ROOKIE Kiya Dee produced a brilliant performance to finish on the podium at the South West Schools’ Cross Country Championships.

Competing in the junior girls’ age group for the first time the 12-year-old member of Highworth Running Club won the silver medal to add to her bronze as a minor girl last year.

“Kiya is delighted with her run as she is bottom of the age group,” said proud mum Diana.

To complete a tremendous weekend Dee then wrapped up the overall Oxfordshire Cross Country League title the following day.

“Kiya won the race which means she now has three wins and a second from her four races and even with one race remaining cannot now be caught,” added Diana.

With a runner’s best four results counting towards the overall league results Kiya is in an unassailable position in the under 13 girls’ age category.

As far as the regional schools’ competition goes Dee’s medal was certainly one of the main highlights of the day for local athletes, even if she was representing Gloucestershire as she is a student at Farmor’s School, Fairford.

There was also a silver medal for Swindon Harriers’ Harriet Hilman, who was running for Wiltshire in the minor girls’ race.

Hilman is a member of Bryan Clinton’s coaching group at the Harriers and she reproduced the form that saw her run away with the county title the previous month with an excellent run.

Another Harriers county medallist in action in Devon was 13-year-old Commonweal School student Max Gunning.

Gunning had the best race of his young career to win the bronze medal at the Wiltshire Championships and while he couldn’t quite match that last weekend he still acquitted himself admirable to finish in the top 50 and fourth scorer in the squad that placed fourth.

In the inter boys’ race Harriers’ Max Sockett of Royal Wootton Bassett School, who finished as runner-up in the county championships, led home the Wiltshire squad in 14th place overall.

Sockett is a member of Kevin Buttle’s coaching group and his medal follows up his creditable 12th place in the South West Inter-Counties Championships at Yeovil.

In the same race, Lydiard Park’s Patrick Mochan placed 44th.

In the 60m sprints, Scott Gunning, of Swindon Harriers, ran a 7.28 personal best over 60m and then won the South West Championships over 200m for the second year running off a tight inside lane at the Cardiff Met Grand Prix Non Thomas Open.