LAGOA (14-December) — Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo took advantage of an unfortunate stumble by Frenchman favorite Jimmy Gressier in the closing meters to the senior men’s race at the 2025 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa on Sunday. The Spanish runner covered the course in 22:05. – Complete Results
The victory marks a step up for Ndikumwenayo, who earned bronze at the same event last year in Antalya.
The Final Sprint
Ndikumwenayo and Gressier ran together for most of the race after the two athletes separated themselves from the rest of the field by the second lap and maintained their lead through the finish.
The race came down to the final turn. The pair ran shoulder-to-shoulder going into the last turn before Gressier lost his footing just 30 meters from the line, allowing Ndikumwenayo to pull ahead and cross first.
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The French athlete, who was aiming to add to the strong 2025 season that included wins at the world 10,000m championships and European half-marathon, plus bronze at the world 5000m, finished second with a time of 22:08.
“I finished second, not exactly what I’ve came after, but I’m satisfied after an amazing year,” said Gressier. “World champion, European half-marathon champion, a lot of amazing personal records happened in 2025. What a beautiful year!
“Of course, in the last lap I believed I could beat Thierry in the sprint, but it turned out he was stronger than me. Bravo to him. Unfortunately, today my legs weren’t as strong as I wanted. I felt tired during the race, and this course is very far from what I could wish for. I prefer faster and flatter courses.”
Battle for Bronze
Switzerland’s Dominic Lobalu and Britain’s Scott Beattie fought for third place throughout the race. Both runners crossed the line at 22:23, falling across the finish together. Officials awarded bronze to Lobalu after reviewing the photo finish.
The European 10,000m champion had been part of a chase group that also included Spanish teammates Aarón Las Heras and Abdessamad Oukhelfen. By the third lap, this group trailed the leaders by seven seconds.
Spain Takes Team Gold
Spain won the team title with strong performances across the board. Oukhelfen finished sixth while Las Heras placed ninth, combining with Ndikumwenayo’s gold for the team victory with a score of 16 points.
Ireland claimed team runner-up spot with 26 points, led by Jack O’Leary’s fifth-place finish with a time of 22:25, while France took team bronze with 37 points, giving Gressier a second medal on the day.
Etson Barros was the top Portugal finisher in 14th spot with a time of 22:44. Great Britain and Northern Ireland (GBR) was fourth in the team tally with 50 points, with Portugal fifth with 68 points.
European Cross Country Championships Top Finishers
- Thierry Ndikumwenayo (ESP) – 22:05
- Jimmy Gressier (FRA) – 22:08
- Dominic Lobalu (SUI) – 22:23
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