Megan Keith, Innes FitzGerald and Will Barnicoat inspire their country to a record medal haul, while Norwegian writes her name in the history books and Frenchman Schrub seizes his chance

Firm favourites running to form, others springing some surprises. A bustling venue which drew the crowds and crackled with atmosphere as the competitors were forced to find the quickest route through the thickest of mud. A British team in impressively dominant form. The 2023 edition of the European Cross Country Championships in Brussels had just about everything.

The days rapid-fire schedule came to a close with Yann Schrub taking advantage of serial winner Jakob Ingebrigtsens absence to land senior mens gold, the first French athlete ever to do so. That followed on quickly from Norways Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal becoming only the second woman ever to win three senior European Cross titles.

France had further success to celebrate thanks to their mixed relay team, while Denmark also hit the top of the podium when Axel Vang Christensen won under-20 mens gold. However, it was Great Britain that captured the biggest medal haul.

The last time this event was staged at the same Laeken Park venue was 2008. On that occasion Britain topped the medals table and this current crop of athletes emulated the feat, capturing a record seven gold medals and 11 medals in total.

Individual titles went to Innes FitzGerald (U20 women), Megan Keith (U23 women) and Will Barnicoat (U23 men), while there were bronze medals for Abbie Donnelly in the senior womens race and Matt Stonier in the mens U23 contest, plus the mixed relay team.

On top of that came team golds for all of the womens line-ups, silver for the mens U20 team and bronze for the U23s. In fact, the senior mens squad were the only British athletes to head home without silverware, finishing fifth overall.

FitzGerald reigns supreme as Dane comes back from the brink

The tone for the British team was set by Innes FitzGerald, the 17-year-old producing a brilliantly assertive victory in the U20 womens race which opened the programme. Finishing fourth in Turin last year, her first appearance in a British vest, had stung and the Exeter Harrier arrived in the Belgian capital determined not just to win a first European title but also to prove a point.

Under the guidance of coaches Gavin and Jo Pavey, she has learned much in the intervening 12 months and made sure not to hit the accelerator too soon. Yet still she soon found herself clear and a controlled run brought her home across the 5000m course 25 seconds clear of Denmarks Sofia Thøgersen, with French athlete Jade Le Corre third.

I wasnt satisfied after last year, said FitzGerald. I think I showed everyone what I had and this is more than I could dream of. I wasnt intending on leading things, so when I saw that I was alone at front, I just kept going and kept pushing myself.

With Britain taking team gold as Jess Bailey came home in eighth and Lizzie Wellstead 13th , Germany and Sweden completed the podium.

While FitzGeralds victory had been entirely expected, the same could not have been said for the winner of the mens U20 race. Axel Vang Christensen is no slouch and was the U20 European Cross champion in 2021. However, Achilles problems and the mononucleosis virus had left him out of action for months and facing the very real prospect of having to give up running.

The first race that the Dane, who was previously based at the University of Birmingham, had completed for some time came in October and training had been improving. That much was clear here when he was able to win a brilliant battle and surge away from the much-fancied double European U20 track champion Niels Laros in the closing metres to win gold.

Irishman Nick Griggs, who fell within sight of the gold medal last year, had to settle for bronze this time as he led the Irish team to top spot. Britain with Sam Mills fifth, Henry Dover sixth and Rowan Miell-Ingram 13^th were the second team, with bronze going to Spain.

Keith is uncatchable as Barnicoat proves his point

Like FitzGerald, Megan Keith was another in-form British athlete with a gold medal in her sights. Last years silver medallist began the womens U23 race with a look of laser-like focus on her face but finished it beaming from ear to ear. In fact, as it turned out, the biggest threat to the European U23 5000m champion taking gold ended up being the sponsors barrier she had to swerve to avoid in the finishing straight, having become slightly distracted when she moved over to the side of the route to high five the Tartan Army supporters who were roaring the Inverness Harrier to the most emphatic of wins.

At the trials for these championships, Keith had produced a record winning margin of victory, coming home 53 seconds clear. In Brussels, the gap was an enormous one minute and 23 seconds over the 7000m course as she finished ahead of the Finnish duo Ilona Mononen and Nathalie Blomqvist.

Alexandra Millard and Eloise Walker finishing 11th and 15th respectively handed Britain a comfortable team win, with Germany second and Spain third.

We knew it was a course that you could pay the price on if you started too fast, so I was intending to sit back on the first few laps and work on through, but I think everyone was a bit reluctant to go with the pace I set out at, so I committed to it and I am glad it paid off, said Keith.

