2020. 03. 05..
Following the immense success of the 2018 event, our parent company, Colas SA organised the second Colas Team Cup finals on 3-4 March for employees having earned their place at the regional qualifiers. The two-day contest was attended by 3500 people from all over the globe. The 30-strong Colas Europe team included Belgian, Swiss, Polish, Czech and Hungarian runners, as well as the Belgian and Hungarian football squads who went on from the Krakow qualifier. This time, the Meudon forest outside Paris and the local Urban Soccer facility served as the venue.
Unfortunately, weather was not on our side, forcing the participants to endure cold and rainy conditions during the festivities. On the first day of the footrace, competitors had to beat a 10-kilometre individual distance marked out in the forest. Ani Balogh and Niki Bajádi – who replaced Éva Bán due to an injury – clocked times that put them in the first part of the mid-section, thus clinching 2nd and 3rd positions within the Colas Europe region.
Our footballers were drawn into a group with Mayotte and three regional French squads, including the title holder World Champ team. We lost the first two matches 4:3 and 2:1, which shattered our dreams of going on from the group. However, the Hungarian side won the remaining two games 4:2 and 2:1. The other team from our region, Belgium, managed to hold onto second place in their group, finishing the first day with a chance to compete for the gold medal.
The second day awaited runners with 400 m distances, and after losing one of their members to injury, the Colas Europe women’s team finished 5th. Meanwhile, the Hungarian footballers were paired up on the lower bracket against the Asian Tigers, who beat us by the smallest of margins, ending the tournament for our colleagues. In their first match of the elimination stage, Belgium faced the title defenders. Although they managed to come back from a goal down in the first half, the World Champ side overcame them, and went on to win the final to retain their title.
Fortunately, we did not come home empty-handed: the Belgian, Swiss, Czech and Polish runners of the Colas Europe men’s team excelled in both the long-distance and sprint events, and finished on top among the 12 competing teams.
At the closing ceremony, Colas Group CEO Frédéric Gardès announced that the tradition will go on, and the Group will organise the next edition of the Colas Team Cup series. Hopefully, we will have the pleasure of representing the region once again.
Thank you for your hospitality and for organising such a splendid event! Congrats to every competitor!