Tre blad Ingebrigtsen competed in EC cross-country races. Jakob Ingebrigtsen defended last year’s gold, Filip Ingebrigtsen broke it, while Henrik Ingebrigtsen finished 23rd.

Big brother Henrik is 1.11 behind Jakob and third best in Norway, just four seconds behind Narve Gilje Nordås in 21st place.

Becoming the top three in team competition is also Henrik Ingebrigtsen’s goal ahead of the race.

– It really hurts. I know what Henrik has been through, and how little training he has, Jakob said of his older brother.

– It’s great to see such a good runner Henrik, so it will be interesting to see how the body works in the next few months. “I’ll try to contribute as best I can, so I think he can be very good in the summer,” he said.

First competitive race in half a year

Henrik Ingebrigtsen himself has a gold medal in the U23 class from the EC cross-country race in 2012. In the same year, he also won his family’s first EC gold in the senior class when he won the 1,500 meter track.

The last few years have been marked by numerous injuries for the 31-year-old, and he has not participated in any international championships on track since WC in 2019, where he finished 13th in the 5000m final.

Sunday’s race is its first competition since the Bislett Games on June 16.

– It’s great to know that only my shape has limited how fast I can run today. There is no limit in terms of injury or pain, so it’s just a matter of rhythm and work and work, Henrik Ingebrigtsen told NRK.

– Only training is missing now. “I’m not happy with my shape, but the aim was to come here and show how good I am, for better or for worse,” he said.

NRK track and field expert Vebjørn Rodal pointed out that the gap to Jakob Ingebrigtsen was one minute and eleven seconds, which is the equivalent of just over one lap in a 10,000 meter course.

– Henrik has a head that wants a lot. “I think it’s impressive, but it’s clear there is still a long way to go,” said Rodal.

– New power demonstration

Hence the gold went to Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

The 22-year-old has a habit of taking European Championship gold in cross-country running. For four consecutive years from 2016–2019, he won the junior class, before in 2021 he won his first gold in the senior class.

As defending champion, he is the big favorite, and Ingebrigtsen lives up to the label.

On the last lap, he pulled away on the climb and was able to wave to the camera at the top, knowing he was in control of the gold.

– He’s unique, says commentator Carl Andreas Wold.

– This is a demonstration of new powers by Jakob. He was not only the best middle and long distance runner in Europe, but also the best in the world. Then he became very demanding to beat in an EC cross country race. This is impressive, adds expert commentator Vebjørn Rodal.

Ingebrigtsen ended up winning nine seconds ahead of Emile Cairess and twelve seconds ahead of Isaac Kimeli.

– I tried to go forward, so I got a wrong start on the court. Eventually they stopped running past me up the hill, so I realized they were tired too, said Ingebrigtsen.

This is the eleventh time Ingebrigtsen has won the senior class at an international championship. Previously, he had four EC gold medals in track, three EC gold medals in indoor, one WC gold medal in track, and one Olympic gold medal. And now two senior gold medals in EC cross-country races.

Bjerkeli Grøvdal moved down

– It’s great to be able to defend gold. Taking it last year was one thing, but now I’ve done it two years in a row. It’s a nice feeling, Bjerkeli Grøvdal told NRK.

On a hilly track in Turin, Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal led from the start. Halfway through, only Yasemin Can and Konstanze Klosterhalfen were with the 32-year-old.

Can had to drop early on the steepest hill in the fourth of six rounds, and thus became a showdown against Klosterhalfen for gold.

The German won gold in the 5,000 meters at the course earlier this year, a race Bjerkeli Grøvdal had to leave due to a back injury.

This time nothing could stop him, and with a pull just before the finish line, Bjerkeli won Grøvdal.

– It was tough in the last round. I dropped a meter here and there all the time, said Bjerkeli Grøvdal.

While most speak of the uphill slope as the turning point, it’s the downhill that makes the decisive move.

– I was looking forward to the party every time, but I didn’t know that I would take her there. It responded well when I put the jerk in it, he said.

Wholesale of medals in cross country running

Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal won her first medal in EC cross country at the age of 16, when she won silver in the junior class in 2006.

Three years later he won the junior class, and after bronze in the senior class in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 and silver in 2019, he climbed to the top last year.

As the reigning champion, he performed well and retained the gold from last year.

Silver to Østgård – Rabi is transported by ambulance

In age-only classes, it’s especially dramatic for the juniors on the male side.

Abdullahi Dahir Rabi collapsed about six and a half minutes into the race and was eventually carried out by medical personnel. He was then taken to the hospital for further tests.

Esten Hansen-Møllerud Hauen was Norway’s best junior men’s in seventh place. On the women’s side, Ingeborg Østgård – like last year – took silver after a strong finish.

In the U23 class, Magnus Tuv Myhre finished tenth in the men’s class, while Andrea Modin Engesæth finished twelfth in the women’s U23 class.