10k silver medal for Sam in Azores
Cupar’s Sam Fernando won a silver medal with Sport Excel UK’s Great Britain team at this year’s Virtus World Half-Marathon and 10k Championships at Ponta Delgada in the Azores on Sunday.
The Fifer was one of three athletes representing Britain over six miles on the Portuguese island, the others being North Lanarkshire’s Steven Bryce and Devon’s James McKibbin.
All three started off leading a field including opposition from Spain, Portugal and France and Fernando kept up with the front-runners all the way to the finishing line, ending up second in 32:59, just eight seconds behind Spanish gold medallist Ibai Magdaleno Palacios.
McKibbin finished fourth in 33:58, 26 seconds off a podium place, but Bryce pulled out 8km of the way through.
Bryce’s withdrawal meant GB weren’t able to register a team result, three finishers being required for that.
Their head coach Steve Doig, a fellow Fifer, was delighted by their display, saying: “All three athletes did us proud.
“Whilst it was disappointing for Steven to have to withdraw, he should be proud of the commitment he showed in conditions that didn’t suit him.
“Sam and James followed on from their success in Virtus internationals over the past two years and they were rewarded for their efforts with superb finishing positions.
“Kudos to all three athletes for their performances and for the great attitude and commitment they displayed throughout the weekend.”
Their next Virtus competition will be July’s European summer games in Poland.