She at least made the podium this time and with that perhaps Fionnuala Britton made up for some of her disappointment at the European Cross Country – her third place finish at the IAAF Lotto Cross Cup in Brussels yesterday climaxing with a very close finishing sprint.

Indeed Britton commanded much of the race this time and was in a winning position coming off the last turn of the 6km race, before the new Dutch sensation Sifan Hassan – who has only just switched allegiance from Ethiopia – won out in the end by five seconds, running 19 minutes and 38 seconds.

Zewdnesh Ayele, who does still run for Ethiopia, got up for second place, with Britton third – just one second behind. Britton did get the better of another former Ethiopian, Almensh Belete, who now runs for Belgium, who finished a distant fourth, a full 32 seconds back, with the top Kenyan Cynthia Kosgei further back in sixth.

It was certainly a sharper run from Britton compared to the European Cross Country in Belgrade two weeks ago, where she surrendered her back-to-back winning titles by finishing fourth.

Yesterday’s Lotto Cross Cup, one of the top races of the IAAF permit series, staged at Park van Laken, also proved that Britton was probably short of race fitness going to Belgrade, and another week or two may have made the difference.

Yet Hassan was an impressive winner, the 20 year-old using her already renowned track speed to perfection: she also demonstrated that form by winning the under-23 race at the European Cross Country, one of three former Africans to run away with one of the six titles on offer.

Britton will be next in action on January 4th at the Antrim International Cross Country in Greenmount, where a very strong field has been assembled including Britain's Gemma Steel, who won the silver medal in Belgrade two weeks ago: after that Britton will also look to defend her Great Edinburgh Cross Country, on January 11th, that race also due in include the woman who took her title in Belgarde, France's Sophie Duarte.