Perse runners on course for England at cross country
Year 10 pupils Jasmine and Finn went on the run for England at the illustrious Schools International Athletic Board (SIAB) cross country race in Scotland.
Jasmine claimed a sensational silver medal in the girls’ U17 category at the SIAB home international in Falkirk, finishing in an excellent time of 14min 17sec, despite being up against many runners from a year above.
Meanwhile, Finn came an impressive 10th in the boys’ U17 section in 21.08 as both Perse runners rounded off a successful cross country campaign.
Both qualified for the England team after finishing in the top eight of their respective categories at the English Schools’ Athletic Association (ESAA) Cross Country Championships national finals in Ardingly earlier this month.
Jasmine was runner-up in the intermediate girls’ event, while Finn came seventh in the intermediate boys’ section. Finn also recently won his race while helping the Perse intermediate boys’ team to third place at the ESAA Cup in Leeds.
Jasmine was elated with her performance at the ESAA finals and subsequent England call-up.
She said: “I went into the ESAA race aiming for an England vest, but I didn’t expect to get a medal as well because I’m in the bottom year of the age group, so I’m really pleased.
“The start was so hectic and I got stuck in the crowd going around the first corner, but I knew there was a long straight coming up and I managed to weave my way through and make it up to the front group going down the hill.
“On the second lap, my brother, who was watching, told me to go for it, so I worked hard to overtake the girl who was in second place. From there, it was uphill and I really tried to keep it together for the rest of the race.
With SIAB the final event of the cross country season, Jasmine is looking forward to getting back on the athletics track over her preferred distances of 1,500m and 3,000m.
However, she has already had success on the indoor circuit after winning silver in the girls’ U17 1,500m at the England Athletics Indoor Championships in Sheffield last month. Her brother George (Upper Sixth) also claimed silver over the same distance in the men’s U20 competition.
Jasmine said: “I did that race during the cross country season just to mix it up and because I miss track so much, so I was really pleased to come second and get a personal best (4.32:92).
“I just wanted to set a benchmark for the track season, but I really didn’t enjoy the race because it felt so cramped. It was really hard to overtake because the straights were short and the air was really dry. All I could think about after the first lap was having a drink of water!
“This season I want to try to get my 1,500m time down to maybe sub-4.25, but I’m also feeling more confident now about running in the bottom year of my age group.”