RHONA AUCKLAND became the first Scottish athlete ever to win an individual gold at the European Cross Country Championships in Bulgaria on Sunday.
The Aberdeenshire runner found the mountainous course near Samokov very much to her liking as she defeated a quality field to win the under 23 women's race. There were also solid runs from Stephanie Twell and Callum Hawkins as Scottish athletes enjoyed a fine championship for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
"I am absolutely delighted. I knew my strength was in the endurance side of things. I've not got a fast start and I thought the course was challenging enough to work my way through and I am pleased I managed to do that." said Auckland, who had set herself the target of improving on last year's seventh-place finish.
After sitting just off the lead pack for much of the race, she moved through to the front for the final lap and maintained a high tempo right through to the finish to take an unexpected, but deserved gold.
"I am really surprised." said Auckland. "I've had a good solid season, no injuries. It's good to know that pays off. Tactically I thought 6k would be very fast, but with the course being quite challenging, people were dropping off. It was great for it to be not dead pan-flat for a change. It was a really a good cross country course."
Host nation favourite Militsa Mircheva took silver and Gulshat Fazlitdinova of Russia won bronze. Beforehand, many had seen Auckland's GB team mate and trials winner Emelia Gorecka as a more likely winner and although she started well, she eventually faded to 12th.
Auckland enjoyed double gold as the women's under 23s won the team title too. There was further British success in the senior women's race as last year's silver medallist Gemma Steel won gold after a shoulder-to-shoulder duel with team-mate Kate Avery.
Just behind, there was also a heartening seventh place finish for former Commonwealth 1500m bronze medallist Steph Twell, showing a welcome return to form after several injury-hit seasons.
"That was the race I wanted, to empty the tank. I was on the cusp of seeing that medal quite close and for me, that is getting back to the old Steph. I'm super happy." She said, as the GB team claimed another gold.
Callum Hawkins ran bravely in the men's under 23 race. Suffering with a hamstring problem in the build-up, he led for much of the race in an attempt to draw the sting from the opposition. But he was outsprinted in the last lap as Russia claimed a 1-2-3 and team-mate Jonathan Hay pipped him to fourth. He at least had the consolation of a team silver.
England's Commonwealth Games 800m finalist Jessica Judd re-affirmed her potential as she won silver in the women's under 20 race with team-mate Lydia Turner winning bronze. They also won the women's under 20s team gold as GB & NI swept the female team titles.
Of the other Scots, Andrew Butchart and Luke Caldwell were 35th and 40th respectively in the senior men's race and Jonathan Glen was 46th in the men's under 20 race. The senior men's race was won by Kenyan-born Polat Kemboi Arikan, in the colours of Turkey, improving on his silver medal from 12 months prior.
But for Auckland, another test awaits. A fourth year Medical Sciences student at University of Edinburgh, she travelled to Bulgaria packed with books for revision as she prepares for exams this Wednesday at University of Edinburgh.
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