Innes FitzGerald opened her cross country campaign with a typically dominant and unopposed display of front running for victory in the U20 race at the Cardiff Cross Challenge on Saturday (8) afternoon.
In her first race since competing in the 5000m at the World Athletics Championships, FitzGerald won the U20 4.45km on a largely firm course and in unseasonably warm conditions in Llandaff Fields by 50 seconds. She broke the tape in 14:29 ahead of Beth Lewis (15:19) and Isabel Holt (15:22).
FitzGerald is approaching the latter months of her storied career in the junior ranks and the 19-year-old, who won 3000/5000m gold at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere, is targeting one final hurrah with a third successive U20 crown at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa, Portugal on 14 December.
"The European Cross is hopefully the next big one. I have a title to defend so a lot of work to be done. We haven't written off the World Cross but after the summer we need to prioritise the championships that are going to be best for me and sometimes too much travel can be a bit of a hindrance," FitzGerald told AW on her upcoming plans.
William Rabjohns displayed his versatility by winning the men's U20 5.56km with a degree of ease, moving clear on the last lap for victory in 16:41 over Quinn Miell-Ingrim in 16:49.
The 19-year-old improved to 1:45.41 over 800m this season although his summer season was blighted by a disqualification for obstruction in the European U20 800m final in Tampere where he crossed the finish-line first.
Keith finishes fourth on the road to Lagoa
In the senior races, Megan Keith was the best of the Brits - and the Europeans - as she finished fourth in the senior women's 6.4km in 20:51 in a race won by 17-year-old Kenyan Cynthia Chepkirui in 20:11 ahead of teammate Sheila Jebet (20:31) and Canada’s Ceili McCabe (20:34).
However, Keith's chances of contesting for her second victory in the Cardiff Cross Challenge came to grief in the middle stages of the race after stopping to remove a twig which was dislodged in one of her spikes, causing her to lose ground on the leading trio.
After missing last year’s cross country season through injury, Keith is targeting the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa where she will graduate into the senior ranks having famously won the U23 title in Brussels two years ago by 83 seconds, by far the biggest winning margin in championship history.
In the senior men’s 9.6km which was won by Kenya’s Victor Kimosop in 28:19, Zakariya Mahamed was the leading Brit and European finisher in fourth in 28:28, one second and one place ahead of Jacob Cann.
In the one mile races which served as the trial race for the mixed relay in Lagoa, Holly Dixon won the women's race ahead of world and European U20 1500m finalist Ava Lloyd - 5:02 to 5:03 - while Jack Higgins won the men's race ahead of Callum Elson with both athletes stopping the clock at 4:23.
Three-time European cross country champion Will Barnicoat, who is expected to defend his U23 title in Lagoa next month, was fourth in 4:25.
Full results here.