Fionnuala McCormack bounced back in style from the disappointment of her fifth-placed finish in Sardinia at the European Cross Country Championships last Sunday as she stormed to victory in Brussels.
McCormack came unstuck against Turkish pair Yasemin Can and Meryem Akda seven days ago, when the Kenya-born pair finished first and second, with the 32-year-old Wicklow woman crossing the line 42 seconds behind Can.
It prompted fresh debate about international eligibility rules, but McCormack put any lingering frustration she may have had to one side with an accomplished winning performance.
She hit the front after one lap and remained there, forcing Belgium's Louise Carton to settle for second. Maureen Koster of the Netherlands took third.
It's McCormack's second victory in a month; the two-time European Cross Country champion won in Alcobendas, Spain at the end of November.
