19 year old Steph Twell followed in the hallowed footsteps of British legends Paula Radcliffe and Liz McColgan by triumphing in the IAAF International Cross Country in Northern Ireland on Saturday afternoon. The meeting, which moved from Belfast to Antrim this year, is one of the most prestigious annual cross country meetings in the UK.
Twell, who won her third successive junior women’s title at December’s European Cross Country Championships in Brussels, held off a strong challenge of Ireland’s Deirdre Byrne by one second in 18:25 on the 5.6k course. Scotland’s Freya Murray was third in 18:32, with USA’s Emily Brown fourth.
Afterwards, Twell (Aldershot, Farnham & District) said: “I love racing. I think the most important thing is to enjoy your sport. I train to race. I felt strong, I knew she (Byrne) was there. But I knew I had a sprint in me. I really enjoyed it. It was a brilliant circuit with different terrain the whole way round. I’d definitely like to come back.”
