Britain’s junior girls narrowly missed out on a team medal at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan.
Lauren Howarth (Leigh Harriers) and Charlotte Purdue (Aldershot, Farnham & District) performed brilliantly to finish as the fastest Europeans in 13th and 14th place.
After her first World Cross Howarth said: “I was hoping for top 15 so I am really pleased. It set off very slow and then they started working hard on the second lap and I thought I’ve got to go with them and I hung on for as long as I could.”
GB & NI placed 4th in the team standings with 82 points, just six short of bronze medallists Japan. Ethiopia took gold, led by individual gold medallist Genzebe Dibaba, while Kenya took silver.
Purdue said: “I am pleased, but I would rather have been further up. It went off really slow and then there was a break and I should have gone with them. I don’t know whether it’s because we’re at altitude, but I had trouble with my breathing and I just didn’t feel my usual self. Apart from that, it was good!”
Meanwhile Britain’s world junior 1500m champion Stephanie Twell (Aldershot, Farnham & District) found the going tough in her first senior championships. Though positioned in the top twenty for large parts of the race she finished 38th and struggled on a course which was very hard and fast, unlike a typical British course.
The seniors placed 9th in the team contest. Afterwards Twell said: “To have one of the worst races of my season at the biggest championships is very disappointing.
“It was a good first lap, but it was a tough course. The Kenyans and the rest were very, very strong and I just felt not like myself at all, just very flat. It’s my first senior cross country and I definitely want to get back here and do better next time.”
Hatti Dean (Hallamshire Harriers) finished 49th, Jane Potter (Charnwood AC) 51st, Sarah Tunstall (Kendal AAC) 55th and Hannah Whitmore (Charnwood AC) 58th. Florence Jebet Kiplagat took individual gold for Kenya and spearheaded them to team gold.
UKA National Endurance Coach and Team Leader Ian Stewart said: “It was a hard lesson for Steph to learn, but I’m sure she will come back stronger. The course today was hard and fast. It was like a 10,000m track race with a hill in the middle.
“I think we have to look again at the way we prepare and select for this event. You rarely get a World Cross ran on a traditional English-style course so we need to look at developing our speed on the track.”
Senior Women’s Team:
Hattie Dean
Freya Murray
Jane Potter
Sarah Tunstall
Stephanie Twell
Hannah Whitmore
Junior (U20) Women’s Team:
Kate Avery
Lauren Howarth
Laura Park
Lilly Partridge
Charlotte Purdue
Louise Small
Lawrence Dunhill, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine