It was the last event of the program, but it was the “icing on the cake”, with the Benfica team putting on a prodigious display in the recent Mixed Relay, which in the three previous editions had been exclusive to Playas de Castelon (three appearances, three triumphs).
The key to the triumph was Kenyan Sheila Jebet, who received testimony from José Carlos Pinto in first place, but managed to gain a big advantage at the end of her journey, to hand it safely to Isaac Nader. The national road champion was not scared and maintained this gap to the opposing teams and continued to be isolated in the passing of the test to Salomé Afonso. The latter was not afraid or trembled when the experienced Winnie Naniondo closed some space, to know how to play her hand at the right moment, guaranteeing an unprecedented title for the Portuguese teams.
Further back, the Sporting team (João Pedro Santos, Marta Castro, Nuno Pereira and Patrícia Silva) managed to overcome some disadvantages and finish in third place.
This Sunday, Sporting de Braga won the gold medal in the women's cross-country European Champion Clubs' Cup, beating Spanish teams Bilbao AT and Turkish team Fenerbahçe.
In a race integrated into the Crosse das Amendoeiras em Flor, in Albufeira, the Portuguese team finished the race in first place, with 20 points, while the Spanish teams came in second, with 30, the same as the Turkish team, in the lowest place on the podium.
Francine Niyomukunzi (Burundi), from the Italian Pro Patria team, won the competition individually, with the Turkish Bahar Yildirim, from Fenerbahçe, in second, and Mariana Machado, from Sporting de Braga, as the best Portuguese player in third.
The Portuguese team, which in 2024 finished second and which had last won the race in 1993, finished with fourth place by Spanish Maria Forero and 13th place by Laura Taborda, guaranteeing the climb to the highest place on the podium for the eighth time.
Benfica won silver this Sunday and Sporting won bronze in the men's European Champion Clubs' Cross Country Cup, in a competition that was won by the Spaniards from Playas de Castellón.
In a competition integrated into the Crosse das Amendoeiras em Flor, in Albufeira, the Spanish team dominated and finished first, with 10 points between its three best athletes, while Benfica was second, with 28, and Sporting third, with 32 .
Rodrigue Kwizera (Burundi), from Playas de Castellón, won the event on an individual level, with compatriot Thierry Ndikumwenayo, also from the Spanish team, finishing second, and Kenyan Charles Rotich, from Sporting, third.
As for the Portuguese teams, Sporting's Kenyan reinforcement, Charles Rotich, managed to reach third place individually, while Benfica's Gideon Rono was only fifth, but the national cross-country and road champions had Miguel Moreira in their formation, who finished in eighth place, and Etson Barros, who finished in 15th place, overtaking Sporting player Ruben Amaral (Sporting's third member, behind Rui Pinto, 12th place), thus closing the classification with Benfica securing second place on the collective podium, while Sporting moved up to third plac 
The next edition of the European Cross Country Champion Clubs' Cup will once again be contested simultaneously with the Cross Internacional das Amendoeiras em Flor, whose 48th edition is scheduled for February 2nd.
Last year Benfica equals its best result of all time, being runner-up in Europe, as in 2014, also promoting Sporting to fourth place, behind fellow French side Ales Ceveennes.
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