Alex Millard of Canterbury-based Invicta East Kent victorious at the British Athletics Cross Challenge

Alex Millard of Invicta East Kent was victorious at the British Athletics Cross Challenge in Milton Keynes.

Millard, running for England, pulled away from a three-strong group last Saturday at the end of the second lap to clock 24min11sec.

Her training partner, Grace Carson, was second in 24.18, followed by last year’s winner Jess Gibbon, a further four seconds back.

Millard missed out by one place on making the under-23 team for the Euro Cross last year and was particularly unfortunate, as her birthday made her one day out from being an under-20.

She told the British Athletics website: “It was frustrating but I’ve got two more years under-23, this year and next year so, hopefully, I can do it this year.”

In the men’s race, Mahamed Mahamed beat brother Zakariya after dropping last year’s winner Hugo Milner.