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Barnicoat Wins U23 Euro XC Championship

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by Clay Shaw
Photography by Clay Shaw and Karen Mitchell

12.10.2023, Brussels, Belgium—Will Barnicoat of Great Britain won the U20 SPAR European Cross Country Championship in Turin, Italy in 2022. This year Barnicoat moved up to the U23 race and won again. It wasn’t easy by any means as he fought off a massive challenge by Valentin Bresc of France.  Both men were timed at 23:42 for the 7000-meter muddy cross country course at Laeken Park in Brussels. Barnicoat’s teammate Matthew Stonier was third in 23:51, earning the bronze.  Great Britain won the team gold, followed by France and Norway.

Moa Abounnachat Bollerod of Norway was fourth. Miguel Baidal of Spain was fifth in 23:56.

Will Barnicoat after the race:
“Last year I won the gold medal in the U20 race and people told me that it was a bit of a lucky win there. Today I confirmed that it wasn’t,” reflected Barnicoat.
“To be honest I didn’t know what to expect today, because I didn’t run that well in the trails [in Liverpool two weeks ago]. The course here suited me perfectly because I like the mud. In the end it was a tight finish. I just waited to attack in the last downhill and I was able to keep off the French athlete in the end,” he added.

Top Finishers

  1. 23:42 Will Barnicoat, Great Britain
  2. 23:42 Valentin Bresc, France
  3. 23:51 Matthew Stonier, Great Britain
  4. 23:56 Moa Abounnachat Bollerod, Norway
  5. 23:56 Miguel Baidal, Spain
  6. 23:57 Joel Ibler Lilleso, Denmark
  7. 24:05 Adisu Guadia, Israel
  8. 24:05 Jonathan Hofer, Switzerland
  9. 24:15 Mustafe Muuse, Finland
  10. 24:17 Yorick Van de Kerkhove, Belgium
  11. 24:18 Santtu Heikkinen, Finland
  12. 24:20 Jesse Fokkenrood, Netherlands
  13. 24:21 Vebjorn Hovdejord, Norway
  14. 24:23 Ruben Amaral, Portugal
  15. 24:23 Teo-Rubens Banini, France
  16. 24:25 Felix Freidrich, Germany
  17. 24:26 Flavien Szot, France
  18. 24:26 Luc LeBaron, France
  19. 24:27 Mario Priego, Spain
  20. 24:27 Robbe Theeuwes, Belgium

Top Five Teams

  1. Great Britain and NI
  2. France
  3. Norway
  4. Spain
  5. Belgium
Will Barnicoat of Great Britain wins the U23 race by a step. Valentin Bresc of France was second. Both men were timed at 23:42.
Valentin Bresc of France finished second and led Team France to second place in the team competition.
U23 men races game time as Will Barnicoat of Great Britain marks Valentin Bresc of France. Matthew Stonier of Great Britain hangs tough to get third. Barnicoat won in a sprint with Bresc, both timed at 23:42.
Noah Konteh of Belgium was 45th.
Early lead pack in the U23 race. Vebjorn Hovdejord of Norway, Mustafe Muuse of Finland, Will Barnicoat and Rory Leonard of Great Britain and Etson Barros of Portugal.
Rory Leonard of Great Britain led the first two 1500 laps, but did not finish. Will Barnicoat of Great Britain won, as did team Great Britain. Yorick Van De Kerkhove was tenth, Elson Barros of Portugal was 31st, and Mustafe Muuse of Finland was ninth.
U23 Team Poland.
U23 Team Espana, known in English as Spain.
Happy Podium Brits. Will Barnicoat was first and Matthew Stonier was third as Great Britain also won team gold.
Moa Abounnachat Bollerod of Norway takes the sprint for fourth in 23:56. Miguel Baidal of Spain was fifth in 23:56 and Joel Ibler Lilleso of Denmark was sixth in 23:57.
Ruben Amaral of Portugal was 14th, Alejandro Quijada of Spain was 22nd, James Kingston of Great Britain was 21st, and Ibrahim Buras of Norway was 25th in the U23 race.
Andril Atamaniuk of Ukraine runs in the U23 race at Laeken Park in Brussels. He finished 39th.
Valentin Bresc and Flavien Szot of France lead eventual champ Will Barnicoat of Great Britain and Moa Abounnachat Bollerod of Norway in the U23 race.
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