It's muddy marvellous for Moss

Published on Tue Feb 02 11:21:28 GMT 2010

SPALDING athlete Emily Moss won her first cross-country race for around five years when representing Royal Holloway in the midweek London Colleges League at Reading.

SPALDING athlete Emily Moss won her first cross-country race for around five years when representing Royal Holloway in the midweek London Colleges League at Reading.The 20 year-old Peterborough Athletic Club member was last victorious on the mud in a district schools cross-country but proved her winter training is going well as she came home with 16 seconds to spare.

She followed up with third place in the London Games, clocking 59.71 for the 400m as she prepares for the biggest championship of her life.

Next week she will line up in the Aviva indoor World Trials and UK Championships in Sheffield over 800m.

She qualified when clocking a personal best (PB) of 2.11.61 in the North of England Indoor Championships two weeks ago but admits she is going there mainly for the experience rather than with expectations of reaching the final or qualifying for Doha.

She said: "I'm only just inside the qualyfing time (2.12.0) and there will be some top athletes there so I'm looking to gain experience.

"This is my first national championship as a senior so I'm looking more at recording a PB than trying to reach the final.

"I've been doing the cross-country league as part of my winter training and have been well placed in the previous races but this was my first win."

The versatile athlete has given up the heptathlon and will instead concentrate on the 400m hurdles and the 800m this summer, when her outdoor targets include the British University Sports Association (BUSA) Championships, North of England Championships and the England Under 23 Championships.

Before then she will target a podium place at the BUSA Indoor Championships, admitting: "It will be tough to get a medal but that is my aim.

"This year is really about making the transition from the junior to senior ranks but the winter has gone well and I feel fitter than ever."

Moss, who could come up against world 800m bronze medallist Jenny Meadows in Sheffield, is part of the Lincolnshire Elite Athlete Programme (LEAP) run by the Lincolnshire Sports Partnership.

The programme supports local and talented athletes in Lincolnshire on the road to London 2012 and beyond. She will be attending the LEAP Presentation Evening on Friday, February 26.

Rachel Belcher, co-ordinator of the LEAP programme, said: "It's great that one of the Lincolnshire elite athletes is representing our county at the Aviva indoor World Trials and UK Championships.

"Emily has done extremely well to qualify for the trials with her PB last month and this will be a great experience for such a promising athlete."

Local results from the London Games

Senior men

Pole vault - 14 Carl Titman (Pboro AC) 3.70.

Shot - 6 Ken Baker (Nene V) 12.60.

Under 20 men

400m - D; 2 Jacob Axtell (Nene V) 52.83.

Under 17 men

400m - 6 Lukasz Bezulski (Nene V) 54.29.

Senior women

400m - B: 3 Emily Moss (Pboro AC) 59.71.

Under 20 women

400m - A 4 Georgie Ivens (Nene V) 60.81; C: 4 Michelle Longman (Pboro AC) 68.65.

n DAVID Bush of Nene Valley Harriers won four events in the Under 20 men's age group at the Keith Ward Indoor Meeting at King's Lynn.

He was one of three Nene Valley members to win the shot at the meeting, Simon Achurch taking the senior men's age group and Kelly Lawrence winning the Under 20 women's category.

Ross McConnachie of Peterborough Athletic Club was third in the Under 20 men's 60m while clubmate Jamie Horne recorded a second and a third in the Under 13 boys section.

Local results

Senior men

Shot - 1 Simon Achurch (Nene V) 12.32.

Under 20 men

60m - 3 Ross McConnachie (Pboro AC) 7.5.

60m hurdles - 1 David Bush (Nene V) 10.8.

High jump - 1 David Bush (Nene V) 1.55.

Pole vault - 1 David Bush (Nene V) 2.30.

Shot - 1 David Bush (Nene V) 10.57.

Under 13 boys

60m - 2 Jamie Horne (Pboro AC) 9.1.

High jump - 3 Jamie Horne (Pboro AC) 1.35.

Under 20 women

Shot - 1 Kelly Lawrence (Nene V) 8.43.

It's muddy marvellous for Moss

SPALDING athlete Emily Moss won her first cross-country race for around five years when representing Royal Holloway in the midweek London Colleges League at Reading.

The 20 year-old Peterborough Athletic Club member was last victorious on the mud in a district schools cross-country but proved her winter training is going well as she came home with 16 seconds to spare.