Beatrix Soper, a Y6 pupil at Bolton School’s Junior Girls’ School, has been ranked as England’s fastest U11 girl!
Bea, as she likes be known, has just completed her final race of the 2021-22 cross country season and has been undefeated in every league in which she has competed. At the very beginning of the season she won The Association of Junior Independent Schools’ race at Rossall School on The Fylde by a considerable distance and helped ensure that her School team came first in the competition.
In the Bolton Primary Schools’ cross country race, Bea won every race and the Junior Girls’ School came first as a school team. In the Greater Manchester Primary Schools’ cross country Bea came first and the Bolton borough came first as a team. In the Manchester Area Cross Country League, Bea won all 4 of her races. In the South East Lancashire League, Bea won all 4 races.
For now, she is still ranked as the fastest U11 girl in the country, but, from the end of March, she will be classed as an U13 as the athletics season begins, even though she will remain just 10 years old until the end of July.
Mum, Sally, said: ‘We are so proud of her. She has worked so hard and has run in some awful conditions.’
Bea trains twice a week at Salford Mets and twice a week with her coach, Mike Race. Her love of running began at age 4 when she took part in the Colour Run. She went on to develop her running during lockdown by going out with her father. She now gets out running at least four times a week.
