OAKWORTH’S Eleanor Robinson has bounced back from injury in style by winning the under-17 women’s race in the Yorkshire Cross-Country Championships at Lightwater Valley.

Having clinched the county track and field 1500 metre title in the same age group at Cudworth last May, the Keighley & Craven Athletics Club member’s season was cut short last year.

She had to take the whole summer off with a serious foot injury but she made a superb return to competitive racing last Saturday.

Her club coach Will Smith said: “We knew Eleanor was back in good shape, but was using the County Champs as a tester to see just how ‘race fit’ she is, and she didn’t disappoint!”

Robinson started the race sensibly, lying in 15th place behind the leading pack.

Two athletes pulled away but, although the Oakbank School pupil gradually worked her way through the chasers, with half a mile to go spectators were resigned to her finishing third.

However, Robinson put in a massive effort on the final climb to catch the leading pair and then, with 300 metres to go, she powered to victory.

Runner-up Emma Clapton (Scarborough) finished nine seconds back and third-placed Mary McCarthy (Hallamshire Harriers) was 19 seconds behind.

Smith added: “Eleanor is a perfect example to all sports people, junior and senior.

“Last summer she was county 1500 metre champion and favourite for winning the English Schools’ finals.

“Her world fell apart when she got a foot injury and had to take the rest of the year off but she never lost focus.

“She continued to eat the right food and work hard on her rehabilitation, core strength and fitness. No-one deserves to be Yorkshire champion more than Eleanor.”

Eleanor was not the only shining light for Keighley & Craven AC, however, as they achieved a record-breaking medal haul.

In the under-13 girls race, Katie Atkinson continued her string of top performances by finishing second overall and leading Keighley to gold in the team category as Lilli Carr finished sixth and Lucy Fryers eighth.

Angelina Bairstow was 22nd, while in the under-15 boys’ category, James Lund finished a credible tenth ahead of team-mates Joe Hudson (13th) and Tom Barrett (15th) as they took a team bronze.

By finishing in the top eight, Robinson, Atkinson, Carr and Fryers have all been selected to represent Yorkshire in the Inter-Counties Championships in Birmingham in March.

In other races, Louis Hudson was 11th and Will Atkinson 25th in the under-13 boys, Robert Thompson was 23rd in the under-17 men, Craig Shearer 23rd in the senior men, Zara Knappy and Rosie Hellawell 25th and 26th in the senior women and Tegan Knappy 26th in the under-15 girls.