Two teenage athletes from BGS are celebrating after becoming world mountain running champions.
Rebecca F and Amelie L, competed in the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships (WMTRC) where they clinched team gold in the Under 20 Women’s up and downhill race in Innsbruck, Austria.
Rebecca, 17, who recently represented Team GB in the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Australia, was overjoyed to take gold in the WMTRC, while Amelie finished 4th, with both leading their teammates to victory for the overall title.
Said Rebecca: “It was an amazing race. I had a race plan where I knew I was going to go hard up the hills and then had to dig deep and push through the pain at the end. I knew what my strengths were and I had to have confidence in myself.”
Her resilience paid off and Rebecca’s team physio handed her a British flag as she sped over the line to victory, with hundreds cheering her on.
“The final 500m was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had,” she recalled. “It was incredible. To go through the line flying the flag was the cherry on top.
“There’s so much hard work and training which goes on behind the scenes, come rain or shine, it makes it all worthwhile. When you’re doing it with your team, it’s even better. They’ve all been really supportive.
“Athletics is a big part of BGS and we’re so lucky to have such great facilities and support from the school itself.”
Amelie’s success arrived less than a fortnight after she won bronze individual and team medals in the International U18 Mountain Running Cup in France.
She said: “The trail was rocky in places but we managed – we’re used to technical terrain in Yorkshire.
“The highlight for me was the medal ceremony when we stood on the podium as a team and sang the national anthem. The rest of Team GB was in the audience waving their flags and cheering for us.”
Both Rebecca and Amelie have a string of athletic accolades to their name and are following in the footsteps of BGS’s athletic alumni Alistair (2006) and Jonny Brownlee (2008), Richard Nerurker (1982) and Emile Cairess (2016).
Their success comes as Year 13 student Emily G has learned she has been selected to represent England in the European Youth Orienteering Championships in Bulgaria on June 22. She is also a reserve for the biggest international junior race this summer – the Junior World Orienteering Championships.
Dr Simon Hinchliffe, headmaster at BGS, said: “We could not be prouder of Rebecca, Amelie and Emily. They all work incredibly hard, balancing their academic studies with their athletic endeavours. I know the specialist sports staff here have played a key part in their development and it’s fantastic to see them achieve success as they pursue their sporting goals.”
“Athletics is a big part of BGS and we’re so lucky to have such great facilities and support from the school itself.”
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