The mens U23 contest might have been a far tighter affair but it also still ended up with a British winner. In Turin last year, Will Barnicoat had come through in the final metres of the U20 race to deny Nick Griggs. However, the Briton had been annoyed at suggestions he had only won due to the Irishmans slip-up. He used that frustration as fuel and took the step up to U23 competition in his stride.

The 20-year-old has developed well over the past year, winning 5000m bronze at the European U23 Championships during the summer. He arrived in Brussels confident of placing himself firmly in medal contention and emerged victorious in the ensuing duel with Valentin Bresc, European Cross bronze medallist last year.

Barnicoats closing surge kept the Frenchman at bay, while there was also an excellent run from Matt Stonier in third. James Kingstons 21^st place made sure of team gold ahead of France and Norway.

Grøvdal one of the greats, Scrhub seizes his chance

Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal might primarily be a track athlete but she cemented her place in European Cross Country history by winning the third consecutive senior womens title of her career in Brussels.

The achievement gives the Norwegian membership to a very exclusive club. She is one of only three athletes to have won three years in a row at the European Cross. Turkeys Yasemin Can, who was the womens champion four times from 2016-2019, and nine-time senior mens winner Sergiy Lebid of Ukraine, are the only others to have managed it.

The Norwegian has a special relationship with these championships. Her illustrious career stretches back to 2006, when she won her first international medal after finishing second in the U20 race in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy. She got the senior gold she craved in Dublin in 2021, before repeating the feat last year. Now, aged 33, she produced her most commanding performance yet.

With a background in cross country skiing, the heavy conditions undoubtedly played in her favour but so, too, did the race distance. For the first time, this year all distances at the European Cross were equalised for men and women, meaning both senior races took place over 9000m  an extended challenge for the women compared to previously.

Grøvdal did initially have company, in the form of last years U23 winner Nadia Battocletti of Italy, the British pair Abbie Donnelly and Jessica Warner-Judd, as well as Swedens Sarah Lahti. One by one, however, the challenges began to fade.

Donnelly had clung on for the longest but a decisive gap was opened by the Norwegian on an uphill section of the fourth lap and there was no stopping her from there. Grøvdal hit the line first in 33:40 to secure her 10th individual European Cross medal, finishing 45 seconds clear of the rallying Battocletti. Donnelly held her nerve to take bronze and win her first individual medal.

Fionnuala McCormack completed a busy seven days, racing to fourth place exactly one week after running the Valencia Marathon and securing a spot at what will be her fifth Olympics, but the Irishwoman admitted her overriding emotion was one of frustration at missing out on a medal.

Warner-Judd was fifth, with Izzy Frys 10^th spot sealing the British team gold ahead of Spain and Belgium.

If the womens race went to a repeat winner, then Yann Schrub revelled in being able to experience Senior Mens victory for the first time. The Frenchman proved to be the strongest during a race in which Britains trials winner Hugo Milner had looked to dictate for large parts of it. He and Schrub went toe to toe until the 10,000m bronze medallist from the European Championships in 2022 found the extra gear to move away.

Milner, who will turn his attention towards winning a triathlon spot at the Olympics, couldnt quite keep himself in the medal positions as he was overhauled late on by Norways fast-finishing Magnus Tuv Myhre and Belgian Robin Hendrix.

Even though pre-race favourite Isaac Kimeli finished 11^th, there was further delight for host nation as they took team gold ahead of France and Norway.

Mixed relay shows its worth

The mixed relay was added to the European Cross programme in 2017, the idea being for it to bring something a little different and to add another exciting dimension to the championships. This years race in Brussels showcased just why it has been such a welcome addition as a thrilling contest unfolded.

With two men and two women in each team, there is no fixed order and this year team management were even given a window during the race when they could make late, tactical switches.

As different nations opted for different strategies, it meant there really was a big mix of male and female athletes on each 1500m leg until the final one.

A combination of Josh Lay, Bethan Morley and Adam Fogg had given Khahisa Mhlanga a substantial gap going into the last leg. Fogg had been due to run the anchor before a late change of plan designed to give Mhlanga a big lead to protect.

That is how it played out but it meant that even though Mhlanga had a gap of 56 seconds, she had to do so as the only female runner on the anchor leg. And so developed a fascinating contest to see if she could cling on.

Mhlanga put in a superbly defiant effort but ultimately the strength-sapping conditions saw her slip to third as she hit the closing straight, with Alexis Miellet leading France to victory by two seconds from the Dutch team brought home by Bram Anderiessen. Britain finished just a further two seconds back.

For a host of athlete interview videos from Brussels, click here