EMELIA GORECKA and Emma Pallant struck individual gold as Great Britain and Northern Ireland topped the medal table for the fourth year in succession at the European Cross Country Championships in Slovenia.

Gorecka kicked off a superb day with victory in the junior women’s race, while Pallant almost led a clean sweep in the women’s under-23 race.

James Wilkinson took silver in the men’s under-23 race, a feat matched by Richard Goodman in the junior men’s category, while Gemma Steel won individual bronze in the women’s senior race.

Gorecka, who won bronze last year, produced a well-timed surge on the final lap to win by just one second from Romania’s Ioana Doaga.

The 17-year-old, who helped Britain lift the team title, said: “I loved the course. It was actually very quick. The others went out pretty fast but I didn’t, I held back. The front two were quite a bit ahead but I tried to keep my cool.

“I know I kept looking behind me but I’ve been working on my sprint finish and I was really confident. Mick (Woods, her coach) said I could win it and I had faith in his training because it has been going so well.”

Britain came agonisingly close to a clean sweep in the women’s under-23 race as Pallant took gold, five seconds ahead of team-mate Naomi Taschimowitz.

Steph Twell, back in action after a serious ankle injury, almost took bronze but was narrowly beaten in a sprint for the line by Germany’s Corinna Harrer.

“It’s amazing, it feels really good,” said Pallant, who won bronze last year.

In the senior men’s race, Andy Vernon was Britain’s top finisher in ninth, but Ryan McLeod (13th), James Walsh (15th), Mark Draper (22nd), Andy Baddeley (25th) and Frank Tickner (37th) ensured the team won silver behind France.