Rising star in bronze joy

ATHLETICS:

FORMER Royton schoolgirl Molly Sharples clinched a bronze medal in the 800 metres at the Surrey County Athletics Championships.

The 13-year-old, who attended Thornham St James Primary School, won her heat in the under-15s category, before claiming third place in the final.

Molly also bagged herself a new personal best of two minutes 25 seconds, but in doing so picked up a calf injury.

However, she refused to withdraw from the following day’s 1,500m and came home fifth in 5:03, only a second outside of her best time for the distance.

Molly, who is hoping to compete in the Greater Manchester AA Track and Field Championships later the season, moved south four years ago and soon established herself as one of the leading young athletes in Surrey.

In 2009, she was ranked the 12th-best under-13 athletic in Great Britain at 800m.

She enjoyed an excellent winter campaign, which culminated in victory in the National Relay Cross-Country Championships in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire — her first gold medal.

Molly, a member of Aldershot, Farnham and District Athletics Club, had earlier recorded a new PB at the National Cross-Country Championships in Leeds.