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Innes FitzGerald

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Innes FitzGerald
FitzGerald at the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships – U20 women's race
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Born (2006-04-06) 6 April 2006 (age 18)
Sport
SportAthletics
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)1500m: 4.15:04 (Watford, 2022)
3000m: 8.57:01 (Lima, 2024)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Great Britain
European Cross Country Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Antalya U20 race
Gold medal – first place 2024 Antalya U20 team
Gold medal – first place 2023 Brussels U20 race
Gold medal – first place 2023 Brussels U20 team

Innes FitzGerald (born 6 April 2006) is a British track and field athlete and cross country runner. She is the 2023 and 2024 European U20 Cross Country champion.[1]

Early life

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FitzGerald hails from Beer, Devon and attended Axe Valley Academy.[2] Her parents own a smallholding on which FitzGerald has worked.[3] In 2024, she began to attend the University of Exeter.[4]

Career

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2022

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She runs for the Exeter Harriers and is trained by Gavin Pavey. She won the Mini London Marathon in October 2022.[5] FitzGerald set a new under-17 record for 3,000 metres, and in December 2022 finished fourth in the under-20s European Cross Country Championships in Turin, competing as a seventeen year-old.[6] To avoid flying to the competition, FitzGerald had taken a 20-hour coach and train journey from Exeter to Italy.[7]

2023

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In January 2023, FitzGerald turned down the opportunity to compete at the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia because of concerns she holds about contributing to climate change.[8] In a letter to UK Athletics she wrote that “The reality of the travel fills me with deep concern”, adding that "I was just nine when the COP21 Paris Climate agreement was signed. Now, eight years on, and global emissions have been steadily increasing, sending us on a path to climate catastrophe. Turning this around is only possible through transformational change from collective and personal action."[9][10]

In March 2023, FitzGerald won the English Schools cross country title.[11] She won the senior girls 3000m at the English Schools Championship in July 2023, clocking 9:16.14. In 2023, she also defended her Mini London Marathon title and won the England under-20 3000m title.[12]

She ran a new personal best at the BMC Watford Gold Standard meet on the 12 July 2023 when she clocked 4:15.04 for the 1500m.[13]

In October 2023, Fitzgerald was announced as the winner of the BBC Green Sports Awards 'Young Athlete of the Year' for her refusal to fly to the World Cross Country Championships taking place in Australia. Selected for the 2023 European Cross Country Championships in Brussels in December 2023, she won the women's U20 race and also claimed gold as part of the British squad in the team race.[14][15] The following week, she finished third behind Laura Muir and Georgia Bell, running the 3000m indoors at the Christmas Classic in Cardiff.[16]

2024

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On 20 January 2024, she won the U20 London International Cross Country event.[17] In March 2024, she won the UK U20 Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships at Wollaton Park. However, after the race she said she would not take her automatic place at the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships that month, due to travel time and the impact it would have on her A-Levels study.[18] However, she was named in the British team for the event.[19][20] She finished as leading European, in 17th place, as Britain finished fifth in the team U20 event.[21]

In May 2024, she was selected to represent England over 3000 metres at the Loughborough International and won the 3000 metres in 9:08.91.[22][23] She was selected for the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru, where she placed fourth in the final of the 3000 metres in a personal best time of 8:57.01.[24][25]

In October 2024, she was nominated by Athletics Weekly for best British female junior.[26] In November 2024, she was named by British Athletics on the Olympic Futures Programme for 2025.[27] On 23 November 2024, she won the U20 race at the Liverpool Cross Challenge.[28] She was selected for the British U20 team for the 2024 European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, Turkey, winning gold in the U20 race to become just the fourth woman to win back-to-back titles at the event.[29][30]

References

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  1. ^ "Innes FitzGerald". World Athletics. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  2. ^ Evans, Francesca (17 July 2022). "East Devon runner Innes continues to impress with biggest victory of her young career". Axminster.nub. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  3. ^ Lytton, Charlotte (28 January 2023). "Innes FitzGerald: 'Greta Thunberg of sport' wants (green) gold at Olympics". The Times. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  4. ^ Henderson, Jason (Dec 9, 2024). "Birmingham University rise to the challenge in Antalya". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  5. ^ Henderson, Jason (April 22, 2023). "Innes FitzGerald impresses again at Mini London Marathon". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  6. ^ Lawton, Matt (25 January 2023). "Innes FitzGerald, 'Greta Thunberg of sport', says no to Australia world title run". The Times. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Teen runner Innes FitzGerald turns down World Championship in Australia due to climate change". ITV.com. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  8. ^ Collins, Riyah (1 February 2023). "Innes FitzGerald: The teen turning down championships for the planet". BBC News. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  9. ^ Mackay, Duncan (20 January 2023). "British runner spurns chance to compete at World Cross Country Championships in Australia after refusal to fly". Insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  10. ^ Rawlinson, Kevin (26 January 2023). "Runner says no to competing for GB in Australia over flight climate concerns". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  11. ^ Duff, Martin (March 19, 2023). "Innes FitzGerald enjoys runaway win at English Schools Champs". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  12. ^ Adams, Tim (July 3, 2023). "Five takeaways from the English Schools Champs". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  13. ^ Adams, Tim (July 13, 2023). "Phoebe Gill takes apart UK U17 1500m record". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  14. ^ "40-STRONG GB & NI TEAM BRUSSELS BOUND FOR THE 2023 EUROPEAN CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS". British Athletics. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  15. ^ "European Cross Country Championships: Great Britain's Abbie Donnelly claims bronze". BBC Sport. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  16. ^ "GB Star Laura Muir Smashes Track Record In Cardiff Visit". Dai-Sport. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  17. ^ "ABBIE DONNELLY AND HUGO MILNER TRIUMPH AT LONDON INTERNATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY". British Athletics. 20 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Abbie Donnelly and Calum Johnson win Inter-Counties crowns". Athletics Weekly. March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  19. ^ "GB& NI TEAM ARE BELGRADE-BOUND FOR THE 2024 WORLD ATHLETICS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS". British Athletics. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  20. ^ Henderson, Jason (March 14, 2024). "Innes FitzGerald in World Cross u-turn". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  21. ^ Henderson, Jason (March 30, 2024). "FitzGerald and Bailey finish top Europeans in Belgrade". Athletics Weekly.
  22. ^ "KJT shows fine early season form at Loughborough". Athletics Weekly. May 20, 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  23. ^ "England team selected for the 2024 Loughborough International". England Athletics. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  24. ^ "GB & NI SQUAD ANNOUNCED FOR THE WORLD ATHLETICS U20 CHAMPIONSHIPS LIMA 2024". British Athletics. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  25. ^ "Walaza storms to sprint double at World U20 Championships in Lima". World Athletics. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  26. ^ Henderson, Jason (Oct 30, 2024). "Vote for your athletes of 2024". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  27. ^ "2024-25 OLYMPIC FUTURES PROGRAMME ATHLETES ANNOUNCED". British Athletics. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  28. ^ Collett, Jasmine (Nov 23, 2024). "Kate Axford and Tomer Tarragano take Euro trials victory in Liverpool". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  29. ^ "GB & NI TEAM ANNOUNCED FOR EUROPEAN CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ANTALYA". British Athletics. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  30. ^ "U20 favourites FitzGerald and Laros live up to expectations". European Athletics. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
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