North Devon’s Eleanor storms to silver medal in England debut in Belgium

North Devon Athletics Club’s Eleanor Foster produced an outstanding performance on the international stage, finishing second in the Under-20 Women’s race for England at the Lotto Cup in Roeselare, Belgium.

Competing on Saturday, October 25, Eleanor was the first England athlete across the finish line in a high-quality international field, finishing just 10 seconds behind race winner Kaate Mulders of Belgium.

The performance was particularly impressive as Eleanor was making her England cross-country debut, alongside teammates Imogen Edwards and Isabella Tutt.

The race began at a frantic pace, with Imogen immediately moving to the front and opening up a 10-metre lead over the chasing pack, which included Eleanor, Sabrina Coppola Johansen and Isabella.

Belgium’s Mulders joined Imogen at the head of the field towards the end of the opening lap before gradually pulling clear.

Eleanor, however, continued to close the gap and produced a superb final lap, moving ahead of Imogen into second place to secure a memorable silver medal.

Mulders held on to take victory, with Eleanor finishing in 16 minutes 45 seconds.

Imogen was caught by a fast-finishing Elise Pietinck of Belgium and finished an excellent fourth in 16:49.

Sabrina placed 12th in 17:36, while Isabella, the youngest member of the team, finished 15th in 17:43.

Eleanor’s performance marked a fantastic achievement for the North Devon athlete and her club, North Devon Athletics Club, with her international debut providing a memorable milestone in her athletics career.

A huge congratulations to Eleanor on an outstanding performance representing her country!