Unimpressive European Cross Country Championships due to illness

December 15th 2003 - Simon has failed to set an impressive mark during the European Cross Country Championships last weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. In the race, won by 4 times champion Sergey Lebid (UKR), Simon felt weak from the start and had to settle for a disappointingly slow pace in order to avoid having to drop out of the race. His performance of a 61st place was a major disappointment, but a straight result of having felt weak and somewhat ill over the last 4 days before the race. In fact, completing the 10.1K race proved to have further weakened Simon's health; after the race, he spent most of the day in bed.

Simon commented on the race: "Cross Country is a difficult discipline for me even when fully fit; the distance of 10K is not an advantage for me. But when I subsequently turn somewhat ill, I can forget about an appealing performance. This disappointment shows that top athletes are only human........ you can't plan when you are sick, but if you are, you are as weak as any other human being".

Race info

1. Lebid (UKR)
2. De La Ossa (SPA)
3. Henriques (POR)
39. Stitzinger (NED)
61. Vroemen (NED)

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