Eastbourne Rovers star Roberts wins in Cardiff
Talented Eastbourne Rovers ace Byron Roberts showed maturity above his years in winning the international televised Cardiff Cross Challenge boys’ under-15 race.
Roberts sat behind the race leader for the first 3,000m, choosing his moment to strike on the last incline before the finishing 150m straight.
It culminated in an exciting finish, with Roberts beating the Bracknell athlete who had run the fastest time at the National Cross Country Relays the previous week.
Rovers coach Chris Voice commented: "This is a great early-season result for Byron and bodes well for the season ahead."
Also competing in the U17/U20 boys’ race was George Armstrong-Smith, who had a strong run, finishing 45th overall but 10th quickest in the U17 boys’ category.
Jonah Messer gained valuable experience of top-class cross-country racing, finishing in the top 100 of the U17/U20 boys’ race after suffering an unfortunate issue with his running spikes during the race.
Voice said he was very pleased all three athletes coped well at such a high-class competition against the UK's best young running talent.
The next cross challenge event for the young Rovers athletes will be in Liverpool on November 22.