Talented Branthwaite athlete Olivia Mason will be running for her country this weekend after a superb win in the English Schools Championship.

Olivia, 15, won the very competitive U17 girls’ race at the event in Norwich in 12 minutes and 21 seconds.

This means that the Keswick School pupil has now gone unbeaten in cross-country for nearly a year. And after breaking the tape to win the race, she earned herself an England vest for this weekend’s Schools International in Port Talbot, Wales.

Olivia will be part of an eight-person English girls’ team for the U17 race, going up against the best from Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Proud mum Natalie said: “It will be a tough event as the course is 4,600m, a bit longer than usual.

“I think it is around 1,000 metres more so it’s another four or five minutes of running – a bit more challenging for them.

“But this is all about moving up to the next level. There are only 32 in each race so it should have a good feel to it.”

Natalie was delighted to see her daughter clinch the English Sch-ools title, after missing out by just one place in the U15 event last year.

“Olivia was really disappointed last year to come second but since then she has been determined to do better this year,” she added. “And she won by about four seconds. Two girls from Surrey stuck with her until she kicked away with about 300 metres to go.

“Olivia just went for it She went really hard for the finish and took four seconds out of the other two, one of whom was the UK U17 champion. It was impressive to watch.”

Olivia’s younger sister Anna was the first Cumbrian to finish in the U15 race, coming in 56th overall. Workington-based athlete Oliver Dustin also competed, coming home in 77th in the U17 boy’s race.