Terrific trials triumph secures World Cross-Country Championships place for University of Bath student-athlete Jenny Nesbitt
University of Bath sporting scholar Jenny Nesbitt will represent Great Britain at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, later this month after a brilliant win in the qualifying event last weekend.
The Sport & Social Science student, who is supported by a Trendell Sport Scholarship, made light of difficult weather conditions in Loughborough to chase down leader Jess Piasecki on the final loop and claim an excellent victory in the women’s trials race.
That earned Nesbitt automatic selection in the 24-strong British team for the World Championships – her first international cross-country vest since 2016 and just reward for her hard work in training over the winter.
“It means an awful lot to have achieved an automatic qualifying spot for the World Cross Country Championships because it’s been a long time in coming,” Nesbitt told British Athletics after her trials win.
“It was really tough out there but that is the sort of cross country that I enjoy because it’s a case of who can grind it out the longest and be patient. It comes down to getting it right on the day and I did that.”
Nesbitt, who represented Wales in the 10,000m at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, and her British team-mates will be taking on the world in Aarhus on Saturday, March 30.
Meanwhile, Sports Performance graduate Cameron Chalmers, who is coached by James Hillier at the University of Bath, has been GB men’s 4x400m squad for May’s IAAF World Relays in Yokohama, Japan.
Emily Diamond, who does some of her training at the University, and fellow Olympic medallist Eilidh Doyle are in the women’s squad.
Applications are now being taken by current and prospective University of Bath students for the 2019-20 Sports Scholarship programme – click here to find out more.
Picture credit: Mark Shearman / British Athletics
