Four medals at the European Mountain Running Championships
Very fine performances by the Belgian delegation at the European Masters Mountain Running Championships.
It was in Sicily that the best European athletes over 35 met up for the first edition of the European Masters Mountain Running Championships.
On the slopes of Mount Etna, starting from the village of Nicolosi, three races were on the programme: The 9km “Classic up & down”, the 3.6km “Vertical run” and the 29km “Long distance”.
With Charlotte Cotton, Franz Tassin, Sébastien Mathia, Gaëtan Piette and Maxime Doyen taking part, Belgium won a total of 4 medals at this event, which brought together the different age categories for athletes over 35.
In the Classic up & down race, the three Excelsior athletes Maxime Doyen, Franz Tassin and Gaëtan Piette took 3rd place in the team rankings. The same was true of the Vertical run, with a second bronze medal in the nations ranking. In the final race, the Long Distance, the Belgian trio of Franz Tassin, Sébastien Mahia and Gaëtan Piette took second place in the team competition.
As an individual, Charlotte Cotton, already three times European champion and twice world champion in the past, claimed a new title in the over 40s by winning the Vertical run.
A fine performance in keeping with Belgium's reputation in trail races.