Luke Micallef performed admirably well in a star-studded line-up at the European Cross Country Championships held in Antalya, Turkey. The Maltese athlete finished the gruelling 7832m race in a time of 24:25, two minutes and eight seconds behind winner Norway’s Jakob Ingebritsen, the current 5000m Olympic champion. Micallef completed his race ahead of athletes from strong athletic nations including Italy, Romania, Turkey and Finland.
The second Maltese athlete in action, Gabriel Farrugia, took part in the Under 23 event, over a distance of 6322m. Farrugia completed his race in 20:52. Will Barnicoat took the top spot in 18:27.
Luke’s performance was the best performance by a Maltese male senior athlete in these Championships, while Gabriel’s placing was the strongest by a Maltese athlete in the U23 Category.
