There is nothing quite like winning a gold medal in front of your home fans as France’s junior cross country men can verify.

Just one athlete has won back-to-back titles in the junior race at the European Cross Country Championships but Konstanze Klosterhalfen starts as the commanding favourite to defend her junior women’s title in Chia on 11 December.

Christmas has come early courtesy of the Berlin 2018 European Athletics Championships with an unbeatable ticket and hotel offer on sale until the end of the year.

It is another big week in what has been a year to remember for Norway’s Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal.

Shot putter Asmir Kolasinac has already started the second stage of his preparations for the upcoming indoor season which will culminate on home soil at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade from 3-5 March.

The European Athletics Team Championships is one of the great dates on the calendar – and Lille Métropole’s countdown to staging the Super League in June has seen the launch of their website for the event.