Mick Clohisey powered home to an excellent 10th place finish in the European Champion Club Cross Country in Albuferia today.
Clohisey got right into the battle for places in a highly competitive and extremely high standard race from the gun.
The 2016 Olympian fell back down the field on the second lap before battling back through the field to take tenth place in a sprint to line.
At the front of the race the pace was very fast and was eventually won by former European Junior Cross Country Champion Italian Yemaneberhan Crippa.
Algerian Rabah Aboud competing for Sporting Club de Portugal finished in silver medal position with former European Cross country silver medallist Ayad Lamdassem taking bronze racing for Spain’s Atletismo Bikila.
However Clohisey battled back to finish in 10th place just 36 seconds behind Crippa, sprinting past Turkey’s Alper Demir.
Team wise the side were dealt a hammer blow last week when Conor Dooney obtained a shin injury, ruling him out of the championship however the side battled well to finish in 12th position.
It is worth nothing the top six teams are full time professional outfits and the Irish champions showed real determination throughout.
Kevin Dooney battled hard throughout the race to eventually finish in 51st place having lost a shoe at one stage and having to stop to correct the issue.
Mark Kirwan produced a tactically astute performance to finish 10 places behind Dooney with John Dunne sprinting to the line in a very respectable 81st place one spot ahead of Simon Ryan.
Ian Conroy found the going tough on the dry fast course however refused to falter finishing in 96th the field having entered numbers well over 100.
The team race was won outright by Turkey’s Istanbul BBSK with Sporting Clube de Portugal taking silver and Atletismo Bikila taking bronze.
There is also a very special mention from the team to Donal Foley who was unable to run having been named as second reserve, however showed what a real Raheny man he is with a fantastic verbal support of the Raheny Shamrock team.
