|
|
Two months 'til Toro: Lebid's medal mission
Published by
Oct 10th 2007, 3:02am
| Two months 'til Toro: Lebid's medal mission |
|
|
| 09 October 2008 |  | 6-time Champion of the European Cross Country
Championships, Sergiy Lebid (UKR).
Photo by Picture Alliance.
|
Two months from today the biggest stars of European Cross Country running will gather in the beautiful Spanish town of Toro to compete in the 14th SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
On the count down to this event in the Cross Country calendar we will feature a number of interviews with the stars of the competition and stars of the past, starting with six-time Champion and record medal holder (eight individual medals) Sergiy Lebid (UKR).
Q. You have participated in all editions of the European Cross Country Competition. What makes this competition so interesting and important for you?
A. I think it is an essential event for all European runners, and even more important for me because I have started my season a lot of times competing at the Europeans of cross country. The event always gives me a very good idea of how I'm feeling and how my preparation worked out.
Q. In 13 years you have won 6 gold medals, 1 silver and 1 bronze, meaning you have not only achieved the highest individual medal tally, but you have also won more competitions than anybody else. Do you have a favourite memory from any of these competitions?
A. The first time is always the most remarkable one; although I will never forget the edition when I won my first gold medal, in Ferrara 1998. That really is unforgettable.
Q. Last year you ended up in 11th place which for you is not a strong performance in Cross Country. What happened? Was it just not your day, or is the competition getting tougher each year with youngsters like Mo Farah and Juan Carlos de la Ossa participating?
A. It was not my day. In fact I had been suffering from an injury since October 2006 and therefore was not able to prepare well enough for the event which influenced my performance tremendously. A lot of young and good athletes have been coming out recently. On the one hand they make the competition tougher for me but on the other hand it becomes more interesting like that. It is also crucial for our sport to have new talent.
Q. Can we count on you this December in Toro and what is your goal for this Championship?
A. Yes definitely, I hope that I can achieve a better result than last year. On my return to Ukraine I at least want to have a medal in my hands. Anyway, there are still two months of hard work left.
Q. Who do you think are going to be your major rivals in this year's edition?
A. I think that Mo Farah has a good chance of performing well, as well as the Spanish and French athletes who have make great Cross runners.
Q. Why didn't you participate in the World Championships in Osaka in the long-distance events?
A. Due to a foot injury I unfortunately could not prepare for the World Championship
Q. During the World Championships in Osaka not a single European participated in the 10.000m competition. Therefore how do you judge the current situation of long-distance running in Europe as well compared to the global situation in this discipline?
A. Africans are dominating the stage of long distance running on track. For this reason I think that many young European athletes, even those with a lot of talent, decide to try out their luck in a different distance where they have better expectations.
Q. How did your year go so far? Are you satisfied with your performance during the season?
A. I'm not satisfied at all! Due to my injury I was not capable of training throughout the whole season. It can only get better from this point on.
Q. At 32 years old you're one of the veterans of European long distance running. How much longer do consider competing?
A. I am still in very good shape and feeling good. Most importantly I'm still yearning for more victories and until I loose that feeling I will definitely continue competing...
Interview by Oliver Divljak
|
|
