French cross country championships: the historic triumph of Alès C2A

Michaël Gras (top), French individual champion and French team vice-champion with Alès C2A in Elite long cross, the premier category. FREE MIDI – AC2A

Delphine Py-Bilot (right), 3rd and bronze medalist in Master 2. FREE MIDI – AC2A

Michaël Gras, la consécration à 32 ans. MIDI LIBRE – AC2A

Aux championnats de France de cross country, le week-end des 9 et 10 mars, deux médailles d’or, une en argent et une en bronze pour le club cévenol.

This Monday morning, March 11, a doctor in anatomical pathology (*) from the Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital may have taken up his service at the hospital with a gold medal around his neck. Eighteen hours after his title of French cross-country champion, Michaël Gras is at work. The head and the legs, for this Girondin born in Lormont 32 years ago and licensed at AlèsC2A since 2016-2017.

"It’was my 16th French cross country championships! After bronze and silver medals, this first title delights me. Since Saturday evening, I was thinking about it very hard. I left cautiously because of chronic tendinitis in my ischios, then I told myself that it was for me, with these ribs , this mud, I like it!" 

The president of the Alesian club Ludovic Cirilo: "That was great Michaël!"

And his club president, Ludovic Cirilo, liked it too: "It’s a treat, we’re on cloud nine! It was from the great Michaël! He left alone at the 6th kilometer, and he was only joined by the Kenyan (Kosgei, winner on the line, but Gras first Frenchman, Editor's note). And he dragged the whole team in his wake, while we were diminished, with his twin brother Damien also affected in the ischios, and Said Kaddour detained in Morocco for visa problems after the World Cup. rsquo;Europe in Portugal. We are going to savor this exceptional vintage".

Two individual medals and two collective medals 

Because with Michaël Gras 2nd in the 9.9 km Elite race, Damien Gras 12th, Julien Samson 27th and Maxime Bargetto 28th, Alès C2A is vice-champion of France by team, behind Racing Paris multi athlon.

And because among the ladies, the Cévennes club gleans an additional medal, bronze for Delphine Py-Bilot in the Master 2 category.

First (place) for cadets

The Ales cadets are French team champions, a nice surprise and a first in the history of the club. They signed a nice group shot (Kenan Missiak 28th, Dorian Estève 29th, Luca Fattori 31st and Timeo Tisler 37th) to be crowned collectively.

"It’is extraordinary and symbolic for the club’és training school, se rejoices the president of the AC2A Ludovic Cirilo. We did a lot of work to structure the youth side, with Malek Ouhnia for the cadets. Bravo à all!"

The Alesian cadets, French team champions. FREE MIDI – AC2A

With Michaël Gras, 2:08 in the marathon and aiming for the semi of the next European Championships, in the lead, the AC2A can see it coming. This Sunday, he joined Pujazon, Pantel, Lahssini, Zoubaa and Ben Lkhainouch in the pantheon of the club's great champions.

(*) Specialty which consists of identifying and analyzing anomalies on organs or cells linked to a disease, in particular cancers. I subscribe to read more