European Athletics (EAA) – News – Under 23 men’s preview: Ibrahimov’s pace makes him difficult to match

If track times are anything to go by, it is hardly necessary to look beyond Azerbaijan's Hayle Ibrahimov for the winner. Though track is not cross country, at times the courses favour the fast and Ibrahimov is so far ahead of the field it will be interesting to see who can emerge to challenge him.

Ibrahimov shot to the top of the European rankings in September registering the excellent clocking for 5000m of 13:11.34. No one else in this age group can match that kind of pace and it appears to be Ibrahimov's race to lose.

As a traditional cross country nation, Great Britain will be once again fielding a strong troupe in this category. British U23 champion Jonny Hay withdrew from the first McCain Cross Challenge in Bristol due to a knee problem, but in the trials came home as first U23 competitor crossing the line in 10th position overall in the senior race.

"I'm a little bit surprised. I haven't been training as much recently because I've got a knee injury," said Hay after the race. "I'm really happy and I certainly didn't expect to win the U23s."

A consistent cross country performer and impressively first European in last year's IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Hay is hoping to put in a strong performance in Hungary, if his knee problem allows him to make it there.

In Hungary, Hay will be backed up by 2009 European junior cross country medallists Nick Goolab and James Wilkinson – the latter a silver medallist in this category 12 months ago.

Last year France had the outstanding individual winner in Florian Carvalho who won as he pleased and though the squad is without him this time they will still present a solid unit.

Behind Carvalho, Simon Denissel finished seventh in Velenje and he returns to this age group for a final time before he joins the seniors. During the track season Denissel concentrated on the 1500m, but set two lifetime bests over 3000m finally establishing it at 7:51.37, an improvement of some eight seconds.

Norway won this category for the first time last year but they will be without their outstanding pairing of Sondre Nordstad Moen and Sindre Buraas in Szentendre. But they have a more than capable representative in Henrik Ingebrigtsen who made a name for himself in the most startling way possible during the summer when he emerged from the pack in the Helsinki 2012 European Athletics Championships to snatch 1500m gold. In Velenje, Ingebrigtsen was only 15th and will be looking to break into the top ten in Hungary.

Portugal is always a country to be reckoned with and their outstanding athlete is Rui Pinto who was sixth as a junior last year, but now moves up a notch.

Pinto has been impressive in the series of races over the country in his native Portugal this autumn and is ready to take a step up in class. Instead of one trial race, the Portuguese arrange a series from which to select the most consistent overall.

Neighbours Spain have a much improved Abdelaziz Merzoughi as their standard bearer. In Soria, he was second Spaniard behind Lamdassem, one of the favourites in the senior event. Though he won this event as a junior, last year Merzogui finished no higher than 38th in this age group but he has moved on since then.

Merzoughi is a medallist on the track. The year after he transferred from Morocco to Spain he was fourth in the World Junior Championships and then took steeplechase silver in the 2011 European Athletics U23 Championships in Ostrava.

Belarus's Siarhei Platonau was fifth in this race in Velenje and this is his last year in this division. On the track he has improved his 5000m by almost half a minute which indicates he might well remain in the top half dozen in Budapest. A 3:41 lifetime best, also in 2012, suggests his speed has improved as well as stamina.

For Belgium Mats Lunders has been enjoying top form in 2012 with lifetime bests from 1500m to 10000 as well as competing in a full cross country season. His best performance came in Roeslare where he crossed the line in ninth just four places behind European champion, Atelaw Bekele.

 European Athletics (EAA) – News