Matt wins Inter-Counties Champs & British Cross Challenge series

Matt Stonier (Marlowe, 6a) claimed his first national title on Saturday, winning the Under-20 UK Inter-Counties Championships and the British Cross Challenge series.

A field packed with many of the best age-group runners in the country lined up in Loughborough, but Matt convincingly saw off his opponents to cross the tape first.

The dominant performance is the highlight of an incredible season so far for the 18-year-old and means he has now won five of the six cross country races he’s entered this year, including victories at The South of England Championships and a Cross Cup event in Belgium.

Podium finishes in Stirling and Milton Keynes earlier in the national Cross Challenge series also helped him claim the overall title.

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Having failed to start the English Championships at Nottingham last month due to illness, Matt was delighted with the result on Saturday, telling Athletics Weekly: “I made my move on the last hill before the final field, Josh had been leading for about a kilometre and I thought I’d have a go given I had a tailwind to play with.

“I felt good, early on it was a bit slow but I maintained my pace when others were dropping off and in the home straight I was semi-celebrating and semi-hurting.

“It’s my first big win like this so I just wanted to soak it in and enjoy it. I knew I was in good form and it proved today. I missed the English Nationals but that’s proved a blessing in disguise given I won today.”

With the English Schools Championships taking place this weekend, Matt has one more race to go in what has been an incredible season. His success has been an inspiration to everyone at King’s, and he’ll soon return his full attention to A Levels in Geography, Biology and Maths before racing on the track this summer.

Read about co-curricular life at King’s here.

Photo credit: Adrian Royle.