HIGHWORTH teenager Kiya Dee will compete in Dublin today to represent England at the British and Irish Schools’ Cross County Championships.

The 14-year-old will lead the England junior girls’ team into action against the best of Ireland, Scotland Wales at Santry Park in the Irish capital after becoming the first member of Highworth Running Club to win a medal at the national level.

Indeed, Dee wrote her page into the club record books in some style as she won the junior girls’ title at the New Balance English Schools’ Cross Country Championships in Leeds last weekend with a gusty performance as she overcame earlier leader and great rival Holly Weedall.

Coach Jason Campbell said: “As a club we are incredibly proud of her and her twin sister Taya (who was 35th in the same race).

“We are really enjoying the fact that first and foremost she loves her running and she is pretty decent at it.”

The victory last weekend was the highlight – so far - of a tremendous season for Dee, who is a student at Farmor’s School in Fairford.

“Kiya has had a very good winter,” added Campbell.

“I am not sure we were expecting her to win last weekend as she was up against her nemesis in Holly Weedall. I think we were probably hoping she would come second or third.

“Holly actually built up a big lead on the first lap and was 40-50 metres clear of the field but on the second lap Kiya wore her down and then overtook her. Kiya loves the mud and hills – and there were plenty of them last week.”

Dee finished so strongly that she crossed the line 11 seconds clear of Cornwall’s Maisy Luke with Devon’s Scarlett Livingstone third to complete a West Country clean weep. Early leader Weedall paid for her effort to finish fourth.

Campbell said: “Kiya is still only 14 so no-one is putting any pressure on her and as a coach and club we are just happy to be helping Kiya and laying the foundations for her future.”