minutes.
Patrícia Serafim, from Clube das Areias de São João, was the big surprise of the day when she was the best Portuguese in the competition, having been placed in sixth place.
On the sidelines of the event, Cristiano Cabrita, vice-president and responsible for the Sports department of the municipality, referred that «Cross is an anchor competition in terms of sport», taking the opportunity to announce that «the Municipality of Albufeira has already signed the agreement that will allow the European Champion Clubs' Cup to be included again in Cross Internacional das Amendoeiras, with the pretension of the municipality to bring world championships and european championships to the venue as it happened in 2010».
The event, which is part of the World Athletics Cross Country Circuit – Gold Level, the Regional Cross Country Championship and the 20th Young Cross Country Tour of Areias de S. João returns next year with the promise of including, once again, the European Champion Clubs in the mythical test of the golden sneakers.
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