Pride & joy: Schoolgirl Freya wins first Gold and Silver medals for England

CHAMPIONS: Freya Vidal, left, with her England team-mates after winning Gold in the 4 x 300m relay

By Simon Bristow

Schoolgirl athletics star Freya Vidal has won her first Gold Medal for England, capping a breathless day in which she also won Silver when representing her country for the first time.

The 15-year-old, from Leconfield, was part of the victorious England team that won the 4 x 300m relay at the SIAB Under-17s Championships in Belfast on Saturday.

Just over an hour earlier, Freya had come a close second to a rival from Scotland in the individual 200m, taking Silver at the Mary Peters Track on her debut outing in an England vest.

Remarkably, Freya’s gold-winning performance was the first time she had taken part in a relay event at that distance.

“I’d never done 4 x 300m before so I was a bit nervous,” she said. “The other three girls in the relay are all 300m runners. They are all faster than me over 300m. I didn’t want to let them down but I knew we had a strong team because we are all high up in the rankings.”

SILVER: Freya Vidal, left, came second in the 200m in her first race for England

Freya had the third leg in the relay and was buoyed to see her team-mates had already established a good lead by the time she was handed the baton. She said the fact she had just won Gold for England “didn’t sink in”, but she and her team-mates made sure they enjoyed the moment as they “ran over to each other and hugged each other”.

Freya said she felt “so tired” after her races, although that did not curtail the team’s excitement. “To be honest, after the 300 we were all so hyper because everyone tried so hard,” she said.

Despite winning her first medals for England, Freya was disappointed by her showing in the 200m. “It wasn’t one of my best performances,” she said. “I wasn’t happy with it because my start wasn’t very good. But I managed to pick it back up towards the end. I was just happy to get a medal.”

Freya was again cheered on by her proud parents Tony and Deborah.

TEAM COLOURS: Freya Vidal in her England tracksuit

“I was just really proud of her,” said Deborah. “She just seemed to take it all in her stride. There was a sea of red tops at the airport and it was just amazing to think Freya was part of them. She had the most amazing weekend and has definitely learnt so much and made athletics friends for life.”

Freya, a pupil at Longcroft School in Beverley, earned her place at the event by winning 200m Gold in the England Schools Championships the previous weekend, also against older girls.

She now looks forward to competing in the Northern Athletics Championships in Liverpool on August 13 and 14, before lining up in the Mini Olympics in Loughborough the following month.

But if anyone thought Freya was about to take it easy, she has already booked a running track to train on in Spain when the family take a well-earned holiday this summer.