SPAR European Cross Country Championships, Dublin  Sunday 13 December
Freya Murray (Chester-le-Street/Edinburgh AC) was the highest placed Scottish athlete in today’s SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Dublin, finishing an impressive ninth in the senior women’s race behind incredible winner and team mate Hayley Yelling (Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow).

 Yelling took the 8km race on from the gun and led throughout to finish in 27:49 – a performance which matched that of her trials victory in Liverpool three weeks ago.

Freya, making her European Cross Country Championships debut, went off in the lead group and although going through a bad patch early in the second half, came through it for a strong and focused final lap, clocking 28:25.

 “It’s been a great day, such a great team performance,” she said, with reference to the six individual medals and six team medals won by Aviva Great Britain and Northern Ireland team athletes over the course of the day.

 “I’m really pleased, but I was frustrated to get pipped on the line. I’m pleased with how I ran it – I wanted to run hard, and I did. I wanted to get top ten, so I’m satisfied, but I’m not over the moon.”

 The GB & NI senior women’s team finished second overall, Yelling and Murray’s performances backed up by Katrina Wootton (Bedfird & County) in 20th (29:02) and Sonia Samuels (Sale) in 21st (29:03), the third and fourth scoring athletes, and Scotland’s Laura Kenney (Royal Sutton Coldfield) and Lauren Deadman (Havering & Mayesbrook) in 22nd (29:09) and 29th (29:28)respectively.
(Scottish Athletics)