Today I took part in the London Youth Games, which took place at Parliament Hill in Hampstead. I was one of eight girls selected to represent the borough of Barnet, and I was really proud to be part of the team. I competed in the Under-12 girls’ race and was determined to do my very best. Parliament Hill is known for being one of the trickiest cross-country courses because it has a very steep hill and usually more than 200 runners in each race. With so many runners taking part, the start is always very busy and exciting.
Before the race, I knew that getting a good start would be really important. The race starts on a big incline, so everyone tries to get into a good position straight away. I also wanted to make sure I didn’t fall over because there were so many runners wearing spikes, and I didn’t want anyone to accidentally tread on me. As soon as the race started, I sprinted up the hill and managed to get into around fourth place. I felt really strong and was starting to catch the girls in first and second place. Unfortunately, at around 700 metres, just when I had moved into third place, I suddenly had a big fall.
When I got back up, I had dropped all the way down to around 15th place. Even though I had fallen, I was really happy that nobody had trodden on me with their spikes and that I hadn’t hurt myself. I also remember someone in the crowd kindly asking if I was OK, which was really nice of them. I was a little bit shocked, but I knew I wanted to carry on. I remembered watching Mo Farah when he had been pushed over during a race, but got back up and fought his way through the other runners to win. Thinking about that gave me motivation because I knew I could still do something special.
As soon as I got back on my feet, I started running as fast as I could and overtaking as many girls as possible. I slowly worked my way through the field, going from around 15th place all the way up to fifth. I then had a really good battle with two girls who were in fourth and third place. I managed to overtake both of them and move into third. I could see the girls in first and second getting closer, and I was trying my hardest to catch them as well. However, the race came to an end before I had another chance to overtake them. The course was only 1.4 kilometres long, which felt quite short for me because I am more of an endurance runner. I honestly felt that if there had been just one more lap, I might have caught the leaders.
Although I was a little disappointed to finish third because I really wanted to win, I was still very happy with my result. Finishing in the top three meant I got to stand on the podium and receive one of the amazing London Youth Games medals. I was so proud to receive my bronze medal and represent Barnet. I also know the girl who came first because I raced against her in the Met League. In that race, I finished just one second behind her and felt that I had chances to overtake her. I actually believe I have the speed to beat her, but I need to become a little stronger and more confident when racing against other girls.
One funny thing is that this is actually the second year in a row that I have fallen over at the London Youth Games! I also fell during last year’s competition, so I am really hoping that next year I can stay on my feet. There were 226 girls in my race, and I was competing in the Under-12 category even though I am still only 10 years old. I will not turn 11 until July, so I was one of the youngest runners taking part. I think this makes finishing third even more special, and it gives me lots of confidence for the future.
I was also really proud of all the other Barnet girls because they did so well and represented our borough brilliantly. It was lovely to be part of such a great team, and I was happy that we could all support each other. Looking back, I feel that I ran a really good race considering I fell over, had to get back up and then overtake so many other runners. I know I could possibly have won if I hadn’t fallen, but I am not going to let that upset me. Instead, I want to remember how determined and brave I was when I got back up and carried on.
Overall, I am really proud of myself for never giving up and fighting my way from around 15th place to third. I have learned that even when something goes wrong in a race, you should never give up because you never know what you can achieve. I want to use this experience as motivation to keep training hard, become a stronger runner and keep improving. Hopefully, next year I will be back at the London Youth Games, stay on my feet and have another amazing race. Most importantly, I would love to go one step further and win a gold London Youth Games medal!
