A TEENAGER from Menston is heading to Australia after securing a place with Team GB for the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships.

Rebecca Flaherty, a student at Bradford Grammar School (BGS), will compete in the Under 20s women’s squad at the championships in Bathurst on Saturday, February 18.

The event will be Rebecca’s third GB vest after she made her debut at the World Mountain Running Championships, in Thailand, in November, where she came second and helped secure team gold. Earlier this season, she also represented GB at the European Cross Country Championships in Turin, where she was the second GB teammate to finish.

The 17-year-old, who runs with Bingley Harriers and lives in Menston, was also part of the BGS team who won gold after competing in the ISF World School Cross Country Championships, in Slovakia, last April.

Rebecca said news of her latest GB selection had yet to “sink in’.

“Representing Great Britain at such a prestigious world championship is a dream come true and one I hadn’t truly considered I could achieve at the start of the season,” she said.

“I’m so excited I’ll get to travel in a team with Olympians, such as Alex Bell, as well as watch and race alongside the best runners from all over the world, especially those from Kenya and Ethiopia. I feel very privileged to be able to go and explore Australia and make some amazing memories there.”

The biggest challenges Rebecca will face once there will be the heat and the jet lag.

“The 12-hour time difference will make getting sufficient sleep hard and the temperature can reach 30 degrees Celsius. However, we are travelling with team doctors and experienced managers, so I will be in capable hands and will get lots of advice on how to overcome these challenges,” she added.

BGS has a tradition of producing outstanding Olympic, European and World Championship athletes, including triathletes Jonny and Alistair Brownlee, and long distance and cross-country runners Richard Nerurkar and Emile Cairess.

Dr Simon Hinchliffe, headmaster at BGS, said: “We’re very proud of Rebecca and all she’s achieved so far during her time at BGS. She works incredibly hard to balance her academic studies with her training and we’re delighted to see her rewarded for her efforts. We’ll all be cheering her on as she takes up her next challenge in Australia!”