24 March 2009

Freya Murray (Chester le Street) has withdrawn from the Aviva Great Britain & Northern Ireland team for this weekend’s IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan due to an Achilles injury. The 25 year old Scottish champion had been suffering from the injury since before the World trials in Nottingham on 7 March, where she finished fifth.

However, the injury has meant that her training has since been compromised and coupled with the fact that the injury has not responded sufficiently to treatment at the UKA World Cross Holding Camp at Keogh Barracks near Aldershot, Hampshire, a mutual decision has been taken between the athlete and team management that Murray would withdraw from the team to eliminate the risk of further damage.

29 year old Sonia Samuels (Sale Harriers Manchester) – 6th in the trials – will take Murray’s place for the Jordan-hosted championships. Samuels has enjoyed a solid cross country season which included finishing 3rd at the English National and 5th at the prestigious Cinque Mulini race in Italy.