Niels Laros happy to be back in the mud as he finetunes preparations for the new season

Niels Laros happy to be back in the mud as he finetunes preparations for the new season

Evans Ousuru 11:45 - 14.11.2024

The Dutch is targeting gold in the European championships in December

Dutch middle and long distance runner Niels Laros is using cross country as part of his preparations for the new season.

The 19-year-old finished sixth in the Paris Olympic Games 1500m final in a European under-20 record of 3:29.54.

Laros placed 10th at the Cardiff Cross Country last weekend in his debut. The 2022 European U18 champion over 3000m and 5000m, believes cross-country racing is a vital part of his winter preparation. That was why he was so keen to visit Wales for the first time to race at the Cardiff Cross Challenge on November 9.

Laros who has been tipped to rule the world because of his potential remains unsure if he will transition to Cross country. "I'm using cross country to prepare for the new season but I'll be going for gold in the European championships this year," Laros told Athletics Weekly youtube channel.

The European Cross Country Championships will be held in Turkey, December. He finished second in the U20 men's race 12 months ago in Brussels behind Axel Vang Christensen of Denmark.

Regarding shifting to cross country, he said: "I'll wait and see how this couple of months go. I always enjoy cross country, so it's nice to be back in the mud."

Laros finished just over half a minute behind the Cardiff winner, Keneth Kiprop of Uganda, but was pleased with his performance after a recent heavy spell of early winter training.

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