European Athletics (EAA) – News – Italy’s Caliandro shows he’s a cross country competitor as well

The 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships 3000m winner Cosimo Caliandro confirmed his place in the Italian team going to the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Albufeira, Portugal, on December 12 by winning the 7th Cross Della Volpe on Sunday.

Caliandro won the 9km race in the Piedmont region in a sprint for the line, clocking 28:22, and the former European junior 1500m champion will be looking for a better result in Portugal than his last outing at the event three years ago when he failed to finish in the Spanish town of Toro.

Fellow Italian Yuri Floriani had to settle for second after a three-man duel for victory at the Cross Della Volpe, coming home one second behind Caliandro, while the evergreen Gabriele De Nard, who has competed for Italy at 13 previous SPAR European Cross Country Championships, was third in 28:24.

Agnes Tschurtschenthaler was a convincing winner of the women’s 6km race in 26:08 and also booked her place on plane to Portugal.

Valentina Belotti was second in 26:17 while the pre-race favourite and current Italian women’s national cross country champion Elena Romagnolo, who was sixth in the 2010 European Athletics Championships 5000m, was unfortunately a late withdrawal due to a cold.

Italy has traditionally been one of the strongest nations in European cross country running but will be looking to do better in Albufeira than their modest showing in Dublin last December when they just got one place on the podium, the bronze medals in the men’s senior race.

A second Italian selection race, the XXIV Cross Valle del Chiese, will be held in Condino on November 28.

European Athletics (EAA) – News