Amy Greene helps Ireland U20 women to fifth at European Cross

Amy Greene helped the Ireland U20 women to a fifth place finish at the European Cross Country Championships in Belgium.

At Laeken Park in Brussels, Greene and Ireland were fifth while it was a disappointing outing for Greene’s Finn Valley AC club-mates, the Flanagan twins.

Rosses native Greene, on her international debut, finished 29th in the U20 women’s race. The DCU student was the Irish U20 silver medalist last month at Gowran Park and won gold in the Ulster Novice Cross Country Championships.

The Irish charge in the U20s was led by Anna Gardiner from East Down, who was seventh, while Moy Valley woman Kirsty Maher was 12th and Anna Kehoe finished 45th.

Ireland’s points tally of 48 was 11 points off tam bronze medalists Sweden, their own podium hopes fading late in the race.

Eilish Flanagan was 44th in the senior women’s race with her twin sister Roisin Flanagan 49th.

The Flanagans were 11th and 12th in last year’s event in Italy and had been troubled by injuries over the course of 2023 before returning in recent weeks.

Fionnuala McCormack - who recently booked a place at her fifth Olympic Games in the marathon - was fourth overall with the Irish senior team eighth. Fionnuala Ross (30), Fiona Everard (34) Mary Mulhern (39) also finished.