Hurdler Joe has overcome all sorts of obstacles to keep his career on track

Purbrick, the reigning England Under 17s Indoor 60m hurdles champion and Peterborough Telegraph Junior Sportsman of the Year, took up athletics at the age of 10.

At the time football was his main sporting interest, but his gift for sprinting soon became came apparent. In his first track race Purbrick broke Huntingdon AC’s long standing Under 11s 80m record with a time of 12.5 seconds.

He experimented with a number of events, and discovered that he excelled at them all. Purbrick broke Huntingdon AC club records in sprints, hurdles, jumps, throws and multi-event competitions across a range of age groups. He began focussing on hurdling in 2017 after an unexpected county championship gold.

After winning Under 15s 100m silver at the Cambridgeshire Schools Championships, he was asked if he wanted to hang around for the hurdles. Though reluctant to do so at first he agreed to race, and to his surprise not only did he win gold, but also obtained the qualifying time for the English Schools Championship. There has been no looking back since.

Things really clicked into place after moving to Nene Valley in 2018. That year Purbrick won bronze in the English Schools Under 15s 80m Hurdles with a wind-assisted time of 11.07.

He went one better in the England Athletics 60m Hurdles Championship, winning silver in 8.60.

Things got even better in 2019 when he was selected to run 100m hurdles for England in a home countries international fixture, in which he won the silver medal. He also won English Schools silver with a 13.11 clocking.

Purbrick won the pre-lockdown England Athletics Under 17 Indoor 60m Hurdles Championship gold.

The talented youngster is now training in London and is coached by Tony Jarrett, the former World Championship 110m bronze medalist. He is also studying for his A levels at St Ivo Academy. As luck would have it the St Ives track is close to the school, so he is able to pop out and train between lessons.

The 16 year old is on the England Athletics Youth Talent Programme which provides support in nutrition, psychological and technical progression

He was due to represent England in Italy at the U18 European Championships, before Covid put a spoke in the wheel. The competition is now due to take place in 2021.

Purbrick, and it’s likely he will have the option of an athletics scholarship in the USA once his A levels are complete. Sports injury specialists Moore Performance of St Ives sponsor Purbrick and One Leisure provide free access to gym facilities. He is always keen for further sponsorship.

Contact for anyone interested in sponsoring Joe is [email protected].