Isle of Wight star-in-the-making Henry McLuckie is determined to put his cross-country trials disappointment behind him and surge to success in 2023.
The St Mary’s University student trained for 4 weeks at altitude in the Pyrénées before the European cross-country trials at the end of November.
The middle-distance runner couldn’t match his stunning Under-20 win at the same event last year, finishing outside the top 6 Under-23s and failing to make the cut.
However, McLuckie was philosophical after the race, convinced the outcome would be different had the race been on solid ground.
He said:
“I went out there [to Font-Romeu] really to train hard for the European cross-country trials and it didn’t really go to plan on the day,” said McLuckie.
“I was probably the best physically prepared I’ve been. I’m not really sure what happened. That’s just how running goes; you have good days and bad days.
“The Under-23s run in the men’s race so you have to go off with it otherwise you get left behind and not finish in the top six Under-23s.
Article continues below this advertisement “I probably mentally over-thought it going into the race, I’m not sure. I know that cross-country is a different story but obviously on the track I know I can hit it pretty well.
“I just feel a lot more comfortable on the track than on the grass and mud. I won the European [Under-20] trials last year but the ground was rock hard so it was almost like a track.”
McLuckie has already been selected to represent the Isle of Wight for the Island Games next summer, and the 20-year-old is hoping to go to the European Athletics Under-23 Championships in Espoo, Finland.
To get there, McLuckie is training hard over the next few months, travelling to South Africa with British Athletics for more altitude training before heading to Flagstaff, Arizona in April.
None of this would be possible without SportsAid funding and McLuckie is making the most of every penny he receives.
McLuckie says:
“It’s a huge help. The SportsAid support I received last year pretty much paid for my whole Font-Romeu trip for 4vweeks so that was a massive help.
“And obviously without the funding, I wouldn’t be able to do the altitude camps, wouldn’t be able to travel around Europe to race so it’s a big help.”
Entain, the owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, is proud to be championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. Visit entaingroup.com to find out more
Why not use his Christian name?