PIEMONTE, Italy – Stanford's Charles Hicks repeated as the European under-23 cross country champion on Sunday, winning the championship race for Great Britain.
Three weeks removed from becoming the first from Stanford to win an NCAA individual cross country title, Hicks covered the 7.66-kilometer (4.76-mile) course at the Parco La Mandria in 23:40, winning by a commanding eight seconds.
Hicks, 21, led a 1-2 British finish, with teammate Zakariya Mahamed following him across the line on the property of the Venaria Reale estate. The Brits won the team title. Last year, Hicks won at a course just outside of Dublin, Ireland. He became the first British male or female to repeat as Euro U23 champ.
Hicks, the two-time Pac-12 cross country champion, was born and raised in London until moving to Jacksonville, Florida, at age 12. He is a senior academically at Stanford and majoring in cognitive science. On November 19, he set a course record to win the NCAA individual title and lead the Stanford men to fourth in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
"This is amazing," Hicks told Britain's Athletics Weekly. "It's the affirmation of so much work. Having both the NCAA and this race come together so well is great. To get the team win as well is something else."
