Howard setting the pace

Adam Howard

YOUNG athlete Adam Howard is way out in front when it comes to winning races.

But the Counthill School pupil will have to swap his running shoes for more suitable footwear when he attends the Pride in Oldham awards.

The 14-year-old, a member of Oldham and Royton Harriers, has been nominated after another terrific 12 months in cross-country.

He has carried all before him, winning the Inter-Counties Championships for under-13s at Wollaton, in Nottinghamshire, and the Greater Manchester Championships.

Ranked the best in his age group in Great Britain, Adam recently completed a hat-trick of Oldham schools’ cross-country titles, while he is also the reigning South-East Lancashire and Red Rose League champion.

He also helped Greater Manchester to claim top honours in the junior section (Years Eight/Nine) at the English Schools’ Championships in Loughborough.

Adam is now setting his sights on winning the English Schools’ title next April, while his ultimate ambition is to compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.

Mum Louise said: “Adam never sits still. Even when he’s not training, and that’s only Tuesdays and Fridays, he’s out with his mates on his BMX bike.

“He’s always been a fidget. He was very sporty at primary school, but at such a young age, you never know how things are going to pan out.

“But he’s quite adamant that he wants to compete at the Olympics one day.”

Adam, who is also a keen footballer and plays for Springhead under-14s in the Tameside Sunday League, is working hard towards his GCSEs in the hope that he can go on to Hopwood Hall College which specialises in sport.

The teenager has become a well-known face across the region.

He has been used on a poster campaign as part of the Greater Manchester Challenge, a partnership between the Department of Children, Schools and Families and local authorities.