20 November 2013

Emelia Gorecka (coach: Mick Woods) will be targeting a third successive victory in the junior women’s race when she lines up at the Liverpool Cross Challenge on Saturday.

The 19 year old has dominated the domestic cross country scene in recent years and is confident that her winning streak can continue at Sefton Park, which also acts as the trial race for the European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sunday 8 December.

“I’m in good shape at the moment,” she said. “I haven’t done an individual race yet this season; I’ve only been part of a team set up at the relays. Through that I’ve been continuing training and building up slowly, every race has served a purpose with regards to my fitness and I’m getting fitter and fitter.

“I think it’s all come together nicely for Liverpool so it’s quite exciting and I’m hoping to run well.”

Despite her age, Gorecka carries vast cross country experience with three medals at the European Cross Country Championships, including gold in 2011, already to her name. In her last year as a junior, the Aldershot, Farnham and District athlete is hoping to go out with a bang and make it a hat trick of victories in Liverpool.

She continued: “I definitely enjoy running in Liverpool. I’ve been an under 20 since I was about 16 because I moved up early, so it’s my last year this year.

“I’ve had a lot of experience in the age groups but they’ve all served a purpose for me and I’ve learned a lot from every race that I’ve been there for. It’s nice to come back for my final year and hopefully have a good performance to finish my junior career off well.”

Gorecka has added to her cross country prowess with increasingly impressive performances on the track. She made her first GB & NI senior appearance at the European Athletics Team Championships in Gateshead in June, where she finished second, and won European Junior 3,000m gold in Rieti a month later.

The 2012 World Junior 3,000m bronze medallist believes that competing on the track compliments her cross country performances and vice versa.

“They definitely both help each other. I used to be an all-out cross country athlete and didn’t do track at all but over the past few years I’ve learned to adapt to the track and I’ve improved my speed; that’s something that has really progressed in my training.

“As that comes on and gets added to the strength that I build in the country hopefully it will turn me into a good 1500m, 5,000m and 10,000m runner.”

The Mick Woods coached athlete is hopeful that continuing to be competitive over both surfaces will help to maintain her progress.

“It’s all added together nicely; it won’t happen overnight,” she insisted. “I’ve always been good at the cross country and endurance aspect of things but I’m always working on my speed as well.

“In the years to come as I turn into a senior athlete I will hopefully be doing more championships on the track and stepping up my senior profile there.”

For more information on the British Athletics Cross Challenge click here.