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Jess makes England bow

28/12/2005

Athletics

FIFTEEN-year-old Stockport Harrier Jess Coulson ended the first half of a great season with an England junior debut in the IAAF Lotto Cross Country Cup in Brussels.

Jess was rewarded with an England team place after her magnificent run in the UK cross challenge where she finished ninth.

She was the youngest girl in the England junior under-20 team, but finished in a remarkable sixth place for the four-girl team that easily won the team competition from the Belgian team.

The race, at the Kings Park in the centre of Brussels, near the Heysel stadium, was the last of the IAAF races on the continent before the New Year break.

Jess, who won the Greater Manchester Cross Country Championships title a fortnight ago, was not fazed by the big occasion and ran with the leaders for most of the race around the muddy four-lap course.

Going into the last lap, Jess made a big effort to push herself into sixth for the team. The race was won by Belgium's top ranked cross runner Selien De Schyrder.

Jess said after the race: "It makes all the hard work worthwhile when you pull on the England vest.

"I want to run for England again."