It was a day for defending champions at the European Cross Country Championships in Lisbon on Sunday (8), with five of the six individual titles retained by last year’s gold medallists.

Two highly anticipated duels between some of the world’s greatest distance runners will highlight the Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza, the fifth leg of the IAAF Cross Country Permit series in the Spanish town of Elgoibar on Sunday (13).

Turkey’s Yasemin Can was pushed all the way by Emelia Gorecka in the senior women’s 6km at the Great Edinburgh XCountry on Saturday (13) but held on to claim the individual plaudits and help Europe to the overall title ahead of Great Britain and the United States.

Kaan Kigen Ozbilen and Yasemin Can made it a Turkish double in the senior races at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships, held in icy conditions in Samorin, Slovakia, on Sunday morning (10).

Turkey took gold and silver in both of the senior races at the European Cross Country Championships in the Italian village of Chia with Aras Kaya and Yasemin Can taking top honours on Sunday (11).

Ekaterini Stefanidi produced a championship record to win the pole vault while Yasemin Can of Turkey completed a distance double victory on day four of the European Championships in Amsterdam on Saturday (9).

Turkey’s Yasemin Can won the first gold medal of the European Championships after a dominant display in the women’s 10,000m on Wednesday evening (6).