Portugal without a women’s team at the European Cross Country – Athletics
Portugal will not present a team in the women’s main race of the European Championship in Corta-Mato, which takes place in Dublin on December 12th. The squad list, released this Tuesday, with a total of 20 names, only foresees teams for seniors, under-23 and under-20 males and under-20 females.
Despite having collectively won a bronze medal two years ago, in Lisbon, the Portuguese Athletics Federation considers that it does not have the conditions to form a team now. The absolute individual national champion, Mariana Machado, is still under-23. The runner-up is a Portuguese-Angolan athlete, Neide Dias, who competes internationally for Angola, and the third, Jéssica Augusto, is finalizing her preparation for the Valencia marathon, next Sunday. At the cross-country national, played on Sunday in Vale de Cambra, Sara Moreira, who was 10th at the European Championship two years ago, withdrew, while Dulce Félix, eighth in Lisbon’2019, did not appear in the match.
Given this scenario, there are now no senior athletes for the women’s sector and for the under-23 competition, only individual bets are made, Mariana Machado and Lia Lemos (fifth absolute at the National). Mariana Machado was a bronze medal two years ago, still in the under-20s.
For a junior race between now Rita Figueiredo (national champion), Camila Gomes, Ana Silva and Beatriz Fernandes.
For the male seniors competition, he is summoned to the podium of the National Championship, namely Samuel Barata, Miguel Marques and Rui Teixeira, and also André Pereira. André Pereira (20th) was the best team two years ago, in which Miguel Marques (28th) and Rui Teixeira (55) were also included.
An under-23 team must be quite strong, with Duarte Gomes (fourth absolute at Nacional), Alexandre Figueiredo, Etson Barros, Isaac Nader, Miguel Moreira and Rúben Amaro. Two years ago, still in the under-20s, Etson Barros was surprising fourth, Duarte Gomes 14th, Miguel Moreira 21st and Rúben Amaral 44th, taking Portugal to third place in the collective.
This year, twins João and Ricardo Amaro join the under-20 team, respectively first and second at the Nacional played in Vale de Cambra, along with Jacinto Gaspar and Duarte Santos.
The 20 selected from Portugal:
– Senior males:
Samuel Barata (Benfica)
Miguel Marques (Sporting)
Rui Teixeira (Sporting)
André Pereira (Benfica)
– 23 year old boys:
Duarte Gomes (Benfica)
Alexandre Figueiredo (Benfica)
Etson Barros (Benfica)
Isaac Nader (Benfica)
Miguel Moreira (Sporting Braga)
Reuben Amaral (Sporting)
– Under-20 males:
João Amaro (RD Águeda)
Pedro Amaro (RD Águeda)
Jacinto Gaspar (Sporting)
Duarte Santos Sporting)
– Under-23 females:
Mariana Machado (Sporting Braga)
Lia Lemos (Sporting)
– Under-20 women:
Rita Figueiredo (Sporting)
Camila Gomes (Benfica)
Ana Silva (Maia)
Beatriz Fernandes (NúcleOeiras)
Jessica Augusto leaves indirect
The absence of a formal women’s team, Europeans, deserved indirect criticism from Jessica Augusto, one of the athletes who would have hoped to be called up. Third place at Nacional, just behind champion Mariana Machado and Luso-Angolan Neide Dias, Sporting athlete shared on Instagram a photo of him at the European Championships in Albufeira, where he was individual and collective champion, leaving a message “‘Father, forgive them , for they do not know what they do ‘(Luke 23:34) Tomorrow is another day! Good night! “.