The four athletes remained together on the Keizerberg, the first difficulty of the day, but after 7 kilometers Chloé Herbiet pressed the accelerator pedal. Esther Pfeiffer was the big victim of this race movement, so that the podium already seemed to be emerging.
Chloé Herbiet continued to take most of the work on his own, with a passage to 10 km in 33.16. But after 15 km (50.26), the Spanish Meritxelle Soler, who had extricated himself from the prosecution group, made a beautiful close closer. But it was insufficient, however, to worry the top trio in the immediate future.
Diane Van Es suddenly accelerated after 18 kilometers, but Chloé Herbiet replied almost instantly. And it is even our compatriot who was flying to seek a superb victory in 1h11.39.
Behind Juliette Thomas, a time dropped, managed to join Diane Van Es, which she then left on the spot to conquer a beautiful silver medal in 1h11.53. And it was the Italian Sara Nestola (1h12.22), returned very hard at the end of the race, who seized the bronze medal.
Bravo to our two champions! It will be noted that Victoria Warpy finished 14th in 1h14.15, Amélie Bihain 23rd in 1h16.01, Jolien Denis 32nd in 1h18.42.
Gressier Champion
In men, there was no surprise. Frenchman Jimmy Gressier assumed his favorite status and won the title of European half-marathon champion.
Very quickly after the departure given under a bright sun, he detached himself with, in his wake, his compatriot Valentin Gondouin, the Irishman Efrem Gidey and the Nortégien Nftalem Kibrab.
Gondouin was the first to put the arrow, even before the foot of the Keizerberg (placed after 2.6km of Couse), a difficulty in which Gressier, clearly the most comfortable in the rising slope, urged the public to be heard.
The Boulonnais tolerates the presence of his two escaped companions for some time, before seeing Gidey let go of meter after meter. Kibrab clung longer but the pace printed by the big favorite made him gradually crack after the 7Ekilometer.
In the prosecution group, Simon Debognies were found in the middle of the outsiders including the Spaniard Carlos Mayo and the French Bastien Augusto.
In a stubbornness, Gressier could continue solo, with a passage to 10km in 27.50, at 15 km in 42.07 and finally conclude his recital in 59.45.
The Norwegian Nftalem Kibrab (1h01.08) and the French Valentin Gonduin (1h01.54), faster in the sprint than Efrem Gidey, completed the podium.
Simon Debognies, first Belgian, took 6th place in 1h02.57.
