European Under 18 Athletics Championships

The dream European Under 18 Athletics Championship debut, ended up as a competitive nightmare
for Morpeth Harrier Rory Leonard in Gyor, Hungary, on Thursday 5th July 2018.

Leonard had travelled to the event, along with fellow Brit Tom Keen, of Cambridge and Coleridge,
fully expecting to claim a medal in the Boys 3000m, however ended up a disappointing ninth,
in an equally disappointing time of 8m39.45s, a good twenty-one seconds adrift of his lifetime best,
as Keen meanwhile secured the Gold medal in 8m27.38s.

Unfortunately, Leonard never quite got into his usual stride, with the early pace been set by
Nederland’s Ryan Oosting, and always held a midway position throughout.

The North East and Inter Counties Under 17 Men’s Cross-Country Champion,
hopes to return to better form for the English Schools Championships in Birmingham,
​where he will compete in the Senior Boys 1500m